Probation in Transition: A Study of the Experiences of Newly Qualified Probation Officers

Abstract

This contribution to the symposium draws on material which I obtained in the process of undertaking a study of the Probation Service. The Probation Service has been in a state of transition and change for a number of years and probation officers are continuing to encounter many of the difficulties faced by other contemporary professional workers in the public services. In my study I decided to interview a sample of newly qualified probation officers with a view to investigating their experience of this changing order of things, constructing a picture of the occupation from a newcomer perspective and sdetermining what constitutes their professional identity.

Keywords:

• probation
• Bourdieu
• professional identity
• occupational socialisation
• qualitative research