Probation officers’ perspectives on recent Belgian changes in the probation service

Abstract

Throughout the last decade Belgium’s criminal justice sector — and its probation service in particular — has undergone a period of rapid change generated by public criticism, political pressure and calls for reform. This qualitative study highlights how structural changes have influenced probation practice by focusing on how probation officers themselves have perceived these recent organizational changes. These preliminary findings draw on a qualitative study of probation officers working in the House of Justice in Brussels and are compared with developments in England and Wales.

The Use of Method Triangulation in Probation Research

“…Probation officers try to encourage offenders to take responsibility for their own behaviour and reintegrate them back in the community through both capitalising on 'social capital' (essentially in the form of employment, structured activities and/or supportive (family) relationships) and 'human capital' (by means of therapeutic and/or cognitive-behavioural interventions). Although recent changes in the probation service (for instance, the introduction of national standards, performance indicators, computer-based reporting systems, fixedchoice classification schemes, and standardized forms and letters, as well as the standardized methods of data collection) have led towards a more technicist and prescribed approach than in the past, practitioners still feel they can exercise a certain amount of autonomy and control in relation to their work processes, maintaining a client-centred practice (Bauwens, 2009). Findings I will first discuss why the fieldwork started with file analyses and how method triangulation enabled us to find out the similarities and discrepancies between what probation officers said in the interviews or informal talks and what was done in practice, followed by how you best can study what actually takes place in (Belgian) probation practice.…”

“…Indeed, the file analysis was used as a basis for getting to know the research context, becoming familiar with probation and probation work and helping to work out what issues to explore in the informal talks, the interviews and eventually to carry out more precise observations, as supervision plans and reports do not tell the whole story about what work actually goes on with offenders. In fact, and as indicated by several authors, probation officers usually have a wealth of additional information about a particular individual, based on conversations held with the offender, hearsay or half-formed intuitions which seldom appear in print, but which, nonetheless, are vital for a proper understanding of the complex interaction between probationer and probation officer (Bauwens, 2009). Furthermore, the file analysis on the spot gave me the opportunity to build trust and to establish rapport with the probation workers, and to observe the functioning of the probation service, the relationships between the different actors, as well as their attitudes towards offenders and other relevant actors.…”

Encounters of a different kind

“…This development seems to go hand-in-hand with an increased emphasis on control. In the interviews, the justice assistants complained that the social dimension of their work was gradually being undermined by the increased emphasis on output at the cost of the quality and depth of their social work (see also Bauwens, 2009). This more managerial approach is however in the process of implementation and there is still divergence between the jurisdictions in their working methods with regard to the production of social reports:…”

Victim-offender mediation and social work: Focus groups with mediators in Flanders

“…In England and Wales, for example, adult offenders are dealt with by probation services which are considered a distinct field from social work (Bauwens, 2009). In addition, youth delinquency is no longer considered to be social work's problem (Sharland, 2006).…”

“…In several countries work with offenders, especially adult offenders, has been redefined in the sense that it is increasingly perceived as something other than social work (Smith, 2005). In England and Wales, for example, adult offenders are dealt with by probation services which are considered a distinct field from social work (Bauwens, 2009). In addition, youth delinquency is no longer considered to be social work’s problem (Sharland, 2006).…”