Devolving Probation Services: A Case Study of Public Sector Reform

The role of the private sector in managing and delivering criminal justice services is not a new phenomenon and the criminal justice field is just one of a number of public and social policy fields which have increasingly been opened up to the market. Research has shown that these transitions do not follow a uniform pattern, or adhere to an accepted blueprint. Drawing on a rich original data set of observational research and interviews, this book captures a distinctive period of profound change in the devolution of the probation service in England and Wales and constructs a narrative of the transition process. It explores the impact of privatization on workers and their identities, in their move from public service to private sector employment. It explores occupational cultures and loyalties, the speed of processes of transition and leadership approaches to driving change. The books argues that the way in which workers experience and manage these transitions tell us a great deal about the prospects for retaining (formerly) public sector staff within fields that are increasingly being subject to private sector influence.