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Editorial

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
DOI10.1177/026455059804500301
Published date01 September 1998
Date01 September 1998
Subject MatterArticles
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EDITORIAL
One of the things which makes the Probation Service such an interesting place to be is the
extraordinary diversity of the probation task. Few jobs can boast involvement in activities
ranging from intensive therapeutic work with sex offenders to the management of
community service projects. Although one of the aims of government pohcy in recent
years has been to move the Probation Service towards what has become known as ’offence-
focused’ work, this concept is not, as most practitioners will know, as limiting as it sounds.
The growth of groupwork, work with victims and crime prevention is testament to this.
Numerous studies have also drawn attention to the importance of addressing the clearly
’criminogenic’ impact of the social exclusion of offenders, something which the Probation
Service’s wide remit and skills base allow it to tackle.
This issue of Probation Journal contains a range of articles which reflect both the multi-
faceted nature of the probation role, and the rapidly changing environment in which
probation staff operate. Only a few years ago probation staff would doubtless have
considered terms like ’cyberstalking’ to be confined to the realms of science fiction. Stalking
the Net: Crime and IT is an intriguing reminder of the expanding world of technological
crime to which all criminal justice agencies will eventually have to construct a response.
It seem only a matter of time before probation officers are asked to write the first court
reports on such offences.
The article on Community Service and Effective Practice presents a coherent argument for
viewing community service as a genuinely rehabilitative measure, promoting change by
tackling behaviours and practical barriers which contribute to social exclusion. Debate
about the philosophy of community service seems to have stagnated since the late Baroness
Wooton, who chaired the...

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