What Else Works?

This book has developed out of a growing awareness among practitioners that centralized notions of what works and 'one size fits all' approaches to work with offenders and other groups is inevitably limited in its scope and effectiveness. This realization reopens the door on 'what works, with whom, and under what circumstances,' i.e. the idea that successful intervention can come from a number of different approaches, linked to individual differences. The book argues that it may be unhelpful to continually think of probation service users as 'offenders' and socially excluded people as 'problems' to be managed and treated. It considers more creative alternatives to reduce both re-offending and social exclusion, for example: working with women and minority ethnic groups in local community focused projects, education, and nature and conservation programs. The reader is encouraged to think about past and current policy, practice, and the relationship between practitioners and offenders or