Drawing on the authors' experience of research and practice in probation, the book provides a positive and realistic view of the contribution the probation service can make to the criminal justice system. It covers court work, face-to-face work with offenders, wider work in the community, and probation organisation and management. It is informed both by research on 'what works' and by a commitment to anti-discriminatory practice.

Peter Raynor is Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Swansea University in Wales, UK.

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Probation in Penal-Policy:Welfare, Justice or Crime Reduction?
An Offender-Centred Strategy
Influencing Sentences:Just Deserts and System
Strategies Consistency and Quality in Pre-Sentence Reports
'Some Things Do Work': The New Evidence
Developing and Evaluating a Programme to Reduce Offending Community
Responses to Crime: What Role for Probation?
Conclusion: Management and the Pursuit of Effectiveness.