Rcjm No 78.Indd

agency risk assessments, important The conveyor belt of as these issues are, more systemic problems indicative of a more general malaise in the probation criminal justice: the service will remain unexamined. By far the most important of these is the COMMENT COMMENT Sonnex case, risk, and issue of deskilling of probation officers combined with an automated ‘tick box’ approach to risk AND AND de-skilling in probation assessment. Sonnex was in fact in many ways Wendy Fitzgibbon explores recent high a model client – his attendance at SUES SUES supervision meetings was punctual; IS IS profile probation cases. he was well-turned out and co- operative. He ticked all the boxes. AL AL Problems might have been identified The murder of two French students Lewisham had more than two years earlier if he had been more closely last year by Dano Sonnex is the experience. The official inquiry scrutinised by a more experienced latest of several recent cases reports into the Sonnex case noted probation officer. But the combined TOPIC TOPIC involving murder committed by high sickness rates due to stress and effect of resource constraints and the an individual on parole licence for anxiety and missing risk assessments new division of labour in the previous violent offending. Some in 650 out of the 2,500 cases probation service, has led to a of the key issues have already been supervised by the Lewisham office. concentration of skilled and given a public airing: resource There was confusion over the risk experienced probation officers on pressures in probation, and the of harm levels regarding Sonnex. He very high risk cases while low or failure of multi-agency and risk was placed as a tier three (i.e. medium risk offenders (80 per cent assessment procedures. medium) risk when on probation of all offenders) are (according to the supervision. This assessment should goals elaborated in Home Office Coming so soon after the high in hindsight have placed him at a circular PC08/2007) to be supervised profile ‘Baby P’ case in Haringey, higher level of risk as some other by the newer grade of semi-skilled the Sonnex case has, despite the databases (OASys – Offender Probation Service Officers (PSOs). differences (a social services child Assessment System) consistently This allocation of cases on the protection issue, where none of the assessed his behaviour as a high risk. basis of tick-box risk assessments adults concerned were on parole), This had implications for resource continues despite research by Ansbro inevitably reinforced a popular allocation and the progress of the (2006) and Craissati and Sindall image of institutional failure. As with Multi-Agency Public Protection Panel (2009) showing that low/medium risk Baby P, the high profile ministerial (MAPPA) referral. This panel is made offenders can go on to commit response forced the resignation of up of interested agencies (probation, serious further offences and that risk senior managers. Justice Secretary social services, police, mental health is a dynamic evolving phenomena. Jack Straw claimed probation was services) who meet to discuss and The predominance of ‘tick-box’ risk not using its resources effectively and manage cases referred to them on assessment tools such as OASys threatened David Scott, Chief Officer the basis of assessment of high risk of sustains management belief that risk for the London Probation Area with harm to others. Although referred to assessment and the management of a ‘performance capability review’ MAPPA this case was not followed the majority of offenders on (Straw, 2009). Scott resigned and up due to administrative errors and probation can be effectively hit back accusing Straw of hiding the level of assessed risk (medium) undertaken by deskilled operatives. behind lack of clarity about what recorded. Neither were other Robinson and Burnett (2007) was an acceptable workload for incidents, which should have found that older skilled staff felt individual probation officers. changed Sonnex’s risk level, notably marginalised: like ‘dinosaurs’. They The London Borough of his attack on a pregnant woman and were trained to deal with the Lewisham where Sonnex was her partner to extort money. These offender as a whole person in supervised was found to be in were not included in the risk contrast to the correctional model in ‘meltdown’ and severely lacking in evaluation due to the charges being which the new recruits to probation resources. Sonnex was supervised by dropped but, as it later transpired, are trained. Experienced, long- a probation officer who was this was due to victim intimidation. serving staff felt alienated from their inexperienced, and only qualified for Finally, when the order did go out for role and distanced from the values of nine-months, with a caseload of over a recall to prison, the police delayed the new management bureaucracy. 127. Ten years ago the caseload for acting on it and a police officer has This anxiety and stress is such an officer would have been been disciplined for this. compounded by the concentration of around 30-35. Moreover only one But if the discussion remains at work with high risk offenders within out of the 22 probation officers in the level of case loads and inter- the more qualified staff group. This

rCJM No 78.indd 6 26/11/2009 08:40:05: was also shown, in a small research confusion regarding the future of When I conducted interviews study I recently undertook, probation training and the probation with newly qualified probation (Fitzgibbon, 2009 forthcoming) to service in general. The drawing up officers in 2008 I found them to be have a detrimental effect on a group of the proposed new probation more concerned with managerial of highly qualified probation officers. training qualification has been a processes, targets, and tasks than Asked to identify the most difficult complex and lengthy process, which with the offender or their relationship COMMENT COMMENT part of working in a public protection many fear will either lead to a with the offender. Again this could team they all indicated the intensity shortening of the training or a indicate distancing of practitioners of workload and pressure of scrutiny. reduction of the academic content or from their offenders, allowing the AND AND The National Probation Audit in both. Already Treadwell (2006) feels possibility of not accurately reading 2006 found that a third of sickness in the ‘core curriculum’ is too narrow or following up worrying risky the probation service was due to and not academically focused behaviour or seeing risk in a SUES stress and anxiety. Oldfield and enough. contextualized way. SUES IS Grimshaw (2008) found that main Justice minister Claire Ward in More cases like Sonnex may just IS grade staff on average worked fi ve July 2009 said the rate of serious be waiting to happen. AL hours extra per week to get work further offence convictions was low AL fi nished! A clear example of this at 0.3 per cent last year, and paid Dr Wendy Fitzgibbon is Senior Lecturer in practice was the fact that the tribute to frontline officers. She said Criminology at Middlesex University. overworked probation officer this was due to ‘hard work and TOPIC supervising Sonnex had to go into dedication of probation officers, who TOPIC the office out of hours to complete deal on the frontline with some of References the recall papers in time, despite, the most dangerous and Ansbro, M. (2006), ‘What can we learn ironically, the police failing to arrest unpredictable people in our society’ from Serious Incident Reports’, Probation Sonnex when the papers were (Ward, 2009). This was following the Journal, 53(1), pp.57-70. submitted. publication of official fi gures Craissati, J. and Sindall, O. (2009), Oldfield and Grimshaw (2008) showing that criminals on probation ‘Serious further offences: an exploration showed that a fall of 9 per cent in committed more than 1,000 serious of risk and typologies’, Probation Journal, qualified staff in probation over a crimes over the last two years, 56(1), pp.9-27. fi ve-year period was accompanied including nearly one murder a week Oldfield, M. and Grimshaw, R. (2008), by a 35 per cent rise in workload. in England and Wales. Probation Resources, Staffing and They also found that there had been Workloads 2001-2008, London: Centre a 77 per cent increase in the The vast majority of serious for Crime and Justice Studies. recruitment of unqualified staff, and further offences are committed by Robinson, G. and Burnett, R. (2007), a parallel 70 per cent increase in offenders given a community ‘Experiencing modernization: frontline probation perspectives on the transition management grades during this order by the court having been to a National Offender Management period. convicted of less serious offences. Service’, Probation Journal, 54(4), Qualified staff feel that their In most cases, nothing in their pp.318-337. ‘professional territory’ has been previous offending histories has Straw, J. (2009), ‘Statement on the encroached upon by unqualified indicated that they would be Sonnex case’. Ministry of Justice. staff. They were overwhelmed by capable of such serious offences. www.justice.gov.uk/news/announcement ‘change fatigue’ regarding the pace (my italics). 080609b.htm (accessed 8 September and number of changes their role as (Ward, 2009) 2009). a probation officer has been Treadwell ,J. (2006), ‘Some Personal subjected to (Robinson and Burnett, This fi nal statement would again Reflections on Probation Training’ 2007). This has led to rapid staff support the fact that having Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, turnover. Lewisham is an example of unqualified or inexperienced officers 45(1), pp. 1-13, February 2006. this with their high proportion of supervising offenders of medium to Ward, C. (2009), ‘Probationers commit inexperienced staff. low risk is inadequate and fails to one murder a week’. www.news.bbc. The lack of morale and recognise research and statistical co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8179263.stm professional identity is heightened by fi ndings. (accessed 8 September 2009).

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