Political Motivation and Probation Practice

Abstract

The past ten years has been a steady rise in political conflict in England & Wales. More and more political organisations, pressure groups and trade unionists, frustrated with the existing democratic processes, have been willing to defy the law to achieve their objectives. The present Government readily uses the criminal justice system and indeed is keen to increase its powers to regulate political and industrial conflict. This, of course, has been the situation, though to a far greater degree, in Northern Ireland since 1969. Since 1975 NAPO policy on politically motivated offenders has been used to guide probation officers through the dilemmas which are constantly thrown up by such a situation. At the AGM in 1985 it was decided to undertake a fundamental review of this policy. This article explores some of the reasons for this decision.