Rapport building with offenders in probation supervision: The views of English probation practitioners
| Published date | 01 June 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/02645505221137448 |
| Author | Zacharia Nahouli,Jay-Marie Mackenzie,Andreas Aresti,Coral Dando |
| Date | 01 June 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Rapport building with
offenders in probation
supervision: The views
of English probation
practitioners
Zacharia Nahouli
University of Derby, UK
Jay-Marie Mackenzie,
Andreas Aresti, and Coral Dando
University of Westminster, UK
Abstract
Rapport-based supervision in probation is linked to positive behavioural change
and reduced reoffending for probation service users. However, the process of rap-
port building is not well documented in probation practice. This study conducted
focusgroupsandinterviewswithLondon-based probation practitioners to under-
stand their views of rapport when supervising service users. Thematic analysis gen-
erated five themes related to how practitioners facilitated rapport building and
maintenance, as well as several barriers that exist towards building and maintain-
ing rapport –these were conceptualised as a rapport-building process. We provide
recommendations to help alleviate barriers and further facilitate the rapport-building
process.
Keywords
probation, rapport building, motivational interviewing, service user, supervision
Corresponding Author:
Zacharia Nahouli, University of Derby, School of Psychology, College of Health, Psychology and Social
Care, Kedleston Road, Derby, DE22 1GB.
Email: z.nahouli@derby.ac.uk
Article The Journal of Communit
y
and Criminal Justice
Probation Journal
2023, Vol. 70(2) 104–123
© The Author(s) 2022
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/02645505221137448
journals.sagepub.com/home/prb
Introduction
Rapport is typically described as a ‘harmonious, empathetic, or sympathetic relation
or connection to another self’(Newberry and Stubbs, 1990: 14). In therapeutic
practice, developing this type of therapist-patient relationship can foster a comfort-
able environment encouraging cooperation and information sharing (Ardito and
Rabellino, 2011; Bordin, 1979). Several tools have been developed to conceptual-
ise and operationalise rapport, such as the Motivational Interview (MI) which
emphasises building rapport with clients through accepting, empathic, or collabora-
tive behaviours and activities (Miller and Rollnick, 1991). Extensive evidence sug-
gests that rapport-based and client-centred approaches are effective in medical,
therapeutic, counselling and social work contexts for motivating clients to engage
in ‘change talk’and address problematic behaviours (see Martin et al., 2000
and Moyers et al., 2009 for reviews).
There are, however, contexts where rapport is important despite the goal of the
interaction being markedly different, such as interviews between convicted offen-
ders (from here on referred to as service users) and their probation officer (Lustig
et al., 2002). Service users may disclose information relating to their motivations
for behavioural change and likelihood of recidivism (Clark et al., 2006;
Shapland et al., 2012; Trotter, 2014), or relating to their mental well-being and self-
harm/suicidal behaviours (Mackenzie et al., 2015; Trotter 2014). This information
is crucial for protecting the public and service users from harm, and so creating a
comfortable and supportive environment that helps guide service users towards com-
munication and disclosure is vital (Clark et al., 2006; Ireland and Berg, 2008).
Indeed, there is evidence that using MI techniques has positive psychological
effects for service users, helps them curb problematic behaviours and may also be
predictive of a reduction in recidivism (see McMurran, 2009 for a review).
Rapport-based tools appear beneficial for probation practice towards ensuring
the safety of service users (and others), averting risk and reducing reoffending,
and they are a key element of probation practice –for example, the Skills for
Effective Engagement Development and Supervision (SEEDS) framework incorpo-
rates both MI and relationship-building skills and trains probation officers to use
them (Robinson, 2014; Sorsby et al., 2013). There is also some evidence that pro-
bation officers consider positive relationships with service users to be integral to
effective supervision (Robinson, 2014), and the term ‘thick’supervision has recently
come into usage to describe the network of relationships between services users and
probation officers (as well as other relevant personnel/institutions) to ensure good
probation outcomes (Dominey, 2019).
With this being said, evidence for the effectiveness of rapport and relationship
building in probation supervision is limited. Research studies typically only
measure service user outcomes when rapport-based interventions have been used
compared to when they have not, but the quality of the rapport/relationship they
develop with their probation officer and how this contributes to those outcomes
has generally been overlooked (Chamberlain et al., 2018; Robinson, 2014;
Shapland et al., 2012). Similarly, research that looks at probation officer and
Nahouli et al. 105
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