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
What’s it like being on probation?
An oral history of the experiences of being on probation in Ireland.
Professionalism in probation
Matt Tidmarsh investigates what professionalism means in the context of probation.
The latest resources for criminal justice professionals
The latest additions to the Butler Trust’s Knowledge Exchange site for prison, probation and youth justice practitioners.
Re-imagining probation practice
New book: Reimagining Probation Practice: Re-Forming Rehabilitation in an Age of Penal Excess
Offender Management in Custody model ‘simply not working’
Inspectors find Offender Management in Custody (OMiC) is falling well short of expected standards and call for the model to be overhauled.
Desistance, recovery, and justice capital
Desistance, recovery, and justice capital:
Putting it all together
Prison and Probation Trends Autumn 2022
Autumn 2002 statistics show prison population climbing and rises in the number of adjudications and prison recalls.
Psychologically Informed Planned Environments (PIPEs) show promise
Psychologically Informed Planned Environments (PIPEs) show promise in prison settings but face obstacles in probation hostels.
The value of women’s centres
Women in Prison report shows Women’s Centres generate a nearly triple return on public investment, but that nearly half are concerned about their survival.
What is the One HMPPS programme?
Jim Barton, Senior Responsible Owner for the One HMPPS programme, explains the project in more detail.
Attachment theory in probation practice
Attachment theory can contribute to work with people on probation in conceptualising the supervisory relationship, and in understanding offending, risk and relationships.
Probation needs to learn lessons from Serious Further Offences
Too many Serious Further Offence reviews are falling below par, with probation services not sufficiently identifying the necessary learning.