What is it about?
This paper is about the use of volunteers in England and Wales to monitor conditions of detention for prisoners. In particular it focuses on using volunteers to monitor equality and diversity which is within their remit. The article argues that the use of volunteers is appropriate to performing monitoring functions that act to enhance intelligent accountability, but volunteers are ineffective for the purposes of improving technical accountability.
Featured Image
Why is it important?
While the use of volunteers is lauded as enhancing accountability of the state to humanize conditions of detention, evidence suggests some role confusion and use of volunteers for the achievement of both intelligent and technical accountability. Volunteers for are not suited for achieving technical accountability and the existing requirements on them may result in poor quality repetition of other reporting mechanisms. In addition, it is argued that members require better training, and clearer communications concerning expectations from their reporting functions, which in turn is linked to the quality of their monitoring.
Perspectives
I have had the privilege to have first hand experience of being a volunteer within the IMB and to see the hard work undertaken by volunteers across the country. In addition I have seen the way in which they are supported by the National Council and Secretariat. It is crucial that volunteers are used for skills that they are able to bring to the role and that the expectations on them do not exceed these skills. I am therefore keen to see that the volunteers are used in the most effective way and that they are able to contribute in a meaningful way to a role which so many of them are so passionate about.
Associate Professor James A Roffee
Monash University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Accountability and Oversight of State Functions, SAGE Open, January 2017, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/2158244017690792.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
