Finding the Eye of the Octopus: the Limits of Regulating Outsourced Offender Probation in England and Wales
This article discusses the constraints on, and conflicts over, the oversight and regulation of mixed public-private entities, using the part-privatisation of the probation service in England and Wales – a policy called Transforming Rehabilitation (TR) – as its case study. The article shows how TR em...
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| Language: | English |
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Centre de Recherche et d'Etudes en Civilisation Britannique
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Revue Française de Civilisation Britannique |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/rfcb/7888 |
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| author | Mary Corcoran |
| author_facet | Mary Corcoran |
| author_sort | Mary Corcoran |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article discusses the constraints on, and conflicts over, the oversight and regulation of mixed public-private entities, using the part-privatisation of the probation service in England and Wales – a policy called Transforming Rehabilitation (TR) – as its case study. The article shows how TR embodied a policy and set of practices that effectively undermined both institutional and political forms of scrutiny. Actions informed by neoliberal political dogma effectively strained regulatory systems, and short circuited the most important dimension of accountability in a liberal democracy – accountability of ministers to parliament. Ironically, although TR was subject to extensive regulatory scrutiny, the article concludes that these mechanisms were controverted by ministerial disregard for rules, procedures or the advice of civil servants, demonstrating that regulatory structures struggle to trump willfully pursued but ill-advised policy. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6c6faadc24924be99339b71ee825e59c |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0248-9015 2429-4373 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Centre de Recherche et d'Etudes en Civilisation Britannique |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Revue Française de Civilisation Britannique |
| spelling | doaj-art-6c6faadc24924be99339b71ee825e59c2025-08-20T01:54:49ZengCentre de Recherche et d'Etudes en Civilisation BritanniqueRevue Française de Civilisation Britannique0248-90152429-43732021-01-0126210.4000/rfcb.7888Finding the Eye of the Octopus: the Limits of Regulating Outsourced Offender Probation in England and WalesMary CorcoranThis article discusses the constraints on, and conflicts over, the oversight and regulation of mixed public-private entities, using the part-privatisation of the probation service in England and Wales – a policy called Transforming Rehabilitation (TR) – as its case study. The article shows how TR embodied a policy and set of practices that effectively undermined both institutional and political forms of scrutiny. Actions informed by neoliberal political dogma effectively strained regulatory systems, and short circuited the most important dimension of accountability in a liberal democracy – accountability of ministers to parliament. Ironically, although TR was subject to extensive regulatory scrutiny, the article concludes that these mechanisms were controverted by ministerial disregard for rules, procedures or the advice of civil servants, demonstrating that regulatory structures struggle to trump willfully pursued but ill-advised policy.https://journals.openedition.org/rfcb/7888neoliberalismmarketisationprobationpolitical accountabilityexecutive power |
| spellingShingle | Mary Corcoran Finding the Eye of the Octopus: the Limits of Regulating Outsourced Offender Probation in England and Wales Revue Française de Civilisation Britannique neoliberalism marketisation probation political accountability executive power |
| title | Finding the Eye of the Octopus: the Limits of Regulating Outsourced Offender Probation in England and Wales |
| title_full | Finding the Eye of the Octopus: the Limits of Regulating Outsourced Offender Probation in England and Wales |
| title_fullStr | Finding the Eye of the Octopus: the Limits of Regulating Outsourced Offender Probation in England and Wales |
| title_full_unstemmed | Finding the Eye of the Octopus: the Limits of Regulating Outsourced Offender Probation in England and Wales |
| title_short | Finding the Eye of the Octopus: the Limits of Regulating Outsourced Offender Probation in England and Wales |
| title_sort | finding the eye of the octopus the limits of regulating outsourced offender probation in england and wales |
| topic | neoliberalism marketisation probation political accountability executive power |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/rfcb/7888 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT marycorcoran findingtheeyeoftheoctopusthelimitsofregulatingoutsourcedoffenderprobationinenglandandwales |