The Duties of a Probation Officer
| Author | W.G. Buchanan |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455053400101905 |
| Published date | 01 April 1934 |
| Date | 01 April 1934 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
295
Glasgow
3.7,
in
Dundee
6.7,
and
in
Aberdeen
2.6
In
County
Areas
the
percentage
ranged
from
.29
to
3.I.
It
was
difficult
to
believe
that
these
small
percentages
represented
the
only
cases
that
were
suitable
to
be
dealt
with
by
probation,
rather
it
was
to
be
presumed
that
magistrates
and
others
concerned
were
not
yet
fully
alive
to
the
meaning
and
importance
of
the
pro-
bation
system.
Referring
to
the
new
Children
Act,
Sheriff
Morton
said,
he
was
suspicious
from
what
he
had
heard
that
there
were
some
areas
in
Scotland
which
would
be
very
reluctant
to
take
any
steps
at
all
to
set
up
The
Children’s
Courts
provided
for
under
the
Act.
He
hoped
very
much
that the
probation
system
in
Scotland
would
not
be
stultified
in
consequence.
Penny
Wise-Pound
Foolish.
Mr.
Joseph
Westwood,
M.P.,
thought
it
would
be
impossible
to
achieve
real
success
in
the
Probation
system
unless
the
Probation
Acts
and
the
new
Children’s
Act
were
read
together.
The
object
of
these
two
Acts
was
to
prevent
the
making
of
criminals,
and
preventive
work
was
infinitely
more
effective
and
cheaper
than
keeping
criminals
in
prison.
At
the
present
time,
the
amount
of
money
spent
on
the
preventive
work
of
probation
was
infinitesimal
and
he
thought
it
would
be
wise
if
the
burden
of
financial
responsibility
were
borne
to
a
greater
extent
by
the
rate
payers.
His
successor
in
office
(Mr.
Noel
Skelton,
M.P.)
was
very
sympathetic
towards
this
particular
class
of
work
and
had
Mr.
Skelton
been
able
to
attend
the
Conference
he
would
have
been
given
ample
encouragement
in
approaching
the
Treasury
for
increased
grants
for
the
work.
The
prevention
of
crime
was
a
matter
apart
altogether
from
politics
and
the
Treasury
would
have
to
give
greater
support
if
the
probation
system
was
to
be
the
real
success
that
the
Probation
Acts
and
the
Children
Acts
intended
it
to
be
in
the
interests
of
the
nation.
Organising
a
County
Area.
Mr.
J.
M.
Mitchell,
County
Clerk
of
Fife,
read
an
interesting
paper
on
&dquo; The
Organization
of
the
Probation
Service
in
a
County
Area.&dquo;
Mr.
Mitchell
regretted
that
the
Act
of
1931
had
not
gone
one
step
further
and
included
the
large
burghs
as
part
of
the
County
for
purposes
of
organization
of
probation
work.
Some
measure
of
courage
might
be
required
to
overcome
local
sentiment
and
parochial
ideas,
but
if
the
objectives
were
to
provide
economic
organization
and
benefit
to
those
whom
the
Act
was
intended
to
help,
the
ideals
before
them
were
worth
working
for.
In
his
view
there
was
room
in
some
areas
for
a
combination
of
Counties
in
the
appointment
of
salaried
probation
officers
who
should
be
assisted
by
voluntary
assistants.
But
the
voluntary
service
must
be
complementary
to
the
paid
service
for
however
perfectly
probation
work
might
be
organized
in
County
areas,
the
success
of
the
system
must
depend
upon
the
capability,
tact,
and
energy
of
the
salaried
officer
upon
whom
fell
the
responsibility
of
successful
administration.
Lady
Margaret
Carr
spoke
on
the
need
for
more
probation
officers
and
for
a
wider
use
of
the
probation
system
in
Scotland.
The
DUTIES
of
a
PROBATION
OFFICER
Report
of
Address
by
W. G.
Buchanan,
Chief
Probation
Officer,
City
of
Glasgow.
could
quite
well
take
for
the
text
of
my
talk,
that
-it,
section
of
the
Probation
(Scotland)
Rules,
1931,
headed &dquo;Duties
of
salaried
and
voluntary
pro-
bation
officers &dquo;
which
leaves
but
little
to
the
imagin-
ation
as
to
what
a
probation
officer
shall
do :
suggestions
thereanent,
however,
may
be
helpful
and
constructive.
Probation
Officers.
The
probation
system
is
now
a
recognised
part
of
the
Penal
Code.
As
such
it
deals
directly
with
the
lives
of
men
and
women,
affecting
them
for
good
or
ill.
The
most
important
factor
in
efficient
probation
is
un-
doubtedly
well
qualified
officers,
for in
such
important
work,
important
to
the
State
as
it
is
to
the
individual,
we
must
have
men
and
women
imbued
with
a
high
sense
of
duty,
with
qualities
of
mind
and
heart
which
not
only
fit
them
for
the
work
but
also
make
them
welcome
the
opportunity
of
engaging
in
it,
and
the
officers
must
at
the
outset
clearly
appreciate
the
need
for
a
high
personal
standard
of
life
and
conduct.
Duties
of
a
Probation
Officer.
The
duties
of
a
probation
officer
may
be
divided
into
two
main
categories.
(z )
Field
work;
the
actual
contact
with
the
probationer,
all
that
is
done
with
him
and
for
him.
(2)
Case
Work ;
the
keeping
of
records
and
the
noting
of
all
relevant
facts
concerning
the
probationer
as
an
aid
to
determining
the
best
method
of
dealing
with
him.
It
is
difficult,
to
say
which
of
these
is
the
more
im-
portant.
They
are
so
interdependant;
for
without
good
field
work
the
quality
of
the
case
work-the
background
against
which
we
study
our
cases-must
depreciate
and
without
good
case
work,
field
work-the
practical
and
more
obvious
side
of
our
job
must
fail
to
be
the
success
it
otherwise
might
be.
Let
me
now
briefly
discuss
one
or
two
of
the
more
important
features
of
our
field
work.
First
and
foremost
comes
the
duty
of
visiting
those
released
by
the
Courts
under
a
Probation
Order.
Rule
39
says &dquo;A
probation
officer
shall
subject
to
any
directions
given
by
the
Court
or
by
the
Probation
Com-
mittee,
visit
the
house
of
the
probationer ...1
want
you
specially
to
note
the
last
sentence.
&dquo;Visits
should
normally
be
made
at
the
probationer’s
home
or
place
of
residence.&dquo;
To continue reading
Request your trial