ABSTRACT
There could be little argument with the claim that the probation service has changed considerably during its 100 years of existence. Starting with the size of the service, it has grown from a few hundred offi cers in 1908 to more than 21,000 staff, including administrative and support staff, in 2008 (the most recent estimate; see Mills et al. 2010 ). This may seem like a large increase in numbers, but it has taken place over the course of a century, other criminal justice agencies have experienced similar – if not greater – levels of growth, and that compared with the police (with more than 200,000 staff) and the prison service (with around 50,000), the probation service is a small organisation.
