'After a period in the doldrums, the subject of offender supervision has recently burst into life, and is receiving significant attention from both policymakers and researchers. This important and up-to-the-minute collection of essays by some of the leading scholars in the field will be much used and cited, combining as it does sophisticated theoretical reflections, fresh empirical evidence and careful attention to specific topics such as staff skills and offender compliance. Highly recommended.' -- Professor Sir Anthony Bottoms, Universities of Cambridge and Sheffield 'For anyone with an interest in offender supervision -- whether as an academic, policy maker or practitioner -- this book is absolutely essential reading. It marks a watershed in the development of research and scholarshipin this field, offering an unparalleled collection of cutting-edge essays on the key issues. It will become an indispensible point of reference for many years to come.' -- Professor Mike Hough, Kings College London, and President of the British Society of Criminology 'This is a hugely welcome addition to the literature on work with offenders, bringing together international scholars who have developed key new ideas such as the 'desistance' and 'good lives' perspectives. Collectively, they offer the intellectual basis for moving correctional practice beyond the original 'what works' agenda, to a new and more effective focus on individual relationships, trust and legitimacy.' --Professor Mike Maguire, Cardiff University and University of Glamorgan 'Criminal justice systems across Europe (and far beyond) face major social, political and financial challenges at this time -- and developing the credibility and effectiveness of offender supervision in the community lies at the heart of finding constructive ways forward. For these reasons, this collection could not be more timely; it will be of great value to the many policy-makers, managers and practitioners working hard to improve offender supervision, deliver community justice and make communities safer.' -- Leo Tigges, Secretary General, CEP (The European Probation Organisation) 'In this exciting, ambitious and significant new book the authors bring together a wide range of contributions from eminent researchers, practitioners and academics on the subject of contemporary developments in offender supervision. This is an enormously rich and rewarding book which addresses a wide range of aspects of offender supervision... Students of offender supervision, academics, practitioners and researchers will all find this a hugely stimulating and encouraging book. ... It is the moral quality and authenticity of the book, appearing as it also does at an important moment for offender supervision, which make the book indispensable.' -- Keith Davies, Principal Lecturer, School of Social Work, Kingston University, UK in European Journal of Probation