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
Some progress on prison and probation staffing
HMPPS workforce figures for September 2023 show increases in prison and probation staff.
The Autumn 2023 MoJ Ministerial Line-up
Edward Argar is the 9th different prisons minister since January 2018.
The story of probation (re-)unification
Research unearths the story of probation (re-)unification through the views of the civil servants who designed & implemented it.
The number of people dying on probation rises again
1,520 people lost their lives while on probation supervision in 2022/23 – 6% more than the previous year.
More people in prison, fewer on probation
Autumn 2023 Offender Management Statistics show the inexorable rise in the prison population and continued fall in probation caseload.
Evidence-based core messages for youth justice
Prof Ursula Kilkelly identifies evidence-based core messages for youth justice in the latest HMIP Academic Insight.
Desistance, adversity and trauma
Latest HMIP Academic Insight: Desistance, adversity and trauma: implications for practice with children and young people in conflict with the law
Chief Probation Inspector makes plea for localism
Outgoing Chief Probation Inspector calls for an independent review of the Probation Service and makes a plea for localism.
Probation race equality remains a “work in progress”
HMI Probation follow up inspection of the probation service’s work promoting race equality for people on probation and staff remains “a work in progress”
History of Probation Exhibition
A new history of probation exhibition is touring the country
Hidden Heroes
The men and women working in UK prisons, IRCs, probation and youth justice are true #HiddenHeroes.
Good probation supervision does reduce reoffending
New HMI Probation research confirms the links between high quality probation supervision and reduced reoffending.
