The new shape of probation in England and Wales: Values and opportunities in a changing context

This article considers the changes in criminal justice, and in public services more generally, which might follow the re-construction of the British government in the summer of 2007; and the opportunities which those changes might provide for developments in probation and in community justice. It argues that existing assumptions and attitudes could now be re-shaped to provide an approach which is more rational and principled, and no longer hampered by a sense of perpetual turmoil and crisis. Such an approach would emphasize issues such as accountability, relationships, professional values and leadership, and the responsibilities of communities and citizens. It might also be more successful in increasing public confidence, in criminal justice and more generally, and in resolving the wider problems associated with crime and criminality.