EMBARGO: 00.01 HRS THURSDAY 24 APRIL 2008 - Probation crisis (24/04/08)
Probation Service faces budget and staffing crisis, new research indicates.
The Probation Service faces a crisis of shrinking budgets and a shortage of qualified frontline staff at a time when demands on its services have never been higher, according to new research from the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies published today. Based on interviews with probation staff and an in depth analysis of financial and workforce statistics, the research offers a striking picture of a Service struggling to cope and facing the threat of budget cuts and privatisation. The research was commissioned by Napo, the trade union and professional association for family court and probation staff.
Since 2001 the Probation Service budget has grown by 21 percent in real terms, fuelling claims by government ministers that proposed budget reductions will not affect frontline delivery. While acknowledging that probation budgets have risen, the research highlights problems of rising and more complex caseloads, a shortage of qualified probation staff and an endemic problem of staff sickness and unpaid hours. The research also warns of the risk of court sentences not being carried out because of resource shortfalls.
Among the report's main findings are:
- Since 2001, the Probation budget has grown by 21 percent in real terms. However, in recent years it has declined, by 9 percent in 2005-06 and 2 percent in 2006-07. The government plans further year on year budget reductions of 3 per cent per year for the next three years.
- The recently announced £40 million for implementing community orders in place of short prison sentences is unlikely to compensate for the impact of long term and continuing budget reductions.
- Probation caseloads increased by 23 percent between 2002 and 2006, and by 47 percent since 1997.
- There is a vacuum in knowledge about how much needs to be spent to meet increases in workload caused by rising numbers of community orders.
- New work taken on by the Probation Service has proved to be far more complex, time-consuming and staff-intensive than work traditionally performed by the Service.
- Frontline probation staff grew by 21 percent between 2002 and 2006. However, growth was concentrated among senior and management grades, as well as the less qualified Probation Service Officers. The numbers of fully qualified and trainee Probation Officers fell by 9 percent.
- The ratio of offenders to qualified Probation Officers increased by 28 percent between 2002 and 2006, from 31 offenders per Officer to 39.
- The research estimates that qualified Probation Officers worked nearly 30,000 unpaid hours in 2006, equivalent to one extra hour worked per day per officer.
- Budgetary concerns and fears have been expressed by many of the probation areas that are responsible for local probation services.
Dr Roger Grimshaw, research director at the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies at King's College London said:
'The statistics show there is no room for complacency about the Probation Service's capacity to meet the expectations of the courts and of the public. The budget has already fallen over the last two years and probation areas are having to consider reducing key staff in the face of rising needs.'
Harry Fletcher, Assistant General Secretary at Napo said:
'The research confirms that the Probation Service is beyond capacity. The Government can't expect staff to supervise soaring caseloads without accepting the consequences of more re-offending and more victims. The service is at breaking point.'
The report is available free to download here.
Contact:
- Richard Garside, Director: 020 7848 1679; 07989474610
- Enver Solomon, Deputy Director: 020 7848 1997; 07939221381
Notes to Editors
- `Probation Resources, Staffing and Workloads 2001-2008' was published on Thursday, April 24. It was researched and written by Dr Mark Oldfield, an independent researcher, and Dr Roger Grimshaw, research director at the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies at King's College London.
- The Comprehensive Spending Review plans, published in October 2007, proposed a reduction in expenditure on probation by 3 per cent for three successive years. More recently, £40 million has been found to implement community orders in place of short prison sentences. The situation caused considerable anxiety and concern among many working in probation about the impact of long term cuts. Napo, the trade union and professional association for family court and probation staff, therefore asked the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies to conduct an urgent review of current evidence, in order to sift fact from supposition and to assess the risk to probation's capacity as a result of the planned reductions.
- The National Audit Office noted that those in the highest layers of probation, and subsequently in the National Offender Management Service, have not known how much an accredited programme or any other form of supervision costs. (National Audit Office (2008), The Supervision of Community Orders in England and Wales.)
- The Centre for Crime and Justice Studies at King's College London is an independent charity that informs and educates about all aspects of crime and criminal justice. It provides information, produce research and carry out policy analysis to encourage and facilitate an understanding of the complex nature of issues concerning crime. It is a membership organisation working with practitioners, policy makers, academics and students, the media and voluntary sector, offering a programme of events, publications and online resources.
Ends
| [Previous] | [Next] |