Showing papers in "European journal of probation in 2010"

ENHANCING OFFENDER RE-ENTRY An integrated model for enhancing offender re-entry

Abstract: Notwithstanding diminishing crime rates in many countries, high rates of incarceration continue to engage political and public scrutiny in the management of (increasing) correctional populations. I...

The Use of Method Triangulation in Probation Research

Abstract: Qualitative research in probation is predominantly interview-based. This article explores the use of method triangulation in Belgian probation research. At first, a methodological question remains:...

Community Service in Belgium, the Netherlands, Scotland and Spain: A Comparative Perspective:

Abstract: Current criminological research is particularly interested in the question whether or not we are witnessing a punitive turn and it seems that Western democracies today punish differently than a few decades ago. The ‘new punitiveness’ literature (Pratt, et. al., 2005) and David Garland’s (2001) study on the culture of control have fuelled an ongoing debate and research on this question. There are however many ways to compare penal practices and measure punitiveness. Leading comparative research by Cavadino & Dignan (2006) for example relates variations in incarceration rates to contrasting kinds of political economy. However, punitiveness rankings vary substantially depending on the indicator used and ideally we have to take into account all of them to make sense of the assumed penal change. In this special issue we have focused on the use and implementation of community service and have focussed on its characteristics as a contemporary form of punishment. Through a detailed description of the different aspects of the rhetoric on and practice of community service, we aim to identify commonalities and local differences and attempt to understand and explain them. The question of increasing or decreasing punitiveness therefore is only one of our points of interest.

ONLY FOR MINOR OFFENCES: Community Service in the Netherlands

Abstract: Community service for adults was introduced in the Netherlands in the first half of the 1980s as an alternative to custodial sentences. In 1989 it was accepted as a third formal sentence in the Penal Code for adults. Since that time the number of orders increased to 40.000 on a yearly basis. In general, the probation service has managed to deal successfully with this growth. It did have consequences, however for the involvement of the community and the degree of individualization and support. The initial object of decreasing imprisonment by offering an alternative has not been achieved. In terms of reducing recidivism, community service seems to be relatively successful, however.

Paying Back: 30 Years of Unpaid Work by Offenders in Scotland

Abstract: This article considers the development and use of unpaid work as a penal sanction in Scotland, including its gradual introduction at differing points of the criminal justice process. It is argued that the community service order in Scotland — intended to serve as an alternative to imprisonment — has become a well-established sentencing option, though other penalties involving unpaid work have met with more conditional support. Community service has broadly resisted political pressures aimed at increasing its profile and punitiveness though there is a risk that contemporary policy developments that are aimed, ironically, at decreasing the Scottish prison population may, instead, result in its diversionary capacity being undermined.

Realising Potential: Community Service, Pro-Social Modelling and Desistance:

Abstract: Recent attention to the question of ‘what works?’ in supporting desistance, coupled with the emergence of a number of research studies which suggest that Community Service (CS) might be effective i...

From 'community service' to 'autonomous work penalty' in Belgium. What's in a name?

Abstract: In Belgium, community service (dienstverlening) for adults was introduced in 1994 as a condition of probation at the sentencing level and as a condition of mediation at the prosecution level. It became the so-called ‘work penalty’ (werkstraf) in 2002. This change in the terminology and the legal and penological basis, from an alternative sanction embedded in a rehabilitative approach to just another neoclassical form of punishment primarily aiming for retribution, ushered in another sentencing practice and led to a rapid increase in the number of work penalties imposed. This article describes the legal provisions governing the ‘work penalty’ and the peculiarities of its implementation in practice. It explores the possible explanations of the success of this sentence and the implications of that success for its execution.

‘It Could Be Us’: Recent Transformations in the Use of Community Service as a Punishment in Spain:

Abstract: Community service orders, or work for the benefit of the community orders, were introduced in Spanish legislation with the 1995 Criminal Code. Its practical use was until recently scant, and has since 2008 exploded in numerical terms. After describing the legal framework and aims of this sanction, this paper focuses on recent developments in the use of this penalty and in implementation and supervision practices. It draws from analysis of Parliamentary debates, sentences passed by judges, official statistics and other official documents, and interviews with judges, public prosecutors, supervisors and senior civil servants responsible for implementation.

The importance of mental health awareness training in a European probation training curriculum

Abstract: In 2009 the CEP held a conference centring around the concept of a pan-European probation training curriculum. This article draws on the results of an evaluation of some training conducted in the UK to argue that mental health awareness training should form part of such a common training programme. The article outlines the potential benefits of making such training mandatory for staff working in probation systems across Europe. In addition, it identifies the role of instructional design in constructing learning resources which are flexible enough to be reconfigured to be relevant in different cultural contexts without diminishing the learning process.

Huikahi Restorative Circles: Group Process for Self-Directed Reentry Planning and Family Healing

Abstract: The Huikahi Restorative Circle is a reentry planning group process that addresses individual incarcerated people’s needs for achieving criminal desistence. The Circles use public health learning principles including applied learning experiences to increase selfefficacy and hopefulness, restorative justice, and solution-focused brief therapy language, which promote positive attitudes and healing. A primary strength of the Circles is treating individuals as their own change agents rather than the passive recipients of treatment directed by others. The author concludes that reentry planning resources are better invested in models similar to Huikahi Circles, which include the participation and decision making of incarcerated people and their loved ones, rather than professionally driven case management efforts.