Probation Service ‘overloaded by community sentences’
A report published today has criticised the amount of time spent by the Probation Service monitoring low-risk criminal instead of concentrating on violent and sexual offenders.
The report by the Chief Inspector of Probation, Professor Rod Morgan says that the monitoring of low risk criminals in England and Wales could be carried out by private companies or voluntary organisations.
Professor Morgan argued that the increased use of community sentences was overloading the system. He called for a change in the way criminals are sentenced and called for a reduction in the use of community sentences.
Professor Morgan believed that courts should go back to using fines to punish ‘relatively low-risk’ criminals to stop the increased pressure on the Probation Service.
Professor Morgan stated, ‘It is clear that the Probation Service is under strain and not effectively delivering all that is currently expected of it. Precisely which offenders, guilty of which offences, should be sent to prison, made subject to community penalties supervised by the Probation Service, or dealt with in less intrusive ways (with fines, discharges and so on) is a question that must be addressed.’
The Inspector’s report also calls for the greater use of stand-alone electronic monitoring orders, which would reduce the caseload burden on Probation Service staff.
Professor Morgan added that whilst attempts have been made to tackle the issue of how to sentence offenders, the media has criticised community sentences as a ‘soft option’.
Professor Morgan commented, ‘Attempts to tackle this difficult issue are set back when community punishments are described as ‘getting away with it’ or ‘going soft on crime’. Yet these statements have been widely made in the mass media and sometimes did go virtually unchallenged by policy makers. The lack of response gave rise to widespread consternation in the Service.’
Home Office Minister, Paul Goggins responded to the report by saying, ‘The Criminal Justice Bill will introduce a range of innovative alternatives to custody, including a new generic community sentence. Community sentences such as the Drug Treatment and Testing Order are already proving to be a credible alternative to custody.’
He continued, ‘Community sentences are not a ‘soft option’ and have a real effect on reconviction rates. We are committed to communicating this message, and have already established a communication strategy with sentencers to keep them informed about the range of community penalties, their effectiveness, and how best to target them.’
