Probation and the ethics of care
| Author | Jane Dominey,Rob Canton |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/02645505221105401 |
| Published date | 01 December 2022 |
| Date | 01 December 2022 |
Probationandthe
ethicsofcare
JaneDominey
InstituteofCriminology,UniversityofCambridge,UK
RobCanton
DeMontfortUniversity,UK
Abstract
Discussionsofprobation’svaluescanbeenrichedbyanappreciationofcareethics.This
approachisexplainedwithattentiontoitsemphasisonrelationshipsandindividualisa-
tion.Theimplicationsforprobation’sworkareexplored,includingitssignificanceforthe
supervisoryrelationship,itschallengesforthemanagementoftheorganisationandthe
valueofindividualisedapproaches.Careethicsarguesforpracticeshapednotbyrules
andprocesses,butbypeopleandtheircircumstancesinalltheirdiversity.Careethics
offersaprincipledandeffectiveapproachtoprobation’swork.
Keywords
probationvalues,careethics,relationships,individualisation,practice
Introduction
Thevaluesandethicsthatunderpinprobationpracticehavelongbeenthesubjectof
debateanddiscussion.Thelanguageofvaluesandethicsisusedtojustifyorto
opposeshiftsinpolicyandgovernance.Attemptsaremadetocodifyvaluesand
towritestatementsofethicalconduct.Trainingprogrammes,practiceguidelines
andmanagerialprocessesseek,indifferentways,toensurethatthequalityofpro-
bationworkandthecultureofprobationorganisationsareethicallygrounded.
Inthesedebates,probationhastendedtodraw(evenifnotexplicitlyorcon-
sciously)onideasabouttheimportanceofethicalrulesandprinciplesaswellas
CorrespondingAuthor:
JaneDominey,InstituteofCriminology,UniversityofCambridge,SidgwickAvenue,Cambridge,CB39DA,
UnitedKingdom.
Email:jad78@cam.ac.uk
ArticleTheJournalofCommunit
y
andCriminalJustice
ProbationJournal
2022,Vol.69(4)417–433
©TheAuthor(s)2022
Articlereuseguidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI:10.1177/02645505221105401
journals.sagepub.com/home/prb
reflectionsontheoutcomesandimpactsofmoralchoices.Theaimofthisarticleisto
broadenthisdebatebyintroducingtheparadigmofvirtueethics(Hursthouse,
1999)anditscloserelativecareethics(Gilligan,1982/2016;Tronto,1993)
andarguingthattheseofferanewandfreshwayofconsideringhowprobation
shouldbepractised.
Theseethicalframeworksshiftourfocusawayfromethicalrulesandattemptsto
calculateuncertainoutcomestoquestionsabouttheculturesoforganisationsandthe
qualitiesofpractitioners.Careethicsisparticularlyinstructiveforitsemphasison
relationships,whichseemattheheartofsomuchthatprobationattemptstodo.
Ideasaboutcareandcaringmay,atfirstsight,appeartofitpoorlyintheworld
ofcriminaljusticeandpunishment.Thisarticletakesadifferentview:arguingthat
ethicalprobationworkrequiresthoughtfulconsiderationaboutwhatitmeansto
putcareattheheartofpractice.
Thevaluesofprobation
Probationworkershavebeenawareofthemoralsignificanceoftheirworkfromthe
earliestdays.Inrecentyears,theseaspectshaveoftenbeenexploredintermsofpro-
bationvalues,consideringthemoralworth,thepoliticsandthepracticalfeasibility
offindingwaysofgivingexpressiontoprobation’sethicalcommitments(Canton
andDominey,2017:Chapter3;Cowburnetal.,2013;Gelsthorpe,2007;
NellisandGelsthorpe,2004;Williams,1994).Sometimes,inthecontestedpolit-
icalarena,itcanseemasiftheseconcernshavebeenpushedasideintherelentless
pursuitoftheenquirytofindout‘whatworks’.Yet,asDavidGarlandhasinsisted‘…
thepursuitofvaluessuchasjustice,tolerance,decency,humanityandcivilityshould
bepartofanypenalinstitution’sself-consciousness-anintrinsicandconstitutive
aspectofitsrole-ratherthanadiversionfromits“real”goalsoraninhibitionon
itscapacitytobe“effective”.’(1990:292)Forthatmatter,ithasbeenargued
thattryingtoestablishprobationpracticeonthefoundationofwhat’srightrather
thanwhatworksmayturnoutnotonlytodefendandenhancethesevalues,but
eventomakeitmorelikelythatprobationpracticewillachievesomeoftheobjec-
tivesthatitsetsforitself(Canton,2013).
Formuchofthetwentiethcentury,probationaligneditselfwiththevaluesofsocial
work.Intheearly1990s,however,thegovernmentdecidedthatassociationwith
socialwork,arecognisedcaringprofession,didnothingtoadvancepublicconfi-
denceintheworkofanagencyintendedtodeliverpunishmentinthecommunity
(Knight,2002;WardandSpencer,1994).Thisrepudiationofsocialworkand
itsvalueswasmuchmoreaboutconnotationandpoliticaltonethansubstance.
Indeedtheshotgunseparation,welcomedbyneitherprofession,tookplaceata
timewhentheywerediscoveringhowmuchtheyhadincommon-perhapsespe-
ciallytherenewedemphasisontheimportanceofsafeguardingvulnerable
peoplethroughtheassessmentandmanagementofriskintheirrespectivepractices.
Whilesomelamentedthelossofconnectionswiththetraditionsandpracticesof
socialwork,othersdrewattentiontotheopportunitiesthatthisbroughttoaffirm
othervalues,andnotexcludingatleastsomeofthevaluesofsocialwork,evenif
418ProbationJournal69(4)
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