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This volume poses a series of key questions about the practice of probation as an integral part of the European criminal justice system. The contributors are established experts in their respective fields of study and together their questions address the legitimacy, and perhaps continued existence, of probation.
The book offers analyses of why people offend and stop offending, and the wide ranging impacts of probation. This includes the impact on offenders´ social reintegration, as a form of reparation for victims and communities, on public desire for justice and punishment, and on probationers themselves. The contributors further assess the state of probation and its adaptation to the current state of penality and society, the role of probation officers in pre-sentencing decision-making and the promotion of community sanctions and measures. By providing important recommendations and suggestions for application to practice, the book will be of great interest to academics, students, policy makers and practitioners alike.

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Introduction: Questions, Questions, Questions; Ioan Durnescu, Fergus McNeill and René Butter.- Chapter 1. Why Do People Commit Crimes?; Rob Canton.- Chapter 2. What are the Most Important Studies on Desistance and What are Future Research Needs?; Lila Kazemian.- Chapter 3. What is the Impact of Probation in Advising Sentencing and Promoting Community Sanctions and Measures?; George Mair.- Chapter 4. Has Probation any Impact in Terms of Reparation to Victims and Communities? Complicating a Simple Question; Leo van Garsse.- Chapter 5. What is the Impact of Community Service?; Gill McIvor.- Chapter 6. What is Probation´s Role in Successful Social Integration (Resettlement) of People Leaving Prison? A Piece in the Jigsaw; Maurice Vanstone.- Chapter 7. What is the Impact of Probation on Satisfying the Public´s Desire for Justice or Punishment?; Rob Allen.- Chapter 8. What are the Costs and Benefits of Probation?; Faye S. Taxman and Stephanie Maas s.- Chapter 9. Experiencing Supervision: From ´Sparing the First Offenders´ to ´Punishment in the Community´ and Repairing the Harm Done; Ioan Durnescu.- Chapter 10. Electronic Monitoring and Probation Practice; Mike Nellis.- Chapter 11. Explaining Probation; Fergus McNeill and Gwen Robinson.- Chapter 12. Conclusion: The 12th Question; Fergus McNeill, René Butter and Ioan Durnescu.

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Fergus McNeill is Professor of Criminology and Social Work at the University of Glasgow, UK.
Ioan Durnescu is Professor, Faculty of Sociology and Social Work, University of Bucharest, Romania.
René Butter is Associate Professor of Applied Research Methodology, HU University of Applied Sciences, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

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