Probation
The supervision of offenders in the community has its roots in 19th century voluntary associations such as the Church of England Temperance Movement. Today it is a complex process which pulls together accommodation, job-seeking, drug testing, counselling, administrative and information services . Following successful inolvement of the private sector in managing custodial services since the 1980's in the US and early 1990's in the UK, focus has shifted to building a framework that harnesses private and voluntary sector skills to support state provision in this area.
(Please note: links on this page will open the page in a new browser window)
Carter But Smarter: Transforming offender management, reducing reoffending (PDF) Max Chambers, 2010 Policy Exchange This report warns that the official reoffending rate is unsafe. It recommends a radical shake-up of the criminal justice system in order to reduce reoffending, including the abolition of the regional structure of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and the introduction of new public-private partnerships to reduce crime and recidivism. UK
The Role of the Third Sector in Work With Offenders: The Perceptions of Criminal Justice and Third Sector Stakeholders (PDF) Meek, Dr Rose; Gojkovic, Dr Dina and Mills, Dr Alice, 2010 Third Sector Research Centre A paper examining the views of national criminal justice and third sector stakeholders on the strategic position of the sector and its role in the resettlement of offenders. UK
Getting Back on the Straight and Narrow: A Better Criminal Justice System For All (PDF) CBI, 2008 This paper examines the challenges in reducing re-offending faced by UK prisons and probation due to overcrowding and lack of joined-up management. It puts forward recommendations to guide urgently needed reforms through sustainable commissioning-based solutions. ISBN 978-0-85201-678-7 UK
Reducing Re-offending: Creating the Right Framework (PDF) Barbary, Victoria, 2007 New Local Government Network A paper examining the Government's proposals in the Offender Management Bill for greater contestability in probation services and the use of Regional Offender Managers within the commissioning framwork. UK
Beating Re-Offending: The Third Sector Solution Elsworth, Seb, 2007 Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) A briefing that sets out the case for greater third sector involvement within the commissioning framework that NOMS is designed to set up. It includes examples of successful local offender management initiatives that have already been set up in several communities. ISBN 1 900685 38 8 UK
National Commissioning Plan 2007/2008: Commissioning Framework (PDF) National Offender Management Service (NOMS) , 2007 A policy document which sets out strategic intentions for commissioning offender management services, priorities for investment and performance measures. UK
Improving Prison and Probation Services: Public Value Partnerships (PDF) National Offender Management Service (NOMS), 2006 Report on a NOMS programme aimed at improving public protection through the extension of partnership working and contestability. This includes the market testing of community and custody interventions and further competition in the builiding and operation of new prisons. ISBN-10: 1-874726-009-8 UK
Lessons from Prison Privatisation for Probation
Liebling, Alison, 2006
Ch.6 from 'Reshaping Probation and Prisons: The New Offender Management Framework', Mike Hough, Rob Allen and Una Padel (eds), PolicyPress
Returning to its Roots? A New Role for the Third Sector in Probation (Web Page) Tarry, Natalie (ed.), 2006 Social Market Foundation (SMF) A book of essays looking at the potential for the greater use of voluntary and community organisations in the provision of probation services and its implications. UK
Transforming Criminal Justice - Protecting the Public, Partnership in Offender Management (PDF)
CBI, 2006
A Five Year Strategy for Protecting the Public and Reducing Re-offending (PDF) Home Office, 2006 The Stationery Office Plans for reforming the criminal justice system including the introduction of a system built on the commissioning of services from expert providers and a phased programme of contestability. UK
The Impact of Corrections on Re-Offending: A Review of 'What Works' (PDF)
Harper, Gemma and Chitty, Chloe (Eds), 2005
Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate
Partial Regulatory Impact Assessment: Restructuring Probation to Reduce Re-offending (PDF) National Offender Management Service (NOMS), 2005 Report on the potential benefits of removing the statutory restriction on the provision of probation services. It anticpates that such a regime could produce big incentives to create innovative programmes and reduce re-conviction rates. UK
Contestability: Is the Model for NOMS Fit for Purpose? (PDF) Wargeant, Martin, 2005 Vista: Perspectives on Probation, Vol.9, No.3, pp.162-168 A sceptical assesment of proposals to reform the probation services by the chief executive of the Probation Boards Association which draws on the experience of other public sector privatisation initiatives. UK
Partnership in Working with Young Offenders with Substance Misuse Problems Minkes, Jonathan; Hammersley, Richard and Raynor, Peter, 2005 The Howard Journal, Vol. 44, No.3 (July) pp. 254-268 An article which looks at the quality of relationships between youth offending teams and substance misuse projects run by voluntary and statutory agencies. UK
Reducing Crime, Changing Lives: The Government's Plans for Transforming the Management of Offenders (PDF) Blunkett, David, 2004 Home Office The Government's response to the Carter Review which endorses the application of contestability to the delivery of correctional services and outlines the Government's intention to encourage private companies and not-for-profit organisations to compete for work. UK
Managing Offenders, Reducing Crime: A New Approach (PDF) Carter, Patrick, 2003 Prime Minister's Strategy Unit Review of correctional services which proposes the establishment of the National Offender Management Service to provide end-to-end offender management. Greater use of competition from the private and voluntary sectors is put forward as a way of improving effectiveness and value for money. UK
Partnerships Between the Probation Service and Voluntary Sector Organizations Gibbs, Anita, 2001 British Journal of Social Work, Vol. 31, pp. 15-27 This paper considers the development of partnerships between probation and the volutary sector in the early 1990's in England and Wales and compares these to Crime and Disorder Partnerships for crime prevention as introduced by the 1998 Criminal Justice Act. UK
Privatizing Probation and Parole (PDF) Reynolds, Morgan O. , 2000 National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) A report on how the US probation and parole system could be reformed by employing a form of bail bonding which could involve the use of private sector agents. US
Privatising Community Corrections: Report for Families, Youth and Community Care Queensland (PDF)
McCarthy, Carole; Wilson, Paul and Lincoln, Robyn, 2000
Centre for Applied Psychology and Criminology, Bond University
Privatizing Community Supervision (PDF)
National Institute of Corrections , 1998
US Department of Justice
Pitfalls and Prospects in Partnership: Probation Programmes for Substance Misusing Offenders Rumgay, Judith and Cowan, Sharon, 1998 The Howard Journal, Vol. 37, No.2 (May) pp. 124-136 A report drawing on a study of partnerships between probation and substance misuse agencies in England and Wales which looks at how far relationships are influenced by the use of financial contracts for the services of voluntary agencies. UK
Partnership in Practice: The Experience of Two Probation Services Cross, Beverley, 1997 The Howard Journal, Vol. 36, No.1 pp. 62-79 (February) A report drawing on a study of two probation services' partnerships with the voluntary sector in their areas which looks at the conditions constituting good practice. UK
Probation Partnerships, Voluntary Action and Community Justice Nellis, Mike, 1995 Social Policy and Administration, Vol. 29, No.2 (June) pp.91-109 A paper outlining the the origins and implications of the Tory Government's policy in the late eighties and early nineties to encourage the Probation Service to develop increased partnership with voluntary sector agencies. UK
Contracting for Community Corrections Services (PDF) Jensen, Christy; Lieber, Harley; Scherman, Richard and Smith Thiel, Karen , 1987 National Institute of Corrections, US Department of Justice A handbook on contracting which is based on understanding the process as a series of interlocking decisions. US