'A difficult trip, I think': The end days of the probation service in England and Wales?. (April 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mair, George
• Is Part Of: European journal of probation. Volume 8:Number 1(2016)
• Page Start: 3
• Page End: 15
• Publication Date: 2016-04
• Subjects: Criminal justice policy -- probation service -- public sector decline; Probation -- Europe -- Periodicals; 364.6309405
• DOI: 10.1177/2066220316637389
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2066-2203

Abstract

The probation service has been a key part of the criminal justice process for more than 100 years. It deals with more offenders than the prison service; it is more successful than prison in terms of reconviction rates, and it is considerably cheaper than prison. Its advantages as a court sentence seem to be only too clear. Yet, prison remains the gold standard for punishment in England and Wales while the probation service is facing a bleak future. How has it come about that the existence of probation is now under serious threat? That a vital public service is faced with extinction? This article explores the issues that have led to the possibility that probation's days are numbered.