Although studies point to a relationship between debt and crime, there is a limited understanding of their reciprocal relationship and possible mediating risk factors. Moreover, knowledge about the prevalence and scope of debt among offenders is lacking. Therefore, the present study analyzed 250 client files including risk assessment data from the Dutch probation service on the prevalence of debt and possibly related risk factors. The results show that debt is highly prevalent and complex, which underlines the importance of acquiring more knowledge about debt as a potential risk factor for relapse during supervision. It was found that problems with regard to childhood and living situation, education and work/daytime activities, and mental and physical health may be possible underlying risk factors in the relationship between debt and crime. These insights can help professionals adequately support clients with regard to debt in order to prevent recidivism. debt and crime. These insights can help professionals adequately support clients with regard to debt in order to prevent recidivism.
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Probation and after-care service is of great social importance and you want to do a proper job. ‘Doing a proper job’ tends to revolve around effective interventions or instruments. Which is important, but doing a proper and effective job involves more than that. We distinguish three forms of effectiveness: -Effective methods: what works? For example, working according to the principles of Risk, Needs and Responsivity6. Or structured behavioural training according to the cognitive-behavioural model. Or working according to the Good Lives Model7. Or the network approach. Methods are referred to as ‘effective’ if there is scientific evidence that they increase the chances of achieving the probation objectives. The risk of recidivism decreases if you work according to these methods. Proper coordination of the working method with specific clients is always part of an effective methodology. -Effective professionals: who works? Methodologies do not lead a life of their own, they only become effective in the hands of professionals8. Effective professionals are rooted in professional values, work with theoretically consistent methods, stand behind their working methods, are able to interact with different types of people (also with people who find this difficult) and systematically provide specific feedback on their actions and results. The importance of effective and open client feedback is important in this. Furthermore, an effective professional attempts to connect his own experiential knowledge to scientific knowledge to the best of his ability. A professional who meets these characteristics is in a better position than other professionals to ‘ensure the effectiveness’ of the method. -Effective interactions: the working alliance (how does it work?) Methodologies and professionals gain meaning in proper interaction with clients and other stakeholders (for example, social network and volunteers). A proper quality of the working alliance increases the chance of successful completion of a probation programme. The risk of problems within the process is reduced and the risk of dropout (no-show or a negative report) decreases.
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"Probation is a fast-developing field that plays an important role in the response to crime and the prevention of reoffending. Probation covers various sanctions and community-based measures, including supervision and community service, designed to promote community safety and the social inclusion of offenders. This brochure is intended for justice ministers, other politicians and senior civil servants interested in setting up or upgrading a probation service. The ‘key message’ highlights the main topics and messages in this brochure. Readers who want to learn more about the benefits of probation and about how to bring these into practice should read the full text."
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Little research exists on what works in the supervision of offenders with debt problems. This qualitative study aims to provide insight into the barriers probation officers and clients experience during supervision regarding debt and the support that clients need. Interviews were conducted with 33 Dutch probation officers and 16 clients. The results show that debt often negatively influences clients’ lives and hinders their resocialization. Probation officers lack effective methods to support clients with debt problems. To adequately help clients with debt problems, probation officers should obtain more knowledge about effective interventions and collaborate more closely with debt specialists from the probation supervision outset.
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"Probation is a fast-developing field that plays an important role in the response to crime and the prevention of reoffending. Probation covers various sanctions and community-based measures, including supervision and community service, designed to promote community safety and the social inclusion of offenders. This brochure is intended for justice ministers, other politicians and senior civil servants interested in setting up or upgrading a probation service. The ‘key message’ highlights the main topics and messages in this brochure. Readers who want to learn more about the benefits of probation and about how to bring these into practice should read the full text."
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This systematic literature review describes what is known about the effectiveness of practices in probation supervision. Effectiveness is defined as: contributing to a reduction in recidivism, better functioning of clients in various areas, or prevention of non-compliance and drop-out. Based on a systematic research of Dutch and foreign literature, 141 articles and reports were selected and analysed
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Although studies point to a relationship between debt and crime, there is a limited understanding of their reciprocal relationship and possible mediating risk factors. Moreover, knowledge about the prevalence and scope of debt among offenders is lacking. Therefore, the present study analyzed 250 client files including risk assessment data from the Dutch probation service on the prevalence of debt and possibly related risk factors. The results show that debt is highly prevalent and complex, which underlines the importance of acquiring more knowledge about debt as a potential risk factor for relapse during supervision. It was found that problems with regard to childhood and living situation, education and work/daytime activities, and mental and physical health may be possible underlying risk factors in the relationship between debt and crime. These insights can help professionals adequately support clients with regard to debt in order to prevent recidivism
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This article draws on Robinson, McNeill and Maruna’s argument (2012) about the adaptability of community sanctions and measures, observed through four distinctive penal narratives, in order to shed light on the regional development of community service in Wroclaw, Poland. While the managerial adaptation of community sanctions is underpinned by an inter-agency cooperation to fulfil the goals of the system, the contemporary rehabilitation iteration has become a toolkit of measures predominantly phrased around risk management, the reparative discourse seeks various means to repair harm, and the punitive orientation represent the turn to desert-based and populist sentencing frameworks. In this article, the first three are reflected upon along with the emerging, restorative adaptation of community sanctions. The last one is added to expand on the findings of previous research, which suggests the viability of the restorative orientation for community service in Poland (Matczak, 2018). A brief discussion of how punishment, probation and restorative justice can be reconciled is followed by the introduction of Polish Probation and the role of probation officers in delivering community service in Poland. Although the penal narratives are visible in the Wrocław model to different degrees and in various combinations, more research is required to evaluate the viability of a progressive orientation to punishment during a gradual optimisation of community orders. Originally published: Anna Matczak, The penal narratives of community sentence and the role of probation: The case of the Wrocław model of community service, European journal of probation (Vol. 13 nr. 1) pp. 72-88. Copyright © 2021year (The Author). DOI: 10.1177/2066220320976105
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The level of work engagement is an important aspect of organizational culture. In this empirical study the relation between engagement and experienced professionalism of probation officers is investigated. Starting from ideal-typical theories on professionalism, a psychometric instrument for measuring experienced professionalism was developed and administered to a sample of Dutch probation officers. Two reliable scales could be constructed that account for 64% of the variance in work engagement. Of these, professional ethos (humanistic values) is the most important predictor of work engagement in probation. Professional facilitation (support from the surroundings), however, also contributes to engagement.
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The increased use of instruments for assessing risks and needs in probation should lead to intervention plans that meet the criteria for effective practice. An analysis of 300 intervention plans from the Dutch probation service showed that the match between the assessed criminogenic needs and the goals and interventions in the intervention plan is fairly low. It was also found that the so-called risk principle is not fully applied by probation officers. In addition, personal goals that the offender values are often not taken fully into account. Finally, the intervention plans have a strong focus on improving human capital, while improving social capital and basic needs often is not part of the intervention plans, even if they were assessed as dynamic criminogenic needs.
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