Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the ways in which probation services responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and to consider what this means for the future of probation.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper adopts a literature review approach. Published research about the impact of the pandemic on probation services around the world was identified. Key findings around the main ways in which probation services were affected are identified.

Findings

The key themes identified in the published research are the strengths and weaknesses of remote communication, the role of probation in efforts to reduce the prison population, the importance of social support and marginalisation and the impact on staff. These findings are then examined through McNeill’s (2018) argument that systems of community punishment should be parsimonious, productive and proportionate.

Originality/value

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first paper to synthesise international research on the impact of the pandemic on probation and thus serves as a useful starting point for future work on how probation services might learn from the pandemic.

中文翻译：

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大流行对缓刑的影响：未来的教训

目的

本文的目的是探索缓刑服务应对 COVID-19 大流行的方式，并考虑这对缓刑的未来意味着什么。

设计/方法/方法

本文采用文献综述的方法。确定了有关大流行对世界各地缓刑服务影响的已发表研究。确定了有关影响缓刑服务的主要方式的主要发现。

发现

已发表研究中确定的关键主题是远程通信的优势和劣势、缓刑在减少监狱人口方面的作用、社会支持和边缘化的重要性以及对工作人员的影响。然后通过 McNeill (2018) 的论点来检验这些发现，即社区惩罚系统应该是节俭的、富有成效的和相称的。

原创性/价值

据作者所知，这是第一篇综合有关大流行对缓刑影响的国际研究的论文，因此可以作为未来关于缓刑服务如何从大流行中学习的工作的有用起点。