Probation in a Rural Area
| DOI | 10.1177/026455054400400804 |
| Date | 01 June 1944 |
| Author | M. Guest |
| Published date | 01 June 1944 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
90
PROBATION
IN
A
RURAL
AREA
Its
Opportunities
and
Difficulties.
By
Miss
P
M.
GUEST,
Probation
Officer,
Surrey
(One
of
the
essays
in
the
N.A.P.O.
1943
literary
con
Probation
work
in
its
essence
is
the
same
in
town
or
country
but
I
think
the
opportunities
of
a
probation
officers
in
a
rural
area
are
fewer
and
the
difficulties
are
often
greater
than
those
which
confront
the
urban
officer.
Public
opinion
in
a
village
is
a
more
active
force
than
it
is
in
a
large
town
where
even
neighbours
may
be
unknown
to
each
other.
Have
not
we
all
come
across
lads
and
girls
who
would
never
have
got
into
trouble
had
they
remained
in
their
own
villagers
F
In
the
town
they
are
unknown,
discrimination
through
inexperience
is
dimcult
and
having
lost
their
identity,
as
it
were,
they
have
ceased
to
value
their
own
good
name.
Public
opinion
hardly
exists for
them
any
more.
But
when
a
person,
young
or
old,
is
obliged
to
appear
at
a
rural
Court
for
a
breach
of
the
law,
it
is
generally
a
much
less
impersonal
affair
than
in
a
town.
The
local
constable
has
known
the
offender
and
his
family
for
many
years,
one
or
other
of
the
J.Ps°.
is
likely
to
know
something
of
the
offender
or
his
family
and
he
himself
is
certain
to
have
heard
of
some
of
the
justices.
Being
placed
on
probation
is
a
much
more
public
affair
than similar
treatment
in
an
urban
court.
It
is
a
moot
point
whether
in
these
circumstances
it
may
not
be
harder
to
make
good.
But
of
course
that
depends
on
the
reason
for
the
offence
and
the
temper~a~ment
of
the
offender.
Any-
how
I
think
the
probation
offi~cer’s
task
is
harder
because
his
work
cannot
be
hidden
to
the
same
extent
that
it
can
be
in
a
town.
It
is
therefore
much
more
difhcult
to
forge
an
unself-conscious
friendly
relation-
ship
which
surely
is
at
the
basis
of
all
good
probation
work.
It
struck
me
when
reading &dquo;
Adam
Bede &dquo;
that
had
Hetty
Sorrel
been
placed
on
probation
with
a
condition
that
she
was
to
reside
with
her
aunt,
her
chance
would
have
been
a
poor
one.
Then
the
idea
of
probation
as
a
mere &dquo;
let
off
&dquo;
is
probably
more
prevalent
in
the
country
than
in
the
town
and
because
of
distance
it
is
often
impossible
to
enforce
reporting,
so
that
discipline
has
to
be
dispensed
with.
It
is
also
harder
to
arrange
for
examination
and
special
treatment
at
a
hospital
or
clinic
so
that
the
man
or
boy
charged
with
an
in-
decency
offence,
say,
who
might
be
suitably
dealt
with
by
being
placed
on
probation
in
a
town, might
well
be
unsuitable
for
probation
in
a
rural
area
unless
arrangement
could
be
made
to
remove
him
from
his
village.
But
now
that
psychological
clinics
are
taking
a
place
with
other
Health
Services,
and
Education
Authorities
in
many
areas
are
looking
to
them
for
advice
in
solving
the
diffi~culties
of
the
&dquo; problem
&dquo;
child,
it
is
no
longer
impossible
to
arrange
for
inter-
views
for
young
delinquents
in
rural
areas
though
transport
is
often
not
easy.
The
rural
probation
officer
will
of
course
have
an
occasional
probationer
who
has
been
sent
home
from
some
town
where
he
has
been
charged.
There
will
be
more
chance
of
helping
such
a
young
person
(especially
if
the
Urban
Court
has
given
the
country
officer
the
chance
of
making
a
home
visit
and
sending
test
and
recommended
by
the
Judges
for
publication.)
a
report),
as
no
one
but
the
family
need
know
he
is
under
supervision
or,
if
suspicion
is
raised,
no
detail
of
the
offence
need
leak
out.
The
rural
officer,
who
inevitably
serves
a
large
number
of
courts,
has
a
harder
task
in
gaining
the
confidence
of
each
because
of
his
less
frequent
atten-
dances,
but
if
he
does
his
best
to
be
there
when
there
is
the
slightest
chance
of
his
being
wanted
and
he
has
made
himself
known
to
the
Clerk,
police
and
as
many
of
the
justices
as
possible,
he
will
gradually
estab-
lish
his
position
in
the
court
which
has
not
previously
grasped
the
functions
of
a
probation
officer
or
valued
his
services.
In
a
large
area
there
is
always
a
problem
of
being
accessible
to
one’s
charges
in
particular
and
one’s
district
in
general.
It is
possible
to
get
over
this
by
arranging
to
attend
at
several
different
places
fort-
nightly
if
possible.
Sometimes
the
use
of
a
room
in
one
of
the
official
buildings
will
be
granted
or
o~g~ani-
sations
like
the
Scouts
or
Girl
Guides
may
lend
a
room.
But
if
payment -
is
required
the
Area
Com-
mittee
will
of
course
have
to
be
approached.
They
may
need
a
little
convincing
but
it
should
not
be
diflicult
to
make
out
a
good
case
for
this
expenditure.
Having
secured
rooms
one
will
probably
be
disap-
pointed
for
quite
a
time
by
finding
that
no
one
calls
on
one
there,
but
if
the
Clerk,
.police,
school
authori-
ties,
local
teachers,
clergy
and
leaders
of
social
organi-
sations
are
informed,
people
who
want
advice
will
find
their
way
to
the
room
as
time
goes
on.
In
the ,country
remands
are
usually
a
real
difficulty,
because
of
transport,
the
shortage
of
remand homes
and
the
infrequency
of
the
Courts.
A
good
relation-
ship
with
the
police
minimises
the
worst
results
as
they
are
generally
in
the
position
to
give
one
adequate
notice
for
pre-trial
enquiries.
It
is
then
for
one
to
make
the
fullest
enquiry
and
the
best
tentative
arrangements
possible.
The
moral
welfare
worker
if
she
runs
a
shelter
is
often
willing
to
house
a
girl
tem-
porarily,
but
sometimes
if
a
girl
is
so
placed,
it
is
difh cult
to
obtain
the
kind
of
medical
report
which
may
be
desirable.
This
raises
the
whole
problem
of
V.D.
treatment
in
rural
areas.
Out-patient
treat-
ment
is
seldom
suitable
for
girls
who
are
on
probation
but
it
is
often
hard
to
find
a
place
where
a
girl
can
go
while
receiving
treatment.
A
good
many
medical
officers
of
health
are
satisfied
with
providing
medical
facilities,
and
shrug
their
shoulders
when
the
social
side
is
mentioned.
Possibly
more
hostels
will
be
provided
now
that
the
war
has
brought
the
problem
to
public
notice.
Finding
work
for
probationers
used
to
be
more
difficult
in
the
country,
I
think,
but
the
war
has
probably
changed
that
too
as
the
labour
shortage
is
even
more
acute
there
than
in
the
towns.
When
one
goes
to
work
in
a
rural
area
from
a
town,
one
misses
all
the
social
agencies
that
are
so
ready
to
give
one
help
in
most
towns.
And
wit
(Continued on
page
92)
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