What Worked? A Five Year Study of Probationers' Reconvictions
| DOI | 10.1177/026455059704400101 |
| Published date | 01 March 1997 |
| Date | 01 March 1997 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
What Worked? A Five
Year Study of
Probationers’
Reconvictions
Despite claims that prison ’works’, incapacitating offenders whilst
performing no worse than community sentences in terms of
reconviction rates, a follow-up study of the reoffending of all offenders
placed on probation in Kent in 1991 demonstrates the positive impact
of supervision upon subsequent offending patterns and the negative
effects of previous custodial sentences. Mark Oldfield, Research
Officer in Kent Probation Service, analyses the complexity of the
findings and suggests that they provide a sustainable argument for the
increased use of community penalties.
he
Probation Service finds itself in
In the face of opposition from both
a curious position as we near the
statutory agencies and penal reform groups,
millennium. Political antipathy toward the
the Home Secretary has maintained that
notion of social work with offenders has
’Prison Works’, that incarceration offers a
reached a new peak, with the Home
positive means of disposing of offenders.
Secretary deciding - in the face of large
The impact of such a populist move has
scale and reasoned opposition - that
upped the ante of the criminal justice
professional training should be abolished,
debate, with the Home Secretary now
in order to recruit ’more suitable’
flirting with adopting the ’Three Strikes’
applicants such as ex-members of the
policy adopted in the US, an approach
armed forces. Young offenders are
involving the creation of mandatory long
demonised, whilst increasing crime rates
term prison sentences for offenders
are blamed on, inter alia, trendy teachers,
convicted of a certain number of offences.
single mothers and welfare dependency.
The theory that an increasing prison
Boot camps and electronic monitoring are
population will at some stage reduce crime
floated as part of the government’s
rates has a certain simple theoretical beauty
approach to tackling crime, with both
in an age when crime has become a party
options conveniently offering new
political issue. But, as Sellin’ said,
opportunities for the private sector to
’Beautiful theories have a way of turning
further insinuate itself into the criminal
into ugly practices’.
’.
justice system.
In response, the Labour opposition can
2
only try to outbid the Government in the
suggest custody outperformed community
toughness stakes, albeit whilst trying to
penalties or vice versa in preventing
maintain
a
patina of reformist
reoffending’. Despite the fact that the
respectability and an eye for social justice,
report was cautious about its findings and
with their stated aim to be ’tough on crime
stressed the flawed nature and possible
and tough on the causes of crime’. There
pitfalls of the research, the results were
can be little doubt, however, that the major
nonetheless brandished as proof that
concern of
politicians is more focused upon
’prison works’, when compared with other
appearing at least as tough as their
disposals, whilst offering the ’added value’
opponents rather than upon creating a space
of incapacitation.
for more considered and rational debate on
Paradoxically, in the midst of political
crime and criminal justice.
antipathy toward probation and growing
In such a climate, debate tends to focus
bureaucracy, a new wave of optimism has
upon the punitive elements of the criminal
swept through the Probation Service as
justice system, stressing the short term
research studies have increasingly
benefits of increased incarceration rather
identified successful factors in the
than questioning the longer term
reduction of reoffending. Certain aspects
implications of creating an ever larger
of (mainly US) probation programmes were
prison population. Alternatives to prison
identified as having a significant impact
have tended to suffer in the present climate,
upon the subsequent criminal activities of
with Probation budgets being shaved to
those undergoing such programmes and
fund an extravagant IT programme in the
suggested that similar success will result
pursuit of dubious effectiveness gains.
from programmes replicating these
Millions of pounds have been committed
successful features4. ’What Works’ has
to the development of the Resource
become a buzz word in the Probation
Management Information System (RMIS)
Service with its key features now a pre-
and a further commitment to spend
requisite for the design of new
£100,000,000 on a Case Record and
interventions and with an annual ’What
Management System (CRAMS), a system
Works’ conference (together with WW
ball
currently running almost two years late and
point pens and mugs). Effectiveness is
rapidly becoming an object of derision
suddenly within the grasp of the Probation
within the Probation Service. So great has
Service, it would seem, after all those years
the trend toward a centralised and
of believing that ’Nothing Works’. From
controlling managerial style become that I
cynicism to evangelism in one bound!
have argued previously2 that the Probation
We have then, the curious position of
Service
has
drifted
toward
the Probation Service being so politically
’McDonaldisation’ - an organisational
unpopular - since it represents the ’Thin
configuration stressing hi-tech centralised
Woolly Line’ in the fight against crime -
management and a low skilled, low paid
that its professional training is to be
workforce.
abolished whilst, at the same time, research
findings proclaim that ’something works’.
Most of the recent research quoted in the
..
WW
debate has tended to focus upon
probation programmes - ie groupwork -
The publication in 1994 of Explaining
rather than the one-to-one work that is
Reconviction. Rates:
carried out
a Critical Analysis’
daily in every Probation Service
further added to the Probation Service’s
in the country. There is clearly a need for
research
woes with its finding that, in a large scale
to move beyond the evaluation of
comparison of the reconviction rates of
...
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