Communication on Probation

Community sentences allow offenders to undertake rehabilitative programmes and work in the community under supervision of the probation service. Judges and magistrates can select up to 12 different requirements, which often involve verbally mediated interventions, and breaches can mean a return to prison. Rachel Iredale, Beth Parow and Harriet Pierpoint report the findings of their exploratory study of speech, language and communication difficulties among offenders completing community sentences in South Wales, illustrated with quotes from participants. The results are consistent with larger studies into young offenders, in that “communication does seem to be a problem”, and the authors discuss the role speech and language therapists can play. Thanks to Jan Mitchell and Jackie Freer, forensic speech and language therapists in Northumberland, who peer reviewed the first draft of this article.