national probation service
Working practices
- Around 250,000 offenders are on probation at any one time
- These offenders are deemed safe enough to serve their sentence in the community
- In 2018, 40% were supervised by the NPS and 60% by the CRCs
- It is a national service working to the same standards throughout the country, but delivering the service locally
- The NPS replaced the 35 probation trusts in 2014 and the probation service in England and Wales is now divided into seven divisional areas : :
philosophy
aims and objectives
partnerships
the belief that offenders can change for the better and become responsible members of society
A main priority of the NPS is that it aims to rehabilitate offenders in order to protect the public. They do this by tackling the main cause of the crime and try to get them out of those habits and turn their life around.
a belief in the worth and dignity of the individual
click to edit
a commitment to social justice, social inclusion, equality and diversity
The NPS describe themselves as a criminal justice service which supervise high risk offenders when they are released back into the community and provide support for victims of serious crimes
click to edit
the nps is responsible for
click to edit
)
preparing pre-sentence reports for courts, to help them select the most appropriate sentence for the individual offender
Police - The Probation Service works with the Police to protect the public and reduce re-offending, and to provide a more effective, transparent and responsive criminal justice system for both victims and the public.
managing approved premises for offenders whose sentence includes a residence requirement (e.g. that they must live in supervised accommodation)
funding
assessing prisoners to prepare them for their release in license back into the community, at which point they come under nps supervision
helping offenders serving sentences in the community to meet the requirements ordered by the courts
Courts - Probation prepares pre-sentence reports for judges and magistrates in the courts to enable them to choose the most appropriate sentence.
when an offender receives a prison sentence of 12 months or more for a serious violent or sexual crime, or is detained as a mental health patient, the nps communicates with and prioritises the well-being of offenders victims
Prisons - While someone is in prison, they will have a prison probation officer which will take and keep information on the prisoner. they will also work with them to ensure they stay safe in the prison. And finally, ensure they can get all the help and support they need from groups inside the prison to keep them on the right path for when they get out
the NPS is part of HM prison and probation service (HMPPS), which in 2018 had an overall budget of £4.6 billion, shared between prisons and probation.
This budget is provided but the government and comes from general taxation.
click to edit
click to edit
the community rehabilitation companies have a contract with the Ministry of Justice to provide probation services. they are paid for meeting rehabilitation targets agreed in their contracts.
however, 19 of 21 CRCs have missed targets for reducing re-offending and some were even supervising their offenders remotely by telephone.