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
Effective programmes for perpetrators of domestic and sexual violence
A comparative study and recommendations on programmes for perpetrators of domestic and sexual violence
The impact of arts programmes in criminal justice settings
Inspiring Futures evaluation focuses on social benefits of arts programmes in criminal justice settings
Little progress on working with women in prison and on probation
Joint inspection finds little progress on work with women in prison and on probation.
More prison officers, fewer probation practitioners
HMPPS workforce figures to March 2024 show 1,396 more prison officers than last year and 334 fewer probation practitioners.
Access to the private rented sector for prison leavers
Clinks Advisory Group reports on the increasing difficulties for people leaving prison to find rented accommodation.
HMPPS CFO employment intervention cuts reoffending
Justice Data Lab finds that HMPPS CFO employment intervention cuts reoffending by 8 percentage points for men when delivered in the community.
The latest prison and probation trends – Spring 2024
Offender management statistics show a jump in the prison population, the highest ever numbers on remand and (another) increase in prison recalls.
Employment and training in prison and the community
Clinks Advisory Group reports on employment and training in prisons and the community.
An A-Z of key research messages
The probation inspectorate publishes an A-Z of key research messages to build a common understanding of key concepts in probation and youth justice
The interventions landscape for probation
Probation inspectorate overview of the current difficulties with intervention delivery post-unification.
The Probation Service’s work with domestic abuse offenders
Guest blog by Nicole Renehan & David Gadd on what can be learned from the Building Better Relationships intervention with domestic abuse offenders.
