Samenvatting

In this article, the authors question the relation between professionalism in Dutch probation work and the tendency to create protocols for work processes that used to be under the rather autonomous control of the professionals themselves. Starting point is the professionalism model of De Jonge, placing professional space as key element of professionalism under the restriction that there is an acknowledged societal position as well as an explicitly recognized knowledge base for the professional. A brief historical overview of the probation work itself and the way it has been organized over the decades is described, resulting in the identification of five decisive developments in the initial (but recently changing) perception among Dutch probation workers of gradually restricted professional space despite the growing body of knowledge.