Investing in Toughness: Probation Enforcement and Legitimacy
Investing in Toughness: Probation Enforcement and Legitimacy
This article examines the rise in prominence of ‘enforcement’ as a key aspect of the work of the probation service in England and Wales, and assesses the extent to which probation's ‘enforcement turn’ can be said to have enhanced the legitimacy of the Service. With reference to research on the effects of the toughening up of enforcement policies on both offenders and staff, this article argues that the equation of ‘toughness’ and ‘legitimacy’ in the probation context is deeply problematic. The article concludes that we may have reached a ‘tipping point’ with regard to enforcement and its reputational significance for the probation service, and that a more responsive and flexible approach towards the enforcement of community sanctions may be emerging.
300-316
Robinson, Gwen
3339b746-9dfe-4fa5-ae1b-027bc4d3cb7f
Ugwudike, Pamela
2faf9318-093b-4396-9ba1-2291c8991bac
July 2012
Robinson, Gwen
3339b746-9dfe-4fa5-ae1b-027bc4d3cb7f
Ugwudike, Pamela
2faf9318-093b-4396-9ba1-2291c8991bac
Robinson, Gwen and Ugwudike, Pamela
(2012)
Investing in Toughness: Probation Enforcement and Legitimacy.
The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 51 (3), .
(doi:10.1111/j.1468-2311.2012.00707.x).
Abstract
This article examines the rise in prominence of ‘enforcement’ as a key aspect of the work of the probation service in England and Wales, and assesses the extent to which probation's ‘enforcement turn’ can be said to have enhanced the legitimacy of the Service. With reference to research on the effects of the toughening up of enforcement policies on both offenders and staff, this article argues that the equation of ‘toughness’ and ‘legitimacy’ in the probation context is deeply problematic. The article concludes that we may have reached a ‘tipping point’ with regard to enforcement and its reputational significance for the probation service, and that a more responsive and flexible approach towards the enforcement of community sanctions may be emerging.
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Accepted/In Press date: June 2011
e-pub ahead of print date: 13 February 2012
Published date: July 2012
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Local EPrints ID: 416823
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/416823
PURE UUID: df159c83-5143-42d9-806c-3c9582efdc56
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Date deposited: 11 Jan 2018 17:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 04:30
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Author:
Gwen Robinson
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