Modernizing and joining-up government: the case of the prison and probation services

Successive British governments have sought to modernize the prison and probation services in line with new public management techniques, and to re-position both to create a better integrated criminal justice system that is more responsive to the demands of central government shaped by the new policy mantra of the " prevention of reoffending' and "the protection of the public'. This article looks at how both services have been affected by these changes, considering in particular how the changes have intersected with broader ideological shifts in the way British governments now seek to manage crime and punishment.