Rehabilitating and Resettling Offenders in the Community

This book is a critical and current examination of the historical development of work with offenders and their treatment by both society and the state. In particular, it highlights how this area of work has altered in recent years as professionals have lost much of their autonomy and ability to control their time as a result of political interference.

Goodman offers a unique and fascinating history of the after-care unit as an example of how good practice grew organically, handling petty, persistent and 'heavy end' offenders. It also illustrates how the demise of the unit was symptomatic of the centralization of work with offenders, which led to the current loss of independence for professionals.

This book also offers an exclusive focus on the many changes in National Standards for probation offi cers, which provides readers with a theoretical understanding of the relationship between the public in whose name supervision is being conducted, the supervisors, and the offender. The author has conducted interviews with key staff over many years and has accumulated a rich source of data which offers a unique inside view into the continuing changes within the probation service in the UK and the implications of these changes for the protection of the public.