The probation system in Hong Kong was modeled on the United Kingdom system. Throughout its existence, the Probation Service has preserved the ethos of rehabilitation as a fundamental practice philosophy. This article attempts to report on some of the qualitative findings generated from a study on probation in Hong Kong. The qualitative approach was used to explore the views and experiences of probationers. The study used 60 qualitative interviews of young adult probationers providing clues as to how and why probation works. The analysis indicated that individual adult offenders perceived the meaning of probation differently, based on their encounters with their officer. The data reflected high congruency between the offenders’ expectations of probation and its perceived purpose. The overall impression was that offenders appreciated the work done by officers. These first-hand accounts indicate that probationers have a lot to contribute to the evaluation process and their voices should be heard by practitioners and policymakers in order to improve probation practice. References