Tools
Tools
Millings, M, Burke, L, Annison, H, Carr, N, Robinson, G and Surridge, E (2025) A fork in the road: Probation unification in England and Wales two years on. Probation Journal. pp. 1-18. ISSN 0264-5505
|
Text
A fork in the road Probation unification in England and Wales two years on.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (595kB) | Preview |
Abstract
This article presents findings from a major longitudinal research project of probation in England and Wales, arguing that the process of its ‘unification’ (re-nationalisation) continues to be a painful process whose end state remains elusive. Having previously articulated how practitioners experienced unification as ‘painful but necessary’, here, using the imagery of a journey, we argue that the speed and direction of travel have encountered a more perilous trajectory than expected as high workloads and staffing challenges have persisted. Second, we argue that enduring challenges in bedding in new working practices – and building the confidence of new and existing colleagues to deliver them – have acted as ‘hazards’ that have needed careful navigation. Third, we argue that staff experience a sense of individual and collective operational vulnerability, in the face of the relentless demands placed upon them. In conclusion, we identify a series of forks in the road that prompt profound questions about the delivery of probation services now and in the future.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | 1602 Criminology |
| Subjects: | K Law > KD England and Wales H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology > HV7231 Criminal Justice Administrations H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology > HV8301 Penology. Prisons. Corrections |
| Divisions: | Justice Studies (from Sep 19) |
| Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
| SWORD Depositor: | A Symplectic |
| Date Deposited: | 10 Jan 2025 12:21 |
| Last Modified: | 10 Jan 2025 12:30 |
| DOI or ID number: | 10.1177/02645505241303755 |
| URI: | https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/25238 |
 |
View Item |