Bloomsbury Probation and the Policing of the Private Sphere in Britain, 1907-1962 (History of Crime, Deviance and Punishment)

In 1907 the Probation of Offenders Act introduced a system which allowed offenders to be rehabilitated at home under supervision, rather than being sent to prison. This book explores how the probation system was used to regulate the private lives, emotions and behaviours of people in Britain between 1907 and 1962. Access to the private sphere, both physically and psychologically, meant that the probation system was particularly well-suited to offences related to intimate and personal relations. With each chapter focusing on a particular type of offence, including wife assault, attempted suicide, male sexual offences and female prostitution, Settle shows how experiences of the probationers were shaped by the everyday practices of probation, and assesses the extent to which probation was successful in rehabilitating offenders and protecting the public. Also examining the role of probation officers in marriage reconciliation, the book explores how ideas about gender and domesticity were crucial to both the process of rehabilitation and the endeavour to make the home a safe environment in which these domestic ideals could come into fruition. Probation and Policing of the Private Sphere in Britain enriches our understanding of the role of the state in policing, monitoring and promoting the well-being of its citizens, and explores the nuances of probation’s dual purpose as a form of social control as well as a social work service designed to help the most vulnerable in society. Review "An insightful and original account of probation, which provides a sensitive analysis of the comprehensive support provided towards families in need. Drawing on a rich range of new primary sources, this monograph offers important insights for historians of crime, the family, welfare, and of twentieth-century Britain." --Dr Charlotte Wildman, Senior Lecturer in Modern British History, University of Manchester, UK"Focusing on the private sphere, Settle offers a careful, nuanced examination of probation and its impact, framed by broad questions of patriarchy, domesticity, and sexuality, and the influence of religion and psychology. An innovative must-read for social historians, and those interested in crime, religion, professionalization, family, gender, sexuality, and experiences." --Stephanie Olsen, Senior Researcher, Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence in the History of Experiences, Tampere University, Finland"This fascinating study uses extensive archival research to reframe our understanding of the everyday operation of probation in 20th-century Britain. Full of rich material about the dynamics of private life, the book will be of interest not just to scholars of policing and criminal justice, but to historians of the family, marriage, and sexuality." --Adrian Bingham, Professor of Modern British History, University of Sheffield, UK About the Author Louise Settle is a researcher at The Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies at the University of Helsinki, Finland. She has previously held two postdoctoral fellowships at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, Edinburgh, and the Institute for Advanced Social Research, Tampere, Finland