Reviews : Coping with Prison Steve Gravett Cassell, 1999; pp177; £14.99, pbk
| Published date | 01 September 1999 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455059904600321 |
| Date | 01 September 1999 |
| Author | Peter F. Owen |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
210
although
the
consultant
was
secure
enough
for
our
anger
to
be
ventilated,
we
were
still
denied
the
advice
and
assistance
for
which
we
thought
we
were
paying.
Now
we
are
with
another
organisation;
information
and
ideas
are
given
freely
and
the
consultant
is
beloved.
I
expect
though
to
hear
shortly
the
stirrings
of
discontent
and
complaints
about
being
spoon-fed.
Will
we
then
hanker
for
the
emotional
exhaustion
of
the
previous
arrangement?
Some
of
us
need
to
attend
to
feelings
before
we
can
think,
whilst
others
need
to
think
before
we
can
make
any
sense
of
our
feelings.
The
consultant
who
gives
attention
to
one
without
the
other
is
doomed,
however
good
the
previous
planning
and
contracting.
What
is
obvious,
both
from
the
guide
and
from
experience,
is
that
good
consultation
will
be
painful
sooner
or
later,
and
anything
that
promises
a
quick
fix
is
to
be
avoided.
Against
the
background
of
political
imperatives
concerning
public
protection
and
a
capitalising
media
it
is
the
lot
of
the
Probation
Service
to
ensure
staff
are
properly
trained
and
adequately
supported.
The
independent
role
of
the
consultant
in
this
scenario
is
of
real
significance
if
the
Service
itself
is
going
to
preserve
its
integrity
through
the
quality
of
its
practice.
This
guide
is
therefore
most
timely,
and
not
only
for
its
crisp
advice
for
managers
who
commission
and
contract.
Other
chapters
are
of
equal
value
but
perhaps
hold
greater
interest
for
practitioners
and
those
foolhardy
enough
to
put
themselves
forward
to
be
called
a
consultant.
Mike
Head
Senior
Probation
Officer,
North-East
London
Coping
with
Prison
Steve
Gravett
Cassell,
1999;
pp177;
£14.99,
pbk
The
Prison
System
is
for
many
people
an
area
of
unchartered
territory.
Coping
with
Prison
provides
an
invaluable
guide
to
what
the
Prison
Service
sets
out
to
do,
as
well
as
a
useful
reference
source.
The
author
is
Deputy
Governor
at
I-LM.P
Camphill,
and
has
worked
at
Governor
grade
for
more
than
twenty
years.
He
has
adopted
an
educationalist
approach
to
the
material
and
the
structure
of
the
book
is
both
clear
and
logical.
The
book
is
designed
to
empower
individuals
by
way
of
information
and
reference
to
best
practice.
Professionals
working
in
the
criminal
justice
field
and
students
of
penology
will
find
Coping
with
Prison
an
interesting
and
useful
introduction.
It
sets
out
to
address
a
huge
range
of
issues
which
some
may
argue
are
beyond
the
scope
of
any
single
book.
At
the
outset
the
reader
is
intro-
duced
to
the
esoteric
world
of
prison
cul-
ture.
The
sense
of
loss
initially
experienced
by
most
prisoners
is
acknowledged
and
the
keys
to
adjustment
and
survival
are
explored.
Prisoner
entitlements
are
discussed
and
should
provide
a
useful
check
list
for
professionals,
prisoners
and
their
families.
I
would
have
appreciated
a
lengthier
discussion
of
the
effects
the
sentence
has
upon
families
and
the
consequent
pressures
upon
relationships.
Sentence
management,
incentive
schemes
and
release
licence
conditions
are
introduced
and
explained.
The
request
and
complaints
chapter
provides
information
on
how
to
use
these
procedures
along
with
To continue reading
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