Robinson, G. orcid.org/0000-0003-1207-0578, Annison, H., Burke, L. et al. (3 more authors) (2025) Anchors through change: exploring identity work in the unified Probation Service for England & Wales. British Journal of Criminology. azaf007. ISSN 0007-0955
Abstract
The Probation Service for England & Wales offers an important case study for those who are interested in the impact(s) of organizational change on workers in criminal justice and, in particular, the identity work that they engage in as they move through frequent iterations of change. In this article, we draw on data from an ongoing longitudinal study of probation reform to explore identity work among a mixed sample of practitioner and management grade staff in one of 12 probation regions. Our analysis reveals the significance of both occupational and organizational sources of identification to workers of all grades, but also evidence of dis-identification with aspects of the current organization. It further reveals the importance of anchors through change in workers’ identities as they navigate paths through successive reforms. These anchors include values, places and structures that are part of probation’s legacy but which offer a sense of continuity and meaning to workers as they adapt within a turbulent field.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies (ISTD). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | Probation; social identity theory; occupational identity; organisational identity; identity work |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (Sheffield) > School of Law |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number ECONOMIC & SOCIAL RESEARCH COUNCIL ES/W001101/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 05 Feb 2025 15:25 |
Last Modified: | 24 Feb 2025 09:10 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1093/bjc/azaf007 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:222426 |