Probation staff 'forgetting' to do police checks due to high caseloads

Probation staff have caseloads "so big" that they often forget to undertake standard police checks while assessing offenders, hugely affecting how effectively risk can be detected. Following recent serious further offence reviews (SFOs) for quadruple murderer Damien Bendall and Jordan McSweeney, Justin Russell told Sky News that risk assessment is “the weakest area… Following the damning SFO review of Jordan McSweeney, HM Chief Inspector of Probation Justin Russell has said that police aren't always being consulted about domestic abuse risks....

McSweeney murder highlights probation staffing concerns

Following last week’s SFO review of the case of quadruple murderer Damien Bendall, (see our coverage here)  the inspectorate has now issued its independent serious further offence review of Jordan McSweeney. Mr McSweeney should have been recalled to prison since he was not attending his probation appointments before he sexually assaulted… His Majesty’s Inspector of Probation has today published another serious further offence review revealing the tragic consequences of the chronic under-staffing of the probation service....

London probation staffing crisis

The Committee joins the Probation Inspectorate in highlighting a number of concerns about probation in London, in particular the impact of chronic and worsening under-staffing. The report is the result of an investigation undertaken by the Committee to see how the London Probation Service was performing one year after its… The London Assembly’s Police and Crime Committee has today published a report into Probation Services in the capital. ...

Probation service seriously at fault in Bendall quadruple murders

Damien Bendall murdered Terri Harris (aged 35), John Paul Bennett (aged 13), Lacey Bennett (aged 11) and Connie Gent (aged 11). He also raped Lacey. These crimes took place in September 2021 in Killamarsh, Derbyshire. He pleaded guilty in December 2022 and was later sentenced to a whole-life prison term.… His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation has today published its independent serious further offence review into the four murders committed by Damien Bendall when he was being supervised by the probation service....

Experiences of fast track probation officer training

This pilot tested an accelerated 13-month work-based training pathway for existing PSOs, with and without previous Level 5 qualifications (foundation degree or equivalent), with offender manager experience. Those who completed the pathway gained the Professional Qualification in Probation. The pilot ran in 4 probation areas from January 2021 to March… Yesterday the Ministry of Justice published a process evaluation of its probation services officer (PSO) progression pilot...

New standards for domestic abuse perpetrator interventions

The Home Office has today published new standards for domestic abuse perpetrator interventions. The standards are intended to foster a consistent approach to determining the quality of perpetrator interventions, particularly on safeguarding and victim and survivor safety. In the 2022 Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan, the Home Office set out its intention… The new standards are intended to encourage a consistent approach to an area where the evidence base is weak in many cases ...

New action plan for London Probation

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) have today published their action plan to address the major failings of the London Probation service as revealed in a number of Probation Inspectorate reports published in October and November of last year. We covered these reports… A number of London boroughs have received emergency staffing in response to a highly critical report from HMPPS ...

Prisoners train in festive employment roles

Prisoners and ex-offenders across the country have worked in a range of festive roles in the run up to Christmas.  As part of a wider push to drive up employment rates and improve skill sets among prison leavers, individuals have been packing turkeys and serving Christmas lunches.  Prisoners from HMP… Prisoners and ex-offenders have been doing everything from packing turkeys to sorting presents this festive season. ...

Will our prisons ever return to normal?

This week’s inspection report into Norwich prison and Youth Offender Institute is further evidence of the harsh reality that our prison system is nowhere near recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. The report makes it clear that, in common with “the national trend”, HMP Norwich was “struggling to provide meaningful work,… Charlie Taylor, Chief Inspector of Prisons, identified the lack of a stable and experienced staff group as a “principal cause” of Norwich prison’s difficulties....

What do the public think of the criminal justice system?

Yesterday, the Sentencing Council published one its regular surveys into the public’s understanding of and confidence in the criminal justice system. The survey was commissioned in January this year and undertaken by Savanta and is a follow-up to a similar survey conducted in 2018 and published in 2019. The findings… The 2022 study found that respondents who have had contact with the CJS were far more likely to say their experience was positive rather than negative....