Social Work in Detention Centres
| Author | R.E. Leeves |
| Published date | 01 September 1969 |
| Date | 01 September 1969 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/026455056901500309 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
98
this
variation
could
probably
be
accounted
for
by
the
varying
sizes
of
offices
and
by
differing
policies
regarding
the
probation
officer’s
attendance
in
various
courts.
(c)
Less
than
2.5
per
cent
of
a
probation
officer’s
time
was
spent
in
under-
taking
matrimonial
reconciliation.
This
figure
seems
to
be
rather
low.
but
without
comparative
data
it
is
difficult
to
assess
whether
this
is
typical
of
the
country
as
a
whole,
or
whether
this
area
of
work
has
declined
in
recent
years.
(d)
The
weekly
returns
from
the
various
officers
would
seem
to
suggest
that
home
visiting
time
is
inversely
related
to
both
social
enquiry
and
court
work.
Tentatively
it
may
therefore
be
reasonable
to
assume
that
if
some
reduction
could
be
made
in
the
latter
areas,
either
by
policy
change
or
by
some
other
method,
the
amount
of
time
spent
undertaking
home
visits
could
be
propor-
tionately
increased.
CONCLUSIONS
The
Group
felt
that
further
investigation
into
the
time
spent
on
record
keeping,
on
court
work
and
on
social
enquiry
report
preparation
was
needed.
These
are
possible
topics
for
future
research.
Throughout
the
study,
the
group
benefited
from
the
help
and
advice
received
from
the
Home
Office
Research
Unit
in
Manchester.
The
Seebohm
Committee
argued
that
research
should
be
an
on-going
process
in
any
social
service
agency,
thereby
providing
data
for
critical
discussion
and
comment
as
well
as
assisting
future
decision-making
processes.
The
present
study
falls
within
these
aims,
and
shows
that
the
fieldworker
can
make
a
sig-
nificant
contribution
to
the
total
amount
of
knowledge
gained
through
research.
(The
group
would
be
interested
to
hear
of
similar
groups,
and
contact
should
be
made
with
the
Secretary,
Research
Group,
Probation
Office,
St.
Chad’s
Drive,
Kirkby,
Lancs.)
SOCIAL
WORK
IN
DETENTION
CENTRES
R.
E.
Leeves
Senior
Probation
Officer,
Oxfordshire
FROM
January
1969
the
probation
service
assumed
responsibility
for
social
workers
in
detention
centres,
and
it
seems
appropriate
to
consider
what
form
the
social
work
should
take
and
the
priorities
outlined.
It
is
essential
to
recognise
that
the
concept
of
casework
(as
demonstrated
in
probation
or
even
in
prisons)
is
considerably
influenced
and
limited
by
the
special
setting
of
a
detention
centre.
The
period
of
detention
is
normally
about
eight
weeks,
since
only
a
very
small
proportion
receive
the
six
month
sentence.
It
follows
that
the
turnover
of
boys
is
greater
than,
say,
the
prisoners
in
an
ordinary
prison
where
sentences
can
range
from
seven
days
to
two
years
or
more.
The
higher
turnover
necessitates
a
greater
number
of
routine
interviews,
i.e.
reception
and
discharge,
which
appear
to
be
the
social
worker’s
primary
function.
But
these
two
interviews,
which
come
at
the
beginning
and
the
end
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