Rise and Fall of the Probation Service
Jim Brettell
- Regions:
- England, West Yorkshire
- Notice Period:
- Emergency (maybe less than one week's notice)
- Type:
- Professional
- Fee:
- Free: Free
- Category:
- Humanities
- Updated:
- 14th April 2026
- Tagged:
- Crime | Probation | Prison | Social Work
In England and Wales, the state-funded Probation Service can trace its roots back to 1907, but has always been a little-understood function of the State. Unlike other parts of the Criminal Justice System, it has hardly ever featured in TV drama, unlike the police, prison or courts, and yet has always been a vital cog in its smooth running. Sadly, this has allowed successive governments to both undermine its effectiveness and ensure it's now part of the problem of prison overcrowding. This talk seeks to explain both the myths and magic, rise and fall of a once geat profession.
Views: 14 | Enquiries: 0About Jim Brettell
I'm a retired Probation Officer and active Blogger writing about a very important, but little understood part of the Criminal Justice System. It's a topic I feel passionate about and one that remains highly topical in view of the prison over-crowding crisis, an entirely self-inflicted problem brought about by successive governments who have never understood the probation ethos!
Send a message to the speaker
If you are interested in this talk and wish to contact the speaker, please complete the following form: