The fact that this guide is now in its 30th edition speaks for itself. If you are looking for a practical, no‐nonsense guide to the world of probation officers, this guide is ideal for you.
There is a clear statement at the beginning of the directory, which is compiled each October and published the following January. Wherever possible, changes occurring after October are included in the text up to the 20th of December. Errors notified to the publisher are normally corrected in the Probation Bulletin.
The first section has details of service organizations including address, phone numbers, e‐mail, etc. and names of officers. There is a detailed breakdown of the National Probation Directorate. This includes: Office of Director, General Estates, Finance, HR, Info Management and Technology Unit, Programmes and Commercial, and the Ombudsman. For each of the units and departments the guide includes basic contact details, a breakdown of staff with direct contact numbers where available and, in some cases (e.g. the Ombudsman), a brief description of function. This section also includes information on training and consultancy providers. At the end there is a very useful glossary of commonly used abbreviations and slang, ranging from AI (assessor award) through LSP (life sentence plan [prison]) to YOT (youth offending team).
Just before the main part of the directory there is a clear map of the country, giving the various probation areas. The main part is then presented alphabetically by county, beginning with Avon and Somerset. Abbreviations for the various job roles are given at the beginning of this section. Each area is then divided by function e.g. HQ, Court and Assessment Team, Prisons, Crown Courts. The third section of the directory has information on the voluntary organizations Nacro and Sacro/SOVA, which exist to help offenders, and have offices throughout the country. There are also more miscellaneous addresses, such as education for prisoners, religious organizations, high security hospitals, specialist accommodation for offenders and a list of prison establishments. The index lists entries by town or area and section number. Throughout the directory is clearly laid out, with unfussy typesetting. No typographical or spelling errors could be detected in the guide.
This guide would be of use to existing probation officers and to anyone looking to become involved with probation work as a career. It might also be of use to legal secretaries dealing with criminal law, journalists required to cover court proceedings, police and their support staff and mental health units (particularly forensic). This guide is extremely good value for money and would be a very useful addition to the bookshelves of any of those mentioned above.
