Deep Things of the Soul
| Author | Terry Crolley |
| Published date | 01 October 1993 |
| Date | 01 October 1993 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/026455059304000323 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
174
LETTERS
Appeals
Strategy
Needed
One
strategy
used
by
juvenile
justice
workers
to
reduce
the
use
of
custodial
sentencing
of
young
people
under
the
Criminal
Justice
Act
1982
was
to
encourage
young
defendants
to
appeal
against
what
seemed
to
be
inappropriate
custodial
sentences.
In
Kent,
for
instance,
between
May
1984
and
October
1987,
41
out
of
234
custodial
sentences
imposed
by
juvenile
courts
were
appealed,
36
(86%)
resulting
in
a
lower
sentence.
An
appeals
strategy,
involving
the
briefing
of
defence
solicitors,
parents
and
juveniles,
cannot
be
left
to
individual
practitioners
but
needs
the
support
and
authority
of
agency
policy.
It
was
noteworthy
that
young
offenders
appearing
in
the
adult
courts
were
not
subjected
to
the
same
rigorous
application
of
the
criteria
restricting
custody
and
that
very
few
Probation
Areas
had
a
clear
appeal
strategy.
Now
that
the
criteria
have
been
extended
to
adults
and
an
appeal
strategy
can
also
apply
to
the
challenge
of
community
sentences
that
appear
too
severe
for
the
seriousness
of
the
offence,
the
scope
for
the
Probation
Service
is
clear.
If
the
Service
is
to
accept
this
challenge,
it
will
mean
a
change
of
culture.
The
Service
is
not
good
at
working
collectively
and
the
individual
officer
expects
to
have
considerable
autonomy.
The
success
of
the
juvenile
justice
experience -
systems
approach,
minimum
intervention,
monitoring,
appeal
strategy
-
all
needed
agreement
so
that
practitioners
could
act
together.
Juvenile
Justice
benefited
from
practitioner
organisations
meeting
regionally
and
nationally
to
discuss
issues,
form
policies,
campaign
for
changes
in
legislation
and
draw
up
guidelines
for
good
practice.
Perhaps
by
starting
with
the
18-20
age
range,
a
practitioner
organisation
addressing
the
young
adult
offender
could
be
set
up,
along
similar
lines
to
the
successful
Association
for
Juvenile
Justice
(now
Youth
Justice).
One
of
the
early
tasks
of
such
an
organisation
would
be
to
plan
an
appeal
strategy
throughout
the
Probation
Service.
Chris
Stanley
Policy
Development
Officer,
NACRO
Deep
Things
of
the
Soul
The
response
to
my
personal
account
of
Hillsborough
(PJ
March
1993)
has
been
illuminating.
I
cannot
previously
recall
receiving
such
a
positive
and
widespread
reaction
from
a
cross-section
of
the
Probation
community
around
the
country.
Some
of
the
responses
have
been
in
writing
but
most
have
been
by
personal
contact
either
over
the
telephone
or
when
I
have
met
people
in
various
locations.
Interestingly,
the
responses
have
ranged
from
the
structure
and
style
of
the
article
to
the
desire
of
others
to
share
a
similar
experience
to
a
greater
or
lesser
degree
than
my
own.
Many
found
the
piece
to
be
factual
without
being
sentimental,
but
which
nevertheless
(as
one
person
put
it)
’moved
me
to
tears’.
I
had
not
sought
for
nor
expected
this
reaction.
It
is
pleasing,
however,
that
in
an
era
where
the
values
of
humanity
and
the
’deep
things
of
the
soul’
are
subordinated
to
counting
the
cost
of
breathing,
the
expressive
nature
of
the
Service
has
not
yet
succumbed
to
its
potential
mechanistic
downfall.
I
am
grateful
to
all
those
Probation
staff
whose
unfailing
kindness
and
warmth
of
human
spirit
has
promoted
a
renewal
of
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