Probation and Privatisation
| DOI | 10.1177/0264550519843748b |
| Published date | 01 June 2019 |
| Date | 01 June 2019 |
| Subject Matter | Book reviews |
which can lead to pressure on the decision-making process and arouse a public
demand for immediate and decisive governmental action. (p. 130)
Chapter 9 sees Veldhuis seek to shift policy decision-making away from a ‘fear-
related discourse’ (p. 152), taking a realist approach to consider appropriate
interventions. Here, Veldhuis raises various considerations to guide policy-makers
in the development of appropriate rehabilitation/reintegration initiatives, to ensure
decision-making processes are not governed by fear but, instead, by evidence-
based reasoning.
In the final chapter, Veldhuis provides a comprehensive summary, and points to
the findings which suggest that policies that seek to concentrate terrorist offenders
do not appear truly effective and may, in fact, increase the risk of prisoner radi-
calisation. Veldhuis calls for further evaluation, which as well as focusing on out-
comes should pay close attention to the underpinning decision-making processes to
develop our understanding on the impact of ‘fear-based terrorism detention policies’
(p. 187).
What set this book apart for me was the unique access to a multitude of stake-
holders involved in this process – from policy-makers and security/intelligence
officials, to terrorist (and non-terrorist) offenders – enabling a multi-faceted and
comprehensive analysis of the concentration policy and the underlying decision-
making processes. In short, Prisoner Radicalization and Terrorism Detention Policy
provides an accessible, critical, and well-grounded argument, which helps illustrate
how the power of fear-based rhetoric can induce severe political and societal
pressure and has substantial impact on the decision-making process.
Probation and Privatisation
Philip Bean
Routledge; 2018, pp. 194; £24.99; pbk
ISBN: 978-0815353980
Reviewed by: Kelly Elliott, Senior Lecturer, Community & Criminal
Justice, Sheffield Hallam University
In Probation and Privatisation, Philip Bean provides a commentary that describes
the journey towards privatisation and the impact that this has had on probation
services provided within England and Wales. This book provides a comprehensive
historical context to the developments of government process, policy and rhetoric
which has led to the changes that occurred following the Transforming Rehabilita-
tion (TR) agenda implemented in 2014. The author completed the book during July
2018, and it is still difficult to comprehend the enormous changes that have
occurred, but to continue to keep track of the changes since the book was finished
and subsequently published. The author, himself a previous probation officer, now
Emeritus Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at University of
Book reviews 259
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