To many observers, Probation at the end of Labour’s third term was characterized by an enduring sense of uncertainty resulting from a prolonged period of unremitting change, burdened by bureaucracy and over-zealous micro-management by the centre and subsumed into a complex organizational framework dominated by prison-based personnel. The sense of betrayal and alienation felt by many within the service towards the Government was a far cry from the cautious optimism that had marked the election of a Labour Government in 1997, coming as it did after a period in which the service had seen the short lived promise to move centre stage (Patten, 1988) replaced by an openly hostile promotion of prison works which seemed to threaten its very existence. In this article we attempt to evaluate the changing relationship between Probation and New Labour, placing it within the context of the wider approaches to crime control adopted by the government in each of its three terms in office. Finally, we consider the legacy of the past 13 years and conclude that despite the negative impact on Probation of an unrelenting reductionist focus on managerialist and technical policy fixes, there may yet be some grounds for optimism.
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