John Pitman and a Man Alive team follow the fortunes of the officers and their clients in West Yorkshire where probation officers are confronted with the dilemma now facing most of the 4,500 men and women in the service. Should they ' care ' for their clients and try to rehabilitate them? Or should they use their powers of control to keep a large section of society happy by helping to ' lock them up and put them out of harm's way?