Everything you want to know about probation
The most up-to-date data
This is the latest in my new series of compendiums of the latest data and trends in the criminal justice system. Following compendiums on prisons, sentencing, and offender equalities, this edition focuses on probation.
For the best experience, click through the visualisation at the bottom of this page, this allows you to hover over data points and see the exact data. If you can’t see the visualisation below on your device, you can find it here.
Topics covered include:
- The type of offences people are on probation for
- The decline of community sentences over the last decade
- Caseload figures (including changes in different forms of supervision)
- The offence profile of people on community supervision
- A breakdown of the popularity of different requirements on community orders and suspended sentence orders
- Successful completion rates (and reasons for termination) for community supervision
- The spectacular drop in the number of full Pre-Sentence reports
I hope you find them of use and interest.
Compendium last updated 3 December 2020
Criminal Justice Trends
Click below for up-to-date interactive charts using the latest official data.
Offender equalities
A wide range of prison statistics broken down by gender, ethnicity and age.
Probation
The latest caseload figures and trends, offender profiles and court reports.
Prison
Details of individual establishments, costs, population trends and safety in custody stats.
Sentencing
Compare sentencing outcomes, lengths and reoffending rates and index offences.
Recent Probation Posts
The latest (summer 2026) resources for justice practitioners
The newest additions to the Butler Trust’s Knowledge Exchange site for prison, probation and youth justice practitioners.
A voluntary sector manifesto for criminal justice reform
Clinks has published a new manifesto setting out a comprehensive set of recommendations for justice reform for the new government.
We need a proportionate prison recall system
Nacro says a focus on reducing prison recalls is the best way to tackle the prison capacity crisis.
Compassion fatigue in probation practice
Anton Roberts summarises the evidence on compassion fatigue in probation practice for the probation inspectorate.
Andy Burnham’s MoJ Team
MoJ Ministerial Team appointed by Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Reframing masculinity and the justice system
Sophie King-Hill reviews the evidence on reframing masculinity and the justice system for the Clinks Evidence Library.
Artificial Intelligence in Probation
Probation Inspectorate report explores the current and potential uses of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the Probation Service.
Moving away from a culture of blame in probation SFO reviews
Probation Inspectorate report looks at promoting a culture of learning in probation around SFO reviews, moving away from a culture of blame.
Electronic monitoring expanding but still not working properly
The National Audit Office finds that the electric monitoring system is not working as intended, despite a huge increase in the numbers being monitored.
PPO calls for independent body to scrutinise staff conduct
Adrian Usher, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, has used the publication of his annual report to call for an independent body to scrutinise staff conduct.
Leadership for probation and youth justice
Sean Brophy writes on contemporary leadership evidence for probation and youth justice for HMI Probation.
Charitable Trust funding in the justice sector
A review of the funding experiences of the Dawes Trust makes for interesting reading for both charitable trusts and grant seekers.
