BJSW Advance Access originally published online on June 6, 2005
British Journal of Social Work 2005 35(5):621-637; doi:10.1093/bjsw/bch301
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Special Feature: Former Editors |
Probation and Social Work
Probation officer at the University of Exeter
Correspondence to Professor David Smith, Dept of Applied Social Science, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA1 4YL. E-mail: d.b.smith{at}lancs.ac.uk
The paper considers the representation of probation themes in the British Journal of Social Work (BJSW) since the early 1990s, and reviews developments in probation policy and practice since then, with a focus on the relationship between probation practice and social work. It argues that emerging research evidence supports the view that effective probation practice is likely to be informed by values and skills that are recognizably within the tradition of social work, and concludes that despite pressures to abandon social work as a basis for probation practice, it is not obvious what the alternative could be.
Keywords: probation, community penalties, risk, punishment, rehabilitation