Offender Supervision

‘After a period in the doldrums, the subject of offender supervision has recently burst into life, and is receiving significant attention from both policymakers and researchers. This important and up-to-the-minute collection of essays by some of the leading scholars in the field will be much used and cited, combining as it does sophisticated theoretical reflections, fresh empirical evidence and careful attention to specific topics such as staff skills and offender compliance. Highly recommended.’
– Professor Sir Anthony Bottoms, Universities of Cambridge and Sheffield

‘For anyone with an interest in offender supervision – whether as an academic, policy maker or practitioner – this book is absolutely essential reading. It marks a watershed in the development of research and scholarshipin this field, offering an unparalleled collection of cutting-edge essays on the key issues. It will become an indispensible point of reference for many years to come.’
– Professor Mike Hough, Kings College London, and President of the British Society of Criminology

‘This is a hugely welcome addition to the literature on work with offenders, bringing together international scholars who have developed key new ideas such as the ‘desistance’ and ‘good lives’ perspectives. Collectively, they offer the intellectual basis for moving correctional practice beyond the original ‘what works’ agenda, to a new and more effective focus on individual relationships, trust and legitimacy.’
–Professor Mike Maguire, Cardiff University and University of Glamorgan

'Criminal justice systems across Europe (and far beyond) face major social, political and financial challenges at this time – and developing the credibility and effectiveness of offender supervision in the community lies at the heart of finding constructive ways forward. For these reasons, this collection could not be more timely; it will be of great value to the many policy-makers, managers and practitioners working hard to improve offender supervision, deliver community justice and make communities safer.' –Leo Tigges, Secretary General, CEP (The European Probation Organisation)

'In this exciting, ambitious and significant new book the authors bring together a wide range of contributions from eminent researchers, practitioners and academics on the subject of contemporary developments in offender supervision.

This is an enormously rich and rewarding book which addresses a wide range of aspects of offender supervision... Students of offender supervision, academics, practitioners and researchers will all find this a hugely stimulating and encouraging book. ... It is the moral quality and authenticity of the book, appearing as it also does at an important moment for offender supervision, which make the book indispensable.'
– Keith Davies, Principal Lecturer, School of Social Work, Kingston University, UK inEuropean Journal of Probation

'...[A]comprehensive, readable and well-informed collection of essays.'

'...[For] anyone concerned with the supervision of offenders and wider issues of offender management and effective practice, the book offers a strong introduction to the key concepts and perspectives as well as many policy and practice insights. I would recommend the book to academics, criminal justice managers and practitioners.'-Jane Dominey, De MontfortUniversity, in the British Journal of Community Justice, vol 9

'...it is impossible to do justice to all the fine pieces of research collected here...'-Barry Vaughan, Policy Analyst, National Economic and Social Council, Dublin, in the Irish Probation Journal, vol 8 Oct 2011

'Offender Supervision therefore is attractive to a widespread audience because essentially the book engages with the wider influences on desistance and public protection and seeks to explore what probation supervision actually is all about and comes up with the answer that it remains an integral part of the struggle towards the classic goal clarification between monitoring offenders and facilitating behavioural change.'

'It is perhaps rare that a single volume dealing with criminological matters manages to succeed in presenting ideas and concepts that are of practical appeal to practitioners, managers and policy makers alike but such is breadth and depth of Offender Supervision that it actually achieves that rarity status.'-Neil Stone, Wales Probation Trust, in EuroVista Journal vol 2 issue 1 2012

'This is a beautifully written, detailed and sensitive ethnography of an unfashionable corner of the prison estate in England and Wales.'

-Professor Anne Worrall, University of Keele, 2013.

In this exciting, ambitious and significant new book the authors bring together a wide range of contributions from eminent researchers, practitioners and academics on the subject of contemporart developments in offender supervision.

This is an enormously rich and rewarding book which addresses a wide range of aspects of offender supervision. Students of offender supervision, academics, practitioners and researchers will all find this a hugely stimulating and encouraging book. It succeeds in rallying the endeavour of offender supervision despite punitive and managerial excesses, revises and builds on the ground already hard won in recent years and points out new collaborative and international ways forward. As McNeill argues, reflecting on the history of offender supervision, ‘the moral quality and the authenticity of the practitioner’s performance seem to lie at the heart of the matter’ (506). It is the moral quality and authenticity of the book, appearing as it also does at an important moment for offender supervision, which make the book indispensable.

Keith Davies, Principal Lecturer, School of Social Work, Kingston University, UK, in Eurpoean Journal of Probation.