It has been suggested that civil society organisations (CSOs) in the penal

sector may be losing their autonomy, whilst delivering services to the public sector. This

interview-based study explores this question in the context of Nordic and Scottish CSOs.

The findings reveal that for these CSOs that already are dependent on co-operation with

the criminal justice system, service-delivery contracts have generated additional difficulties

in remaining truthful to their missions. However, those CSOs that had embedded their

core activities in volunteering instead of paid professionals were able to hold on to their

original missions to a greater extent, regardless of service delivery. The article suggests

that CSOs that still wish to remain loyal to their original purposes should reinforce

volunteer-based working methods within their organisations.