Probation

No-one is above the law, but everyone is at risk of breaking it. Anyone who’s caught faces the prospect of a penalty ranging from free pardon to life imprisonment – and everything in between. But who decides – and on what basis? In Wally Morgan’s account of a probation officer’s first two years after a mid-life career change, the real life stories lift the lid on the justice system and give a clue to why prison seldom works. Probation and community sentences used to be much more effective than incarceration in helping offenders rehabilitate their anti-social life-styles. But then government ruined everything by trying to turn a profit from prisons, probation and so-called “offender management”.
Probation: Butter Side Up is not a comparison of the old and the new, merely a much-needed reminder that in today's 'age of the algorithm' former methods should not be discarded. Despite sad moments, the pace is generally upbeat and often amusing with positive outcomes. Arranged as intertwined short stories, this readable account will engage not only general readers but also specialists in the fields of criminal justice, psychology, social work and education. In turn informative, tragic, amusing and uplifting it could be regarded as an academic book that reads like a novel. Prisons may keep criminals from your door, but when released they may be wiser in their craft.
The price of this book includes a sum to be distributed among charities.