Privatising Probation

Book excerpt: Over the past twenty years, England and Wales have witnessed many changes to probation governance aimed at shifting control to the central government. However, the changes introduced under the Coalition Government's 2013 Transforming Rehabilitation (TR) agenda are unprecedented: probation has been divided and partially privatized. This topical book looks at the attitudes of probation practitioners and managers toward the philosophy, values, and practicalities of TR. Based on a unique online survey of over 1,300 respondents that found practitioners were unequivocally opposed to TR's broad aims and objectives, Privatising Probation provides unique insights into the true beliefs of probation staff and how they deliver these services. Including broader discussion of the privatization and marketization debate and placing the privatization of criminal justice services and questions of legitimacy and governance in context, this book is essential reading for everyone interested in the future of probation.