Price of Everything : Value of Nothing 2

News reaches me of the closure of yet another probation office that has been serving its community for many years, namely that of Pontefract in West Yorkshire. One of the remarkable things about this particular closure is the relatively paltry sums due to be saved on an annual basis. According to the Trust Board minutes of 26th January, out of a total annual budget of £42.5 million, the savings are estimated to be £94,000 in a full year, but this figure will be considerably reduced to £74,000 due to 'staff excess travel costs.'  Of course staff who are directed to work at another location and who thereby incur increased costs are entitled to claim the difference for a period, usually three years.

So by my reckoning a whole community loses its probation facility for the equivalent cost of two senior managers at Head Office. Although 'arrangements had been put in place to deliver offender contact from a local partnership office', apparently some clients will have to undertake two-hour bus journeys to be able to report to the nearest office. For West Yorkshire this is particularly relevant of course because a recent Freedom of Information request by the Sun newspaper flushed out the fact that the bill for re-imbursing client bus fares is a staggering £276,500 per annum. According to the Tax Payers Alliance the Trust is quoted as saying  
   
“We don’t sell bus passes to offenders, but a contribution towards the cost is requested. It is acknowledged that contributions are not received for every bus pass provided.
But our objective is to ensure there are no transport barriers preventing an offender complying with probation or court requirements. The trust supports the use of public transport.”

Now I want to make it clear that I fully support re-imbursing bus fares for clients who are either on state benefits or low incomes, but wouldn't it be better all round if their probation office was in their community? Can you imagne what the chances are of many of these people undertaking several bus journeys to report on time and on a regular basis? Many lead utterly chaotic lives and will inevitably face breach action as a direct result of probation office closures such as this. Exactly how is this designed to assist in keeping people out of prison?