NCJ Number
211783
Date Published
2005
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This chapter examines the factors in Great Britain and elsewhere that have fueled concern about risk and dangerousness, making this concern the dominant feature of criminal justice policy; the implications of this trend for probation are discussed.
Abstract
Late or postmodern societies are concerned with increased risk to personal safety, because there is a pervasive sense that individuals lack control over events that can adversely affect their lives. This climate of fear has been exploited by politicians, as they promise the electorate that they will make them safer from dangerous criminals than their opponents. This political strategy was particularly prominent in the 1990s, leading to a "get tough" stance in all areas of criminal justice policy and practice. Significant pressure was applied to the probation service to change its ways. Tougher responses to the crime problem did not fit well with social-work approaches with offenders. Probation agencies and probation officers have been pressured to demonstrate that those under their charge are being carefully assessed for their risk of dangerous behavior, accompanied by commensurate controls and monitoring. This endeavor has required increased cooperation among agencies and disciplines in developing the resources required for more accurate risk assessment instruments and new methods of controlling offenders in the community. Although many of these developments have enhanced public safety, there has been a tendency to dilute the rehabilitative skills of probation officers and divert resources from probationers assessed as less dangerous. The probation service can address these challenges by reducing the number of probationers deemed to be "dangerous," based on actual behavior and offender characteristics rather than a political construct, while spending more time on cases that have promise for rehabilitation. 39 references