Constructive Work with Offenders

Kevin Gorman is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Huddersfield, where he contributes to degree courses in Applied Criminology, Social Work, and Police Studies. He was a probation officer for over 25 years and has been heavily involved in practice development and practice teaching, including the training of probation officers. Marilyn Gregory teaches in crime, abuse and public protection at the University of Sheffield, having spent 16 years in the Probation Service. She worked as a main grade officer in a former mining community; as a prison based officer; a court welfare officer, and as a specialist practice teacher, teaching students initially on the Diploma in Social Work and latterly the Diploma in Probation Studies. Michelle Hayles is a Senior Lecturer in Community Justice at the University of Huddersfield where she has leadership responsibilities for the BSc (Hons) in Applied Criminology and for an innovative Foundation Degree in Police Studies. She worked for 12 years as a probation officer in a range of community contexts and in a women's prison, and she managed a Home Office Student Training Unit. Nigel Parton is Professor in Child Care and Director of the Centre of Applied Childhood Studies at the University of Huddersfield. He has a particular interest in the area of child protection. He was co-editor of the journal Children and Society for ten years and co-edited Constructing Clienthood in Social Work and Human Services (2003), also published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

This refreshingly open and honest collection of contributions highlights a 'get back to basics' approach towards work with offenders... The essence of the book explores the treatment avenues open to professionally qualified probation officers. This thorough and well annotated collection of constructive treatment programmes contained within this book focus attention on the high level of commitment and skills shown by various professionals... The book reaffirms a commitment towards these ideals and attempts successfully to offer an alternative to the purely enforcement and control models. This book contains many valuable chapters that will give food for thought to current and aspiring practitioners. It would also provide a useful source of ideas for training and research. It succeeds in its aim of providing renewed impetus to a vitally important politically sensitive area of work.

• Acknowledgements. Contributors. Prologue, Jeremy Cameron. 1. Constructive Work with `Offenders': Setting the Scene, Kevin Gorman, Patrick O'Byrne and Nigel Parton. 2. Collaborative and Constructive Frontline Practice with Offenders in a Climate of `Tough Love' and `Third Way' Politics, Bill Jordan. 3. The Offender as Citizen: Socially Inclusive Strategies for Working with Offenders Within the Community, Marilyn Gregory. 4. Constructing Safety: A Collaborative Approach to Managing Risk and Building Responsibility, Michelle Hayles. 5. The Constructive Use of Courtroom Skills and Enforcement to Achieve Client Co-operation and Change, Geoff Kenure. 6. Constructing a Convincing Narrative: The Art of Persuasive Storytelling within the Tight Constraints of Formal Pre-sentence Assessments for the Criminal Courts, Kevin Gorman. 7. Dangerous Constructions: Black Offenders in the Criminal Justice System, Lena Dominelli. 8. Constructive Work with Women Offenders - A Probation in Prison Perspective, Sue Carless. 9. Constructive Work with Male Sex Offenders: Male Forms of Life, Language Games and Change, Malcolm Cowburn. 10. Dispensing With Justice: Young People's Views of the Criminal Justice System, Monica Barry. 11. Offenders `R' Us, Marilyn Gregory with Kevin Gorman, Michelle Hayles and Nigel Parton. Epilogue, Jeremy Cameron. Index.