Probation reform, the RAR and the forgotten ingredient of supervision
| Date | 01 December 2019 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0264550519881690 |
| Author | Gwen Robinson,Jane Dominey |
| Published date | 01 December 2019 |
| Subject Matter | Comment |
Comment
Probation reform,
the RAR and the
forgotten ingredient
of supervision
Gwen Robinson
University of Sheffield, UK
Jane Dominey
University of Cambridge, UK
Abstract
Considering the current review of probation services in England and Wales, this
comment piece acknowledges the disappearance of supervision as a cornerstone of
effective rehabilitation and the emergence of Rehabilitative Activity Requirements
(RARs) replacing supervision. The authors raise concerns about the effectiveness of
RARs and at this juncture argue the importance of retaining supervision within the
responsibilities of National Probation Service case managers and safeguarding
against it becoming an intervention that is delivered by external providers.
Keywords
supervision, Rehabilitation Activity Requirement, probation practice, Transforming
Rehabilitation, probation
In the hubbub of the Transforming Rehabilitation (TR) reforms, the longest standing
element of community-based sanctions and measures – latterly known as the
Supervision Requirement – was quietly extinguished. Based on the idea of forming a
purposeful working relationship between supervisor and supervisee, supervision
had been the foundation of probation practice in England and Wales for more than
Corresponding Author:
Gwen Robinson, School of Law, Bartolome House, Sheffield S3 7ND, UK.
Email: jad78@cam.ac.uk
Probation Journal
2019, Vol. 66(4) 451–455
ªThe Author(s) 2019
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DOI: 10.1177/0264550519881690
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The Journal of Community and Criminal Justice
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