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
South West South Central Public Probation performing well
Probation Inspectors rate South West South Central NPS as “good”.
West Yorkshire CRC struggling with high caseloads
Inspectors rate West Yorkshire CRC as requiring improvement
What next for Probation Payment by Results?
Jack Cattell of Get The Data Ltd analyses the proposed changes in the private probation contract payment mechanism.
Our prison and probation systems keep getting more dangerous
The new prison and probation safety statistics sadly show worst ever figures.
Jump in serious further offences committed by offenders on probation
FOI request reveals 627 serious further offences committed by offenders supervised by public and private probation in 2017/18.
Essex CRC receives mixed inspection report
Inspectors rate Essex CRC as requiring improvement
The quality of probation public protection work is deteriorating
Inspectors find the quality of public protection work has deteriorated since TR with the decline most marked in cases supervised by private probation companies.
Safeguarding children involved in County Lines drug dealing
Very variable response with many vulnerable young people being exploited by gangs and criminalised by the justice system.
The quality of probation assessments
The National Probation Service is more likely to undertake well-informed, analytical and personalised assessments of offenders than Community Rehabilitation Companies.
Merseyside CRC needs to do more to protect the public
Overall a mixed report from the probation inspectors who rated Merseyside CRC as “requiring improvement”.
Private probation failing domestic abuse victims
Inspectors found CRC staff did not have the skills, experience or time to supervise perpetrators of domestic abuse properly.
Probation supervision reduces reoffending
New Rapid Evidence Assessment finds likelihood of reoffending “lower for offenders who had been exposed to some type of supervision”.
