Introduction

Privatisation operates within a wider geo-political framework which has dominated government thinking since the early 1970s. That is best described as the neo liberal ideal. The neo liberal ideal is a generic concept where the dominant features are the "greater use of private sector providers" and "contestability," or competition which is introduced into the public sector from the private sector. Whereas privatisation occurs when the private company owns the assets, outsourcing occurs when private companies sell their products to the private sector in the same way as they sell their products elsewhere. The form of privatisation used in the Probation Service is slightly different from that used elsewhere, and has some unusual features. Privatisation, along with neo liberalism generally, is not without its critics. Objections have come in various forms and with differing degrees of intensity. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.