ABSTRACT
Elsewhere in this collection, the personal and organisational narratives of probation officers and probation organisations have been discussed; many of the research studies reported here discuss different aspects of these stories. Partly in response and partly prompted by two recent literature reviews commissioned by the Scottish government (McNeill, 2009a; McNeill et al., 2010), this chapter tries in a provisional and tentative way to connect up two types of narratives that are highly important in penal practice. The first of these concerns the personal stories of once active ‘offenders’ who manage to desist from crime and move on constructively in their lives. Obviously this is the kind of developmental narrative that certain kinds of penal practices – particularly those associated with rehabilitation – exist to support. But the second developmental narrative is, in some respects, just as important and just as neglected. This is the story of the changing character of one set of penal practitioners: those who deliver probation. In telling that story I focus specifically on the Scottish experience, but draw upon evidence from other jurisdictions within and beyond the UK. In the conclusion I try to draw some parallels between these two stories about changing identities and to consider the implications of each for the other.
