Counter-terrorism offender management work rated good

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation, alongside HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), and HM Inspectorate of Prisons have today published a report looking at the work of the Probation Service’s National Security Division (NSD) and multi-agency arrangements for the management of terrorist offenders in the wake of… Prison, police and probation services were found to be working together with a high quality of casework found in the inspection of the management of terrorist offenders....

Probation still not protecting victims of domestic abuse

Today’s (4 July 2023) thematic inspection of “work undertaken, and progress made by the Probation Service to reduce the incidence of domestic abuse and protect victims” does not make for comfortable reading. The inspection is based on the work in six Probation Delivery Units and included two case samples: 60… A thematic inspection has found improvements in policy but not practice...

Prisoner wellbeing

The article, written by Kate Netten and Dr Rachel A. Gibson who are part of the Evidence Based Practice Team in HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), starts by summarising what we know about wellbeing in the general population, that it is linked to a range of positive outcomes, including… An article in the latest edition of the Prison Service Journal looks at how we can apply the lessons from recent research into wellbeing to people in prison. ...

The Good Jobs Project

The Good Jobs Project, led by the business charity ReGenerate, is a new alliance of stakeholders, including businesses, government bodies, investors, and support organisations, all united by a common goal: to bridge the gap between labour shortages and marginalised groups seeking employment opportunities. In a new report the project argues… The report follows a year long study based on a survey of 500 hiring managers, HR and recruitment professionals and senior business managers...

Court reforms behind schedule and over budget

Last week the powerful House of Commons Public Accounts Committee published a very critical report on the government’s court reform programme. The summary could hardly be more damning: “Seven years into the programme, HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is once again behind on delivering critical reforms to its services.… Overall, the programme will deliver less than previously promised, with work on some services paused altogether ...

First Residential Women's Centre announced

This week heralded a welcome piece of good news with the opening of Hope Street, a purpose-built family friendly residential community in Hampshire which is piloting a ground-breaking new approach to supporting women in the justice system.   The facility, operated by the One Small Thing (OST) charity, was opened… Work with offenders on long overdue progress with the female offender strategy...

MoJ to pilot Intensive Supervision Courts

A new pilot will see judges monitoring offenders’ progress during their community sentences while the Probation Service also provides intense supervision. Launched in Liverpool and Teesside this week, the Intensive Supervision Courts will mean judges ordering offenders to attend regular review meetings to check they are meeting the requirements of… The initiative will see judges monitoring progress of offenders serving community sentences. ...

Youth Justice Services commended as 'high quality'

The report finds strong youth justice services, across England and Wales, that are delivering high quality services to children, young people, and the communities in which they live. Overall, services know how to work with their partners to get the best outcomes for children, management boards understand their services and… The outgoing Chief Inspector of Probation, Justin Russell, has today published the inspectorate’s annual report on youth justice services. ...

Crisis of morale in our prisons

Operational workforce survey Last Friday (23 June 2023), the House of Commons Justice Committee published the results of its survey of prison staff for its inquiry into the prison operational workforce. The purpose of the inquiry is to understand why high volumes of prison officers are leaving the prison service… A survey of prison officers has shown that that 33% Band 2 staff and 43% Band 3-5 staff intend to leave the prison service in the next 5 years....

Increasing probation workloads putting public at risk, warn Unions

Probation staff are “buckling” under the pressure of increasing workloads with the recent restructure and staff shortages making it difficult to keep tabs on offenders, unions have said. Napo, UNISON and GMB are calling on the Ministry of Justice to intervene as they launch a campaign aimed at reducing workload.… Napo, UNISON and GMB have warned of a potential “catastrophic breakdown of the service”. ...