Transforming Rehabilitation: Probation Reforms in Critical Perspective

In this CrimNet seminar, two experts will explore the recent history of probation reforms in the UK and especially the effects of the Transforming Rehabilitation agenda. After the two presentations, there will be a chance to raise questions and engage in a discussion with the speakers.

1. Joined up justice: the reality of probation reforms (Laura Seebohm)

This presentation will discuss the impact of the recent Transforming Rehabilitation agenda. It will look at the impact across the criminal justice system (CJS), on the rehabilitation of people involved in the CJS, the Probation Service, Sentencers, and Stakeholders. It will go on to explore the potential reform recently announced by the Ministry of Justice and the risk of repeating patterns within a broken system. It will then explore current thinking about how best to build a more place-based justice system which is fit for purpose when faced with the complexity of life for people committing offences in our communities.

2. Transforming risk? The impact of privatisation on risk practices in the probation service (Mark Hardy)

Risk assessment is central to Transforming Rehabilitation. Decisions regarding risk status determine whether individual offenders are allocated to community rehabilitation companies or HMPPS, with high risk individuals the responsibility of the public sector and low to medium risk individuals the private sector. In this paper I will highlight issues that arise in practice as a result of this distinction as a basis for discussion of how we might judge the impact of ‘top down’ change in contemporary criminal justice.

Speaker bios:

Laura Seebohm trained as a Probation Officer before joining Changing Lives as Operations Director, a charity supporting people who experience exclusion and disadvantage across the North and Midlands. Laura has specialised in the treatment of women in the criminal justice system, and sits as women’s specialist on the Ministry of Justice Reducing Reoffending Third Sector advisory group.

Dr Mark Hardy is a former probation officer and now senior lecturer in social work at the University of York. His main areas of interest are judgments and decision making in criminal justice and mental health and the role of knowledge in professional practice.

Please register for this free event.