This thesis explores the of the history of the theory and practice of supervising probationers in the community is represented by written and oral accounts of some of those involved. It offers a version of the history expanded beyond the traditional humanitarian accounts to encompass a broader social and political context. Its central proposition is that the context of that history is more complex than has been traditionally represented. It argues that these accounts trace the origins of the probation service in the United Kingdom to the police court missionaries and pressure of penal reform during the Victorian era, and that that pressure is portrayed as an outcome of homogeneous movement motivated by humanity and Christian principles. This study approaches that history from the underside (i.e. through the writings of practitioners and interested outsiders), and shows that it is tied inextricably to the emergence of the study of individual psychology, the shift from individualism to individualisation in the application of punishment, political and societal concerns about social disorder, and the evangelical humanitarian mission. It claims to revise the orthodox history through both a different emphasis and the suggestion that the evolution of probation is a configuration of those different and sometimes contradictory elements. It draws on aspects of the history of probation in the USA, and reflects on how a focus on practice, as opposed to policy discourse renders different meanings to, and understandings of the development of the concept during the 20<SUP>th</SUP> century. It begins with a discussion of the scope of the study, its methods and potential problems. This is followed by a summary of the main features of the orthodox history, and then the fuller version, which provides the context for the subsequent exploration of practice and theory. This is largely chronological, beginning with John Augustus in America, and continuing with the police court missionaries and early probation officers in the UK, the caseworkers of the post Second World War period, the challenge of the Non-Treatment Paradigm and 'Nothing Works' research, and New Rehabilitation. Chapters eight and nine depart from the chronology to explore first, the history of groupwork and second, work that is focused more on the environment than the individual.

Some images (pp. 266, 267, 271, 272, 275) in the electronic version of this thesis differ to those used in the paper copy due to copyright restrictions.

The focus of this thesis is a study of change in a public sector environment and the effect it has on that environment. It is a combination of an empirical study of the author’s former employer, specifically the Police Scientific Support Department, and a critical analysis of the technique used to carry out the study and its application, Soft Systems Analysis. The thesis is multi‐layered through the additional use of a diary, which gives a more personal view of what the author experienced during the project, along with a third more clinical and critical review of the project and its outcomes through Actor‐Network Theory. This allows the author to portray a number of different perspectives on the same reality. The author’s position within the force as project manager, allowed comprehensive access in which to carry out detailed action research through at‐home ethnography, unstructured interviews and documentary data collection. A police force’s forensic strategy and the way it conducts its business in order to provide a comprehensive service, offer value for money and work within a limited budget, is a complex process which is affected by many factors. Some of these include political issues over government finance, organisational issues surrounding staff levels and their deployment, as well as technical issues over available techniques, their success rates and how to make the most efficient and effective use of them. The case study covers a period during which the construction of a new Scientific Support single site is being carried out. Many departments are being moved to the new site, away from their city centre base, to provide a more comprehensive and extended service.

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