The probation service is a statutory criminal justice service that supervises high-risk offenders released into the community.
Areas of responsibility:
- Pre-sentence judiciary reports (recommend appropriate incarceration sentence for offender)
- Ovesight of appropriated residences
- Preparing prison inmates for release into the community
- Aiding recently released inmates
- Liaising with victims of sexual assaults or violent encounters in circumstances when the offender is incarcerated for over one year or located within a mental health facility
Objectives:
OFFENDER MANAGEMENT: Community sentence can give a better result that incarceration. Assessing the offenders and risk to others, planning their supervision and ensure the offender receives support.
REDUCE REOFFENDING: Probation reduce reoffending by working with offenders to change their behaviour. They deal with things that may lead to commit more offences.
EDUCATION: Probation can help people to get basic reading, writing and maths skills. Basic skills qualifications gained by offenders has increased more than 10 times in two years. They are able to help the offender to find training and getting a job.
DRUGS AND ALCOHOL: This abuse is strongly liked to crime. Statistics have reported that around 2/3 people arrested test positive for drugs. There are courses that can be purposes to deal with alcohol and drug abuse.
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES: Offenders families can be affected by the behaviour and punishment. However, the probation service can provide support and stability through strengthen family links by encouraging parenting skills training. It can help families to stay in contact with prisoners and visit them which long term will reduce reoffending.
Determinate license upon release:
The government has resorted to use technology in order to monitor prisoners and individuals who have not received a custodial sentence. It has been reported that the technology of tags has helped police forces to track and solve crimes. There has been a 79% increase in GPS tag use and doubling of alcohol tags. The probation service has the ability to vary a standard determinate license after release in a variety of ways: electronic monitoring through exclusion zones, curfew and monitored attendance.
Crime rates cut:
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State Robert Buckland, in June 2021, had vowed to tackle the levels of reoffending from prisoners. More than £300 million was delivered into the probation service in hope to create a new unified approach. The purpose of the money was to double the recruitment of probation officers, consistent supervision of offenders and meeting face to face with offenders at least once a month. Buckland released the statement that "the work probation does to protect the public from harm and rehabilitate offenders is too often overlooked but it is vitally important given 80% of the crime is reoffending". Every prisoner will be able to continue drug recovery on release and treatment for those serving community centres.
Working with the victims:
The probation service also help victims to explain the impact of crime at parole hearings and ask for licence conditions of prevent offenders contacting or going near them. Eligible victims will automatically be referred to Victim Contact Scheme under the Victims code.
Prisons:
The prison probation officer will collect information and write a risk assessment on those considered for early release. They can work on finding accommodation for prisoners, advise foreign nationals and help reduce self-harming rates. They can run courses with groups of prisoners to deal with offending behaviour, and work with voluntary specialist organisations offering advice and support to prisoners.
Court room appearance:
Probation work with both Magistrates and Crown Courts, and write reports about the people charged with an offence. Pre-sentence reports provide information about the offender and offence committed. It helps magistrates and judges decide the most suitable and effective sentence to give. Details of the case can be received by the Crown Prosecution Service and about the alleged criminal offence.
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