A word from our Editor… Dr Lyn Adamson

We’re inviting practitioners, partners, researchers, PQiP students, and people with lived experience of probation or the wider criminal justice system to contribute to the next issue of Probation Quarterly, published by the Probation Institute.

This is your opportunity to inform, challenge, and inspire colleagues working across probation, rehabilitation, and criminal justice. Whether you want to share practice insights, reflect on policy developments, or tell your own story, your voice matters — and we want to hear it.

If you have an idea, an experience, or expertise to share, get in touch today!

About Probation Quarterly

PQ publishes short articles of interest to practitioners, researchers, and partners working in the public, voluntary, and private sectors with people on probation and victims. The journal supports professional learning, reflection, and informed debate, and contributes to the Probation Institute’s role as a centre of excellence for probation practice.

Probation Quarterly reflects the Institute's commitment to professional development, research and high standards in practice. Membership provides additional opportunities to contribute, engage and help shape the future of probation.

Advertise in Probation Quarterly

Advertising in PQ offers:

• A highly targeted professional audience

• Long-term visibility (issues remain accessible indefinitely)

• Credibility through association with a respected independent charity

• Cost‑effective rates compared with commercial journals

• Strong engagement via online sharing

• A readership that includes decision-makers and influencers across probation and rehabilitation

• Options for discounts and non-profit rates

Your advert directly helps sustain our independent work and supports professional development across the community justice sector.

For more information, download our Media Kit

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Submissions

The Probation Institute recognises that artificial intelligence (AI) tools are increasingly being used to assist with drafting, editing and research. However, authors remain wholly responsible for the accuracy, integrity and originality of all material submitted publication.

Particular caution should be exercised in relation to references, citations and source material. AI tools are known to generate inaccurate, incomplete or entirely fabricated references and citations. Authors must therefore ensure that all references cited within a submission have been personally checked, originate from genuine sources, and can be independently verified. Sources should be consulted directly rather than relying on AI-generated summaries or citations.

The editorial team will not accept responsibility for errors arising from the use of AI and reserves the right to reject submissions containing inaccurate, unverifiable or fabricated references, citations or quotations. Where concerns arise regarding the originality or accuracy of source material, authors may be asked to provide evidence of the original sources consulted and their article may be removed from the website.

By submitting an article to Probation Quarterly, authors confirm that they have verified all references and citations and accept full responsibility for the accuracy of the content submitted for publication.

What you can write about

• Activities or updates from the Probation Institute

• News and stories about the work of your organisation or project

• Reports from events, seminars, meetings, or conferences

• Summaries of completed research (please note: we don’t publish requests for participants)

• Reviews of books or research reports that have caught your attention

• Thought pieces exploring an issue or idea that matters to you

Articles should be approximately 500–1500 words, written in a clear, engaging way. We’re not looking for highly structured, lengthy academic essays; rather, we’re looking for voices, insights, and experiences that bring the field to life. Our editorial approach is light-touch, and we’re very happy to support you in developing your piece if needed.

Invitation to people with lived experience

Your experiences offer powerful insights that can help shape understanding, improve practice, and influence policy. We warmly encourage contributions from anyone with lived experience of probation, community sentences, or the wider justice system. Your voice belongs in this journal.

Open access and inclusive language

Probation Quarterly is published under an open access licence (CC BY 4.0) — meaning your work will be freely available to all. Our open access statement and self-archiving policy for authors can be found here. Please also take a moment to read our language policy, which asks contributors to avoid stigmatising language and our code of ethics too.

Previous issues