Dr Fergus McNeill Professor of Criminology & Social Work Universities iti of Glasgow F.McNeill@lbss.gla.ac.uk 1

Transcription

1 New Directions in Offender Rehabilitation Dr Fergus McNeill Professor of Criminology & Social Work Universities iti of Glasgow 1

2 Different Directions? Research and Practice Forms of Research Key Questions Disciplines Critical and Comparative Research (on Probation) What is probation? How and why is it constituted as itis is (here andelsewhere)? What purposes should it serve? Sociology, Penology, Sociolegal studies, Philosophy, Politics, Social Policy Explanatory Research (for Probation) Evaluative Research (of Probation) How can we best account for crime and criminalisation? How can we best understand d desistance from crime? What is successful social reintegration? What works for whom in which circumstances? Who works? Why and how? Sociology, Psychology, Criminology A wide range of social sciences methods

3 CREDOS Why? Effective supervision Effective supervisors Effective relationships What s New and Exciting? Understood in social, political, cultural, organisational and professional contexts CREDOS How? Methodological pluralism Collaborative and comparative research Diversityit Engaging service users, families and research users

4 Here s what s new(ish) New Directions in Theory RNR, GLM and Desistance Staff skills and effective supervision Improving supervision Significant othersand social networks Compliance with supervision Supervision in its contexts

5 Theory: Conclusions from 23 chapters. From what works, to how it works, why it works and who works and a clearer understanding of the process it works to support. Staff Skills: kll Different practitioners have observable differences in their practice styles, which h can be influenced by training i and supervision, so that better outcomes are delivered. Relationshipskillsversus skills structuring skills; weneed supervisors who have both.

6 Improving supervision Assessing strengths and positive qualities; desistance factors Organisational cultural and management: knowledge, commitment and learning Structured supervision programmes The potential for judicial involvement/ reinforcement of desistance efforts

7 Significant others Families and communities as criminogenic, and as resources for desistance Strengths based family focused focused work; wraparound care; collaborative problem solving in juvenile justice; COSA and the role of volunteers Synergies with ihdesistance literature s focus on importance of social capital

8 Compliance Negotiated in human interactions: incentives, relationships and normative commitments Jeopardised by confusion over the purposes of supervision, by rigid enforcement, and by administrative (rather than human, change focused) case management Formal, substantive and long term compliance, underpinned by (morally) legitimate practice

9 Contexts of supervision Contested goals, varied (dis )engagements g with evidence, different professional identities Managerial imperatives versus professional motivations and commitments: what counts versus whatmatters Shifting practice discourses, but the centrality of the practitioner New technologies for rehabilitation or control?

10 The Book s Conclusions A rapidly expanding field of study (and of practice) A broadening out of research and practice agendas, but a problem of research lagging behind theory and practice development A vindication of disciplinary and methodological diversity? N tj t di li l i i l liti Not just psy discplines, also criminology, politics, sociology, social policy

11 What s really new and really exciting? The supporting interventions The treatment programme The reintegrating community The person changing The exclusionary community The offender

12 Vindication: A Copernican Revolution or Old social work vindicated dat last we always said relationships, families and social contexts mattered! Vexation: We're going to have to redesign all our systems, processes and practices again where do we buy the desistance programme? This is all very interesting, but it doesn't tell us what to do Where's the (evaluation) evidence for desistance based approaches? Challenging: We thought we were part of the solution; it turns out we ve been part of the problem. How do we change that? Reconfiguration: Change actually belongs to ex offenders and reintegration is about communities; we need to place them at the centre and not the professionals. But how? Maybe by seeing practitioners as Janus faced mediators between offenders and communities (including victims)

13 Rethinking offender Not just about offenders About families, communities, the economy, the state etc. Not just about needs and risks About strengths, rights and duties rehabilitation Not just about what works About how, why and who? Don t start with intervention/treatment Start with supporting change, in context But don't end there! Complete the iterative loop with evaluation and new theory building Don t end with desistance The end is integration, citizenship, mobility (as well as safety and security) so it can't be done to, for or with offenders alone

14 McNeill, F. (2009) Towards Effective Practice in Offender Supervision. Glasgow: Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, available at: ents/mcneil_towards.pdf df McNeill, F. and Weaver. B. (2010) Changing Lives? Desistance Research and Offender Management. Glasgow: Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, available soon at: To source references see: