Seeing social contexts from a Probation Office

Today I was discussing desistance in a team meeting and this linked up with the discussions about the local area.  It’s quite easy to say that you will appreciate individuality and diversity in approaches of Probation work, but we need to look even more closely into this.  The social context
where individuals live can have a significant impact on whether someone desists or persists in offending.  This can include the streets where they live, where they spend their time, and the culture of the people they spend time with to name a few.  It’s no secret that Probation work has been increasingly office based, so how can we understand the social contexts if we don’t engage with them?

The home visit can provide close up interactions with an individual’s circumstances and relationships.  However, this may not give the full picture of the social contexts that influence the individual. To do this we need to be less focused on the office and instead be building links and understanding with local organisations, both statutory and not.  If we can better understand where there may be pressures or difficulties, then we may be better placed to support people in making positive changes.

There isn’t an easy way to do this, but by sharing local knowledge this could be a good start.  Within a team of practitioners we have a wealth of knowledge that can be shared and developed.  Additional to this we could spend time in encouraging more links with the community that are mutually beneficial.  Simply asking the people we work with, who live within these social contexts, and taking time to really understand them is also important.  In my opinion, it’s essential that we don’t treat all social contexts the same and that we consider the individuality so that we can tailor approaches so that they are effective is supporting change.