Reducing Reoffending

"Reducing Reoffending" provides a critical overview of social work with offenders in Scotland, taking full account of recent developments. The book is divided into three comprehensive sections. Part one of the book aims to provide an analysis of the challenges currently faced in community justice in Scotland and locates these challenges within their historical context. It also explores the contemporary challenge of reducing re-offending. And then reviews the available evidence about when, how and why people stop offending; about desistance from crime. This analysis exposes not only the complexities of desistance processes, but also the many difficulties that offenders face in making the related transition. Part two of the book provides an account of the legal contexts of criminal justice social work services in Scotland analysing the role that social work plays in the sentencing process and explores the legal basis for the provision of community disposals including probation, community services and other measures.The final part the book, questions of how the practice of supervising offenders in the community might be best developed so as to support desistance and reduce re-offending.