The emphasis of probation work with prisoners has changed in recent years, although this change has received little attention due to the rapid and confusing changes in the overall sentencing framework. The concept of throughcare, according to which prisoners receive a social work service from the time of detention until well after their release, has received stronger official support than in the past, but the supervision of former inmates has become increasingly bureaucratic. Handling prisoners in this bureaucratic way is particularly counterproductive. In addition, throughcare for its own sake is being questioned by politicians and service managers in this time of fiscal constraints. New national standards, a national framework policy on throughcare, and increasing caseloads have placed increasing pressures on probation officers. Two other important issues are the need for nondiscriminatory probation work with inmates and the implications of the increasing level of privatization in corrections. 85 references