Reducing Reoffending: Social Work and Community Justice in Scotland

Citation

McIvor G (2008) Reducing Reoffending: Social Work and Community Justice in Scotland. Review of: Reducing Reoffending: Social Work and Community Justice offenders in Scotland by F. McNeill and B. Whyte, Cullompton, Willan Publishing, 2007, 272 pp., ISBN 978-1843922186. Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 50 (2), pp. 239-240. http://www.ccja-acjp.ca/en/cjcr200/cjcr297.html

Keywords
First paragraph: In the introduction to their book, McNeill and Whyte observe that 'Scotland is an intriguing place to be and an intriguing place to study' (p.1). Despite being constitutionally part of the UK, Scotland has its own legal system and, following devolution in 1999, responsibility for policy-making across a wide range of policy areas. Scotland also has a distinctive approach to the assessment and supervision of offenders, with these tasks remaining the responsibility of generically trained social workers. It has managed to resist, to a degree, the punitive thrust of policy and practice that tends to characterise English-speaking countries (including other parts of the UK) while recent organisational changes offer an opportunity for criminal justice social work services to contribute meaningfully to the pursuit of community justice.

Notes
Output Type: Book Review

Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice: Volume 50, Issue 2

People

Professor Gillian McIvor

Emeritus Professor, Sociology, Social Policy & Criminology