The Government has today published a summary of responses to the recent consultation on the restructuring of the Probation Service.
Following the Home Secretary’s Five Year Strategy for Protecting the Public and Reducing Re-offending, this response confirms the Government’s commitment to introducing change to probation in order to manage risk, allow end to end offender management and bring help to our target of a 10 % reduction in re-offending by 2010.
The consultation asked for views on proposed changes to the legal framework to enable probation services to be commissioned from a mixed economy of providers, in order to better deliver this vision.
Almost 750 responses to the consultation were received. In addition Ministers and officials met key stakeholders throughout the consultation period to discuss the proposals. The document summarises who responded to the consultation and the most common views and questions they raised, and sets out the Government’s response to these issues.
It also sets out the next steps, including:
-
The introduction as a matter of urgency of an enhanced performance regime for probation. This is necessary both to improve performance further under the existing legal framework and to prepare the ground for effective use of the new powers.
-
Introduction of legislation to restructure the Probation Service as soon as parliamentary time allows. The legislation will reflect the proposals outlined in the consultation paper but take into account the responses received.
-
Over the next 12 to 18 months we are proposing to carry out a rigorous performance assessment/inspection of each probation service area. Providing it meets the standard we would expect, the public sector will be awarded a contract to deliver offender management services in the first instance. Where failings are identified we will work with the area to improve performance in order to protect the public and reduce re-offending. We will consider placing the Secretary of State under a duty to consult on how he proposes to commission prison and probation services.
Baroness Scotland QC, Minister of State for Criminal Justice and Offender Management said:
"I am grateful to all the respondents whose contributions are summarised here. All of them are committed to supporting us in our endeavours to protect the public and reduce re-offending, which is in everyone’s interests.
"Many within the Probation Services challenge the need for such fundamental change. Between 1997 and 2005 the number of probation staff has increased from 14,000 to 21,000. The protection of the public is paramount in their roles and we acknowledge the contribution they make to managing thousands of offenders on a daily basis.
"Both during and after this consultation it has become increasingly apparent that in order to manage the risk posed by offenders on supervision far-reaching action must be taken. We must do more to reduce the risk offenders pose to the public. Our vision is to join up offender management from custody into the community. We must, therefore, bring forward legislation to allow for the improvements to our services which victims deserve."
Stephen Bubb, CEO of the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) said:
"We welcome these proposals for change. The Government response shows that the Third Sector has an increased role to play in reducing re-offending. It already has a wide range of organisations with an excellent track record of working with offenders and a clear focus on effective delivery. They are providers in waiting and need to be given the opportunity to contribute. Contestability is the right way forward.
"We want to expand our role in partnership with prisons, probation and local communities to cut the rate of re-offending. ACEVO urges the Government to press ahead with these and other similar changes to create a real mixed market of providers."
Notes to Editors
-
The consultation paper Restructuring Probation to Reduce Re-offending was published on 20th October 2005. The consultation ran until 20 December 2005. The proposals were to give to the Secretary of State the statutory duty to make arrangements with others to provide probation services; to create new bodies, replacing local Probation Boards, with whom he may contract to deliver probation services.
-
In addition the paper asked for views on five specific questions:
- the support which ROMs might need in identifying local needs
- the competencies required by, and the size of, the new probation bodies
- how the relationship between the judiciary, the providers and the ROMs as commissioners can best be developed
- views on the terminology of ‘Probation Trusts’ for the new probation bodies
- how local partnership arrangements could best be managed
-
During the consultation period ministers and officials met representatives of the trade unions, the judiciary, local government, the voluntary and community sector, private contractors, parliamentarians, and held events to discuss the proposals with Chairs, Chief Officers, senior probation officers and local criminal justice partner agencies.
The document includes a full list and breakdown of those who responded
-
The Five Year Strategy set out the Government’s commitment to introducing commissioning and contestability to probation. At the heart of the strategy is the development of more effective end to end management of offenders throughout the sentence.
© Crown copyright material reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland
