In this episode of The Criminologist Podcast, we continue Part Two of my conversation with Stephen Pitts and Imants Mozers, authors of The Missing Story: Probation, Legitimacy, and the Battle for Public Understanding.
If you have not yet listened to Part One, released as Episode 241, I encourage you to go back and begin there. This second part picks up the conversation by going deeper into probation's identity, public legitimacy, leadership, and the stories the field tells — or fails to tell — about itself.
Stephen and Imants challenge us to think about why probation cannot simply assume its value is self-evident. Agencies must be able to explain what they do, why it matters, and how the work contributes to safer and healthier communities. That requires leadership, shared language, strategic communication, and a willingness to listen to voices that are sometimes left out of the official story.
In Part Two, we explore:
• why probation agencies need a clearer professional identity
• the role of leadership in shaping shared language and public understanding
• the value of lived experience in explaining justice interventions
• why agencies should be strategic about who they try to reach and persuade
• how professional probation networks are growing across the world
• the importance of APPA, CEP, the Caribbean Association of Probation and Parole, and emerging networks in Africa
• Stephen and Imants' reflections on the future of probation
• the next World Congress on Probation and Parole, scheduled for Riga, Latvia, in May 2028
Listeners can learn more about Stephen and Imants' work at probationfutures.com, where you can also sign up to receive access to the digital version of The Missing Story when it becomes available.
I have also been releasing short YouTube video highlights from this conversation. You can find those, along with additional video content from The Criminologist Podcast, on my YouTube channel.
As always, thank you for listening to The Criminologist Podcast. Please subscribe, share this episode with a colleague, and continue following along as we explore the ideas, people, and practices shaping the future of probation, parole, desistance, and community corrections.
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