The creation of a 'fully public service': Probation in England and Wales between the wars

This article uses archive material to show how a 'fully public' probation service was created in England and Wales at the behest of central government and the Home Office between 1925 and 1936. It focuses on key themes in probation that have contemporary resonances - they include central control, financial controls, training and inspection - and shows how these contemporary concerns have their origins in this very specific time period.