Book Reviews : Prisoners of Society
| Date | 01 June 1975 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455057502200210 |
| Published date | 01 June 1975 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
61
BOOK
REVIEWS
Prisoners
of
Society
Martin
Davies
Routtedge
&
Kegan
Paul,
£4.95
In
this
book,
Martin
Davies
provides
a
fairly
exhaustive
study
of
the
offender’s
progress,
through
the
labyrinth
of
penal
practice,
with
particular
reference
to
welfare
pro-
visions
and
the
functions
of
the
Probation
&
After-Care
Service.
Clearly,
with
its
limited
resources
confounding
any
skill
it
may
have,
the
Service
is
on
a
hiding
to
nothing
in
any
really
serious
treatment
stakes
and
the
author
does
not
attempt
to
suggest
otherwise.
He
presents
the
facts
as
he
sees
them,
comments
in
restrained
fashion
and
throws
doubts
where
in
the
past
we
have
had
too
many
complacent
assumptions.
For
all
those
who
like
adjectives
like
&dquo;exciting&dquo;
and
&dquo;challenging&dquo;
the
book
will
hardly
find
favour.
It
is
in
fact
a
comprehensive
researcher’s
eye
view,
a
realist’s
matter
of
fact
look
at
the
complexities
of
our
penal
system
and
the
confusion
which
arises
from
the
many
conflicting
as
well
as
well-meaning
attempts
to
provide
one
which
is
remotely
viable.
Custodial
and
non-custodial
methods
are
examined
and
the
frustrations
of
failure
which
exist in
the
limbo
between
aspiration
and
reality
are
well
brought
out.
There
is
also
a
very
balanced
understanding
(by
a
former
probation
officer
and
social
worker)
of
the
need
which
society
has
to
control
(and
often
rightly)
its
recalcitrant
elements
in
the
interests
of
the
many.
There
is
as
yet,
it
seems,
no
really
valid
alternative
to
prison
and
even
the
latter
could
be
and
should
be
a
much
better
propo-
sition,
in
viable terms,
than
it
is.
We
are
not
conspicuously
success-
ful
according
to
Dr
Davies
and
20
years
of
personal
experience
leads
the
writer
to
offer
a
modest
endorsement
of
the
view.
’
We
have
a
long
way
to
go
before
we
are
in
a
position
to
offer
solutions
rather
than
apologies,
if
only
because
the
latter
are
cheaper,
and
easier
in
a
situation
where
atavistic
considera-
tions
still
apply.
It
is
hard
going
to
read
a
book
of
this
kind,
which
takes
such
a
close
look
at
the
Emperor’s
goose
pimples,
and
I
found
it
less
than
enjoyable,
but
I
am
glad
that
Martin
Davies
felt
able
to
write
it,
if
only
as a
contribution
towards
the
establish-
ment
of
a
compassionate
society.
KLH
Progress
in
Penal
Reform
Ed.
Louis
Blom-Cooper
Clarendon
Press,
Oxford,
£4.50
This
is
a
collection
of
essays
pub-
lished
by
NACRO,
with
a
wide
variety
of
contributors
including
distinguished
criminologists
and
members
of
the
Probation
and
After-
Care
Service.
The
essays
look
at
development
in
penal
reform
both
in
concept
and
in
practice,
and
there
are
very
useful
chapters
on
Intermediate
Treatment,
Community
Service
and
non-Custodial
Supervision.
DAM
(Continued
from
facing
page)
humanity
in
which
our
expertise
can
be
practiced.
The
Ammerdown
experience
taught
at
least
two
probation
officers
that
it
is
not
unprofes-
sional
to
care
but
if
we
are
to
demonstrate
our
caring
by
sharing
ourselves
with
our
clients
we
need
at
the
same
time
the
support
of
caring
colleagues
who
are
willing
to
allow
us
to
share
ourselves
with
them.
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