For Better or Worse?: Improving the Response to Domestic Abuse Offenders on Probation

As the Ministry of Justice looks to develop a ‘new generation’ of programmes to reduce reoffending, we reflect on what can be learnt from the only accredited domestic abuse programme in England and Wales, Building Better Relationships (BBR). Findings from an ethnographic study of BBR are situated wi...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Renehan, Nicole (Author) ; Gadd, David (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2024
In: The British journal of criminology
Year: 2024, Volume: 64, Issue: 5, Pages: 1171-1188
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
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Keywords:
building better relationships
probation service
therapeutic alliance
Domestic abuse
Interventions
Description
Summary:As the Ministry of Justice looks to develop a ‘new generation’ of programmes to reduce reoffending, we reflect on what can be learnt from the only accredited domestic abuse programme in England and Wales, Building Better Relationships (BBR). Findings from an ethnographic study of BBR are situated within the Probation Inspectorate’s recent inspection of domestic abuse work within the newly unified Probation Service which revealed a fractured and overstretched workforce. Our central argument is that if we are to avoid making matters worse, practitioners must be equipped with the time, supervision and skill needed to maintain something akin to a ‘therapeutic alliance’, that will endure in moments of crisis in their own lives as well as those of their clients.
ISSN:1464-3529
DOI:10.1093/bjc/azae003