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4 - COVID-19 and Community Sanctions
- Edited by Christopher Kay, Loughborough University, Stephen Case, Loughborough University
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- Book:
- Crime, Justice and COVID-19
- Published by:
- Bristol University Press
- Published online:
- 20 January 2024
- Print publication:
- 31 May 2023, pp 50-75
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- Chapter
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Summary
Introduction
The coronavirus pandemic sent shockwaves around the world, resulting in radical changes to how people in all sectors were expected to do their jobs. The probation service was no exception, with the National Probation Service (NPS) in England and Wales introducing the exceptional delivery model (EDM) following the announcement of the first lockdown on 23 March 2020. This chapter focuses on the impact these changes had on the service, staff and people under supervision. The EDM led to unpaid work (UPW) ceasing (temporarily at least), a pause to the delivery of accredited programmes for all but the highest-risk individuals (which were delivered on a one-to-one basis) and most court-related activities being suspended (Phillips, 2020). The EDM mandated the completion of assessments to review risk management actions and sentence plan objectives for all individuals subject to community supervision (House of Commons Justice Committee, 2020a; Napo, 2020) and determine the method and frequency of supervisory meetings under the new model of delivery (Napo, 2020). Face-to-face meetings with people on probation were reduced in frequency to enable people to adhere to the ‘stay at home’ message, and most probation practitioners quickly transitioned to working from home. Face-to-face meetings were limited to people assessed as posing a very high risk of harm, prison leavers reporting for their initial appointment, people managed in accordance with counterterrorism legislation and, finally, those without access to remote communication. Where face-to-face meetings were deemed necessary, these were conducted at a probation office and/or via doorstep visits at the client's home.
Remote communication thus became the primary method for delivering community supervision. Clients were contacted by telephone, WhatsApp and Skype, with video messaging to be used wherever possible (Napo, 2020). Remote supervision was considered inferior when compared to traditional face-to-face contact, so contact requirements were increased to twice the frequency (Napo, 2020). As the pandemic progressed, this requirement was relaxed to allow greater professional judgement, ameliorate logistical difficulties and respond to a perception that these additional reporting requirements were too onerous for people under supervision.
twelve - Understanding emotions as effective practice in English probation: the performance of emotional labour in building relationships
- Edited by Pamela Ugwudike, University of Southampton, Peter Raynor, Swansea University, Jill Annison
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- Book:
- Evidence-Based Skills in Criminal Justice
- Published by:
- Bristol University Press
- Published online:
- 12 April 2022
- Print publication:
- 20 December 2017, pp 243-262
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Summary
Introduction
In this chapter, we examine the performance of emotional labour by probation practitioners to uncover the complex use of emotion that underpins the development of the officer–offender relationship inherent to effective probation practice. We begin by mapping the way in which the use of emotion has been marginalised from policy over the past 30 years, making links to the rise of managerialism and the ‘what works’ movement, as well as more recent developments such as the Offender Engagement Programme and the Skills for Effective Engagement and Development (SEED) programme, which sought to pilot a practice-based model based on evidence of what works to reduce reoffending (NOMS, 2011; see also Chapter Ten of this volume). We then use data that were generated through interviews with probation practitioners to analyse one aspect of SEED – the development of the relationship. We do this through the lens of emotional labour. In doing so, we focus on the way in which practitioners engage in both deep and surface acting to get to know and understand their clients as well as create clear boundaries. These are the two elements of practice that are seen to be crucial in the creation of effective professional relationships in the SEED model. We conclude by arguing that the development of the relationship with the client as described in the SEED model requires considerable emotional labour that has, hitherto, been unacknowledged in probation policy, and reflect on what might need to be done, in light of our findings, were probation providers to consider reintroducing SEED following the implementation of the government's Transforming Rehabilitation reforms, which privatised around 60% of probation work.
Emotions as effective practice
It is necessary to offer some context to understand how this research sits in terms of literature on both emotional labour and effective probation practice. The relative importance attached to, or marginalisation of, the use of emotion in one-to-one supervision can be mapped against the ‘disappearance and appearance of the relationship’ as discussed by Burnett and McNeill (2005, p 222). While this literature review aims to trace the ebb and flow of the prominence attached to the role of emotion in effective practice, Garland (2001, p 22) cautions that ‘talk should not be mistaken for action’.
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