Social Work and Criminal Justice

Crime as a focus of social work intervention appears in a variety of forms, including such different types of action as prevention, support for the accused in criminal proceedings, social assistance within the penal system, parole aid, support of reintegration following imprisonment, working with the victims of crime, etc. (cf. McNeill/Bracken/Clarke 2010; Pickford/Dugmore 2012; Roberts/Springer 2007). At the beginning of this chapter we would like to make clear that we are using the term “crime” self consciously and reflexively, since “crime” is not a genuine social pedagogical category of reality description. It is a specification of justice policy, used for...