Citation

Trotter C, Evans P. Aust. N. Zeal. J. Criminol. 2012; 45(2): 255-273.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0004865812443678

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article examines the content of supervision sessions between probation officers and their clients and the extent to which supervisors make use of effective practice skills. It summarises the literature which suggests that when probation officers use particular skills, those under their supervision are likely to have lower recidivism rates than the clients of probation officers who do not use these skills. It discusses the few studies which have directly considered the extent to which probation officers make use of effective practice skills. It then outlines a research project which involved personal observation of 119 interviews between youth probation officers and their clients in Juvenile Justice in NSW with a view to identifying the content of interviews and the extent to which probation officers used effective practice skills. The findings suggest that probation officers are strong on relationship and pro-social modelling skills but make less use of role clarification, problem solving and cognitive behavioural skills. The implications of this are discussed.

KW: Juvenile justice; Juvenile delinquency;

Language: en