Supervision of Women and Girls
| Published date | 01 September 1966 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455056601200305 |
| Date | 01 September 1966 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
94
The
prison
welfare
service
is
now
an
established
social
agency
in
prisons
and
has
become
a
complementary
part
of
the
service
with
whom
it
works
on
a
day-to-day
basis.
It
is
accepted
generally
by
the
majority
of
the
staff
in
prisons
and
there
is
a
mulual
exchange
of
opinion
acceptable
as
with
colleagues
working
together.
This
mutual
exchange
in
a
variety
of
ways
has
a
good
deal
of
influence
and
those
of
us
who
have
shared
the
beginnings
of
our
service
in
prisons
can
see
our
efforts
bearing
fruit.
Removal
of
the
welfare
service
and
an
interchange
of
probation
oflicers
within
and
without
will
disrupt
and
disharmonise
the
very
situation
we
have
created.
In
a
few
years
much
has
been
accomplished.
In
a
few
days
the
whole
can
be
stripped
apart.
Neither
the
Governor
nor
the
prison
staff
are
the
ogres
visualised
on
the
&dquo;outside&dquo;
and
there
is
a
real
need
to
spend
more
years
togcther
in
an
effort
to
ensure
that
we
all
bring
about
a
prison
system
with
aims
and
purpose.
To
take
the
welfare
oflicer
outside
will
lessen
his
share
in
helping
to
bring
this
about
and
may
well
slow
down
the
process
for
change.
&dquo;After-care&dquo;
is
not
the
ex-prisoner
calling
at
the
door
of
a
probation
oflicer
on
release:
it
is
a
continuing
process
from
his
admission
to
a
prison.
Who
will
accept
the
challenge
of
using
the
institution
and
of
using
his
professional
knowledge
in
trying to
produce
a
better
citizen
who
might
well
respond
to
after-
care ?
Who
will
wish
to
be
part
of
the
changes
already
coming
into
our
prisons?
If
not
the
probation
officer-then
it,ho
el.se?
SUPERVISION
OF
WOMEN
AND
GIRLS
[The
National
Association
of
Probation
Officers
recently
submitted
to
the
Secretary
of
State
the
following
Memorandum
on
the
Criminal
Justice
Act,
1948,
Fifth
Schedule,
Paragraph
4
(2)]
THE
ASSOCIATION
feels
that
the
time
has
come
for
a
re-examination
of
the
law
as
stated
in
Paragraph
4
(2)
of
the
Fifth
Schedule
of
the
Criminal
Justice
Act,
1948,
with
regard
to
the
supervision
of
women
and
girls
who
are
on
probation
or
the
subject
of
supervision
orders.
This
paragraph
states
that:
The
probation
officer
under
whose
supervision
a
woman
or
girl
is
placed
shall
be
a
woman.
This
is
repeated
in
the
Children
and
Young
Persons
Act,
1963,
First
Schedule,
Paragraph
13,
and
by
analogy
in
the
Matrimonial
Proceedings
(Magistrates’
Courts)
Act,
1960,
Clause
2
(f).
The
Association
feels
that
this
provision
is
unnecessarily
restrictive
and,
because
of
this,
does
not
accord
with
modern
casework
practice.
It
may
be
thought
that
this
provision
was
designed
to
provide
a
protection
for
officers
and
those
supervised
from
undesirable
allegations
or
behaviour,
yet
such
a
protection
is
not
considered
necessary
in
other
professions
whose
work
involves
personal
contact
or
the
use
of
casework
methods.
It
does
not
apply
in
reverse
-
male
probationers
can
be,
and
are,
supervised
by
women
officers
-
nor
does
it
apply
to
all
aspects
of
the
probation
officer’s
work.
In
the
field
of
matrimonial
con-
ciliation
women
complainants,
or
the
wives
of
complainants,
may
be
dealt
with
by
male
probation
officers
and
male
officers
may
visit
them
at
home.
Similarly,
male
officers
may
see
alone
the
mothers,
wives
or
daughters
of
probationers
and
must
frequently
meet
such
women
alone
in
their
homes
in
the
normal
course
of
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