Abstract
This chapter sets out the principles that have guided the author in his career in probation practice, management, training and education. There is some initial discussion of the relationship between crime and criminal justice and a call for political recognition that criminal justice and punishment are just part (and indeed often a relatively small part) of the endeavour to reduce levels of offending, which are principally influenced by social policies. Probation can make a modest though eminently worthwhile contribution to crime reduction. When targets and outcomes come to be the way in which probation is appraised, it can be difficult – and is therefore all the more essential – to try to articulate its values. A moral perspective on probation must take into account not only what probation does, but also what it stands for, and not only its aims and achievements, but also the processes it follows and how its work is perceived by users of the service. The international discourse of human rights is argued to be a promising way in which to discuss the values of probation. The chapter concludes with some speculations about probation’s future.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bean, P. (1976). Rehabilitation and deviance. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Bottoms, A. (2004). Empirical research relevant to sentencing frameworks. In A. Bottoms, S. Rex, & G. Robinson (Eds.), Alternatives to imprisonment: Options for an insecure society. Cullompton: Willan Publishing.
British Journal of Community Justice. (Winter 2013). Special issue on transforming rehabilitation, 11(2/3).
Canton, R. (1987). Working at the margin, campaigning at the centre. Probation Journal, 34(3), 97–100.
Canton, R. (2007a). Probation’s work with estranged families. In P. Senior (Ed.), Moments in probation. Crayford: Shaw & Sons.
Canton, R. (2007b). Probation and the tragedy of punishment. Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 46(3), 236–254.
Canton, R. (2008). Counterblast: Can audits assess good practice in the enforcement of community penalties? Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, 47(5), 529–533.
Canton, R. (2009a). Contemporary probation in Europe: Some reflections. EuroVista, 1(1), 2–9.
Canton, R. (2009b). Taking probation abroad. European Probation Journal, 1(1), 66–78, http://www.ejprob.ro/index.pl/aindex?op=aartlist&aid=339. Accessed February 2016.
Canton, R. (2009c). Nonsense upon stilts? Human rights, the ethics of punishment and the values of probation. British Journal of Community Justice, 7(1), 5–22.
Canton, R. (2010a). Not another medical model: Using metaphor and analogy to explore crime and criminal justice. British Journal of Community Justice, 8(1), 40–57.
Canton, R. (2010b). European probation rules: What they are, why they matter. EuroVista, 1(2), 62–71.
Canton, R. (2011). Probation: working with offenders. Abingdon: Routledge.
Canton, R. (2013a). Probation and human rights. In Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice (pp. 3963–3966). Berlin: Springer.
Canton, R. (2013b). The point of probation: On effectiveness, human rights and the virtues of obliquity. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 13(5), 577–593.
Canton, R., & Eadie, T. (2004). Social work with young offenders. In M. Lymbery & S. Butler (Eds.) Social work ideals and practice realities. Basingstoke: Macmillan.
Clark, C. (2000). Social work ethics: Politics, principles and practice. Basingstoke: Macmillan.
Coates, K., & Silburn, R. (1973). Poverty: The forgotten Englishman. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
Deering, J. (2011). Probation practice and the new penology. Aldershot: Ashgate.
Farrall, S. (2002). Rethinking what works with offenders: Probation, social context and desistance from crime. Cullompton: Willan.
Garland, D. (1990). Punishment and modern society. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Gearty, C. (2006). Can human rights survive? The Hamlyn lectures 2005. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Gies, L. (2014). Mediating human rights: Culture, media and the human rights act. London: Routledge.
Gross, H. (1979). A theory of criminal justice. New York: Oxford University Press.
Hedderman, C., & Hough, M. (2004). Getting tough or being effective: What matters? In G. Mair (Ed.), What matters in probation. Cullompton: Willan.
Hopley, K. (2002). National standards: Defining the service. In D. Ward, J. Scott, & M. Lacey (Eds.), Probation: Working for justice (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Jenkins, S. (2014, April 1). There was only one loser in this Royal Mail privatisation: The taxpayer, The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/01/royal-mail-privatisation-taxpayer-loser. Accessed February 2016.
Jones, O. (2014). The establishment: And how they get away with it. London: Allen Lane.
Knight, C. (2014). Emotional literacy in criminal justice: Professional practice with offenders. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Loader, I. (2005). The affects of punishment: Emotions, democracy and penal politics, Criminal Justice Matters, 60(1), 12–13.
London Edinburgh Weekend Return Group. (1980). In and against the state (2nd ed.). London: Pluto.
Lukes, S. (1974). Power: A radical view (1st ed.). London: Macmillan.
McNeill, F., & Weaver, B., (2010). Changing lives? Desistance research and offender management. Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research Report No. 3/2010 http://www.sccjr.ac.uk/publications/changing-lives-desistance-research-and-offender-management/. Accessed February 2016.
Sandel, M. (2012). What money can’t buy: The moral limits of markets. London: Allen Lane.
Smith, P. (2008). Punishment and culture. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Travis, A. (2013, March 21). Probation officers face social media gag as out sourcing row rumbles on, The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/mar/21/probation-officers-social-media-gag-outsourcing. Accessed February 2016.
Whitehead, P. (2015). Reconceptualising the moral economy of criminal justice: A new perspective. London: Palgrave.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2016 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Canton, R. (2016). Social Justice, Human Rights and the Values of Probation. In: Vanstone, M., Priestley, P. (eds) Probation and Politics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59557-7_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59557-7_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-59556-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-59557-7
eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)