ABSTRACT
A slightly different picture emerged, however, when officers and the probationers were asked about ability to stop offending. When the officers’ responses were considered, most of them also said that they thought that their probationer wanted and would be able to stop offending, but 16 per cent said they were unsure of their ability to so do, and another 16 per cent felt that, despite their probationer’s motivation to stop, they would be unable to do so. The confident were the least likely of the three groups to describe their accommodation and finances as being problems at the time of the offence. The optimists had the highest rates of reporting both employment and finances as problems, especially the latter. The pessimists reported fewer employment, family or partner-related problems than either of confidents or the optimists. The probationers, on the other hand, presented a slightly different picture.
