A new report details how years of chronic underfunding have left the probation service on its knees, resulting in increased prison returns.
The newly released HMI Inspectorate report details ‘major shortfalls’ in how the probation service operates in England and Wales.
The report highlights that:
- Probation were not meeting the needs of regions or the people on probation they managed.
- Inspectors were not assured that public protection and reducing reoffending were central to the commissioning and delivery of services.
- A continued high shortfall of probation officers, high workloads and junior staff without little support, were all cited as contributing factors to the poor delivery of the service.
The report has been released the following week after Ministry of Justice data highlighted increasing rates of people being recalled to prison by probation:
- The number of people being recalled to prison has doubled in the past decade to 13,000 a year.
- Now one in seven, or nearly 15 per cent of the jail population in England and Wales is comprised of people on recall.
Nacro is the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders, an organisation that aims to reduce crime by supporting people in finding alternatives to crime.
Campbell Robb, CEO of Nacro, said:
“The latest HM Inspector report confirms what we hear firsthand from our service users; that stretched probation officers are now simply not able to offer prison-leavers the level and quality of support they need. As a result, we are seeing soaring numbers of people being sent back to prison, most of whom have committed no further crime and do not need to be there.
“With prisons currently back to 98% capacity – the same level that prompted the urgent introduction of the early release scheme back in September - this is completely unsustainable.
“The government must commit to cutting reoffending by investing, not only in probation, but the vital rehabilitative support services that help people to turn their lives around."
Nacro service-user and former prisoner, William Morey, said:
“Having been on probation on and off since the age of 14 into my sixties, I have seen an enormous deterioration in the service over the decades.
“They used to know you on a personal level, offer you support – now, whilst most probation officers do really want to help, they just haven’t got that time to spend with you anymore – they often don’t really know you.
“It’s not hard to see why people who really need the support end up slipping through the cracks, ending up back in prison or worse.”
• Nacro operates in more than 40 prisons and provides services across England and Wales. They help 28,000 people each year and run the CAS-2 service for the Government housing people coming out of prison on bail or licence. Working with people at every stage of the criminal justice system, from liaison and diversion services in police custody and courts, to resettlement into the community after prison, Nacro uses the insights from its services to campaign for a better criminal justice system.