Book Reviews
| Author | David Phillips |
| Pages | 79-88 |
Book Reviews
79
BOOK REVIEWS
Edited by David Phillips, Sheffield Hallam University
DICTIONARY OF PROBATION AND OFFENDER
MANAGEMENT
Canton, R. and Hancock, D. (eds), Cullompton:
Willan (2007) pp. 397; £22.99, pbk. ISBN 1-
843922-89-4
The Dictionary of Probation and Offender Management is, to say the least, a well-compiled
information pack. Whereas the term ‘dictionary’ is often used to refer to documents that
provide basic definitions of terms, the Dictionary of Probation and Offender Management
provides a lot more. The main strength of the book lies not only in the provision of
detailed and, in some parts, critical and analytical definitions of and information about
important and relevant terms, but also in the selection of the contributors. The entries in
the Dictionary of Probation and Offender Management are written by renowned experts in
the fields of probation and offender management in the UK and abroad. Another strength
is the fact that the contributors are not exclusively academics but include practitioners of
immense experience in the probation service and NOMS. Although the bulk of the
entries concern the UK, there are entries on the probation services of different parts of the
world, including the probation service in Africa, USA and Canada. Whilst the non-UK
entries are brief, it is important to note the fact that there are no entries on the prison
systems of these countries. The effort to include entries from other countries is
commendable, more so now that comparative study is becoming a popular area in
criminology and criminal justice studies.
This book comprises three parts. The first part is a detailed Introduction and Overview of
the probation service in England and Wales with a special emphasis on the history of the
service. Other areas of NOMS are not discussed in this part of the book. However, the
editors emphasise their preference for probation as the focus of the collection, with
NOMS being given a secondary coverage. The probation service is not only the key
service in NOMS but also one that is the most rapidly expanding and developing part of
NOMS. In this sense, the decision to focus on probation is justified. In addition, this part
examines some issues of current probation police and practice in England and Wales,
which should be of interest also to students of NOMS. This part of the book is very well
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