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Evidence Informed Practitioner and Organisation Social Work Module 751
Systematic Narrative Review
"Same time next week? "An
exploration of the relationship
between probation supervision and
desistance.
Abstract
Context
Probation supervision is an integral tool adopted by probation services to
facilitate rehabilitation. Therein perspectives of desistance, inclusive of offenders
and supervisor experiences, are a valuable commodity given probation's innate
directive to reduce offending. This review aims to account for whether the
international research surrounding the relationship between supervision and
desistance is sufficiently robust and consider how findings may translate to
PBNI.
Methods employed in the review
Three databases were systematically searched on 09/02/2021:
Social Care Online;
Criminal Justice Database;and
PsycINFO.
Three concept groups formed the search strategy, "probation", "supervision",
and "desistance". 17 articles were identified for inclusion using predetermined
inclusion and exclusion criteria. A further article was added through the process
of citation searching, resulting in a total of 18 studies. The studies were
appraised for quality and findings extracted to facilitate a narrative synthesis of
emergent themes.
Findings
Four themes emerged from the studies. First, supervision offers opportunity to
create a new identity, one distanced from an offending history. Second,
supportive relationships are more conducive to fostering desistance. Third, how
risk is responded to by services invariably impacts upon perspectives of
desistance. Furthermore, consideration must be afforded to the deleterious
impacts and associated stigma of being involved with the criminal justice
system. Finally, the selected studies evidence the effectiveness of supervision in
reducing offending, however the effectiveness of the type and quality of the
proscribed supervision is less transparent.
Conclusions
Research exploring the impact of supervision on desistance is limited. Whilst