Reducing Reoffending Social Work and Community Justice in Scotland

Reducing Reoffending provides a critical overview of social work with offenders in Scotland, taking full account of recent developments. The book is divided into three comprehensive sections. Part One of the book aims to provide an analysis of the challenges currently faced in community justice in Scotland and locates these challenges within their historical context. It also explores the contemporary challenge of reducing re-offending. It then reviews the available evidence about when, how, and why people stop offending i.e. desistance from crime. This analysis exposes not only the complexities of desistance processes, but also the many difficulties that offenders face in making the related transition. Part Two of the book provides an account of the legal contexts of criminal justice social work services in Scotland, analyzing the role that social work plays in the sentencing process and exploring the legal basis for the provision of community disposals including probation, communit

Reducing Reoffending provides a critical overview of social work and community justice in Scotland, taking full account of recent developments. The book is divided into three comprehensive sections. Part one of the book provides a critical analysis of the challenge of reducing reoffending in Scotland and locates this challenge within its historical context. Part one also reviews the available evidence about when, how and why people stop offending; about desistance from crime. This analysis exposes not only the complexities of desistance processes, but also the many difficulties that offenders face in making the related transition. Part two of the book provides an account of the legal contexts of criminal justice social work services in Scotland analysing both the role that social work plays in the sentencing process and its role in supervising offenders in the community. The final part the book addresses questions of how the practice of supervision might be best developed so as to support desistance and reduce reoffending, though the books final conclusion is that reducing reoffending requires a much broader commitment to promoting and realising justice in the community.

Introduction: challenging times Part One: Analysing the Challenge 1. The history of social work with Offenders in Scotland 2. Re-offending: Understanding the 'Problem' 3. Ending Offending: Supporting Desistance Part Two: The legal Context 4. Advice and services to Court 5. Supervising Offenders in the Community 6. Prisons and Resettlement Part Three: Towards Effective Practice 7. Offender management or Change Management? 8. Developing Human Capital 9. Developing Social Capital Conclusion: Reducing Re-offending and Community Justice