Napo Opposes HMPPS Plans to Remove Access to the Workload Measurement Tool
Napo has strongly opposed HMPPS plans to withdraw practitioner access to the Workload Measurement Tool, warning the move undermines staff safety, workload management and employer accountability. This week HMPPS have advised staff of its plans to withdraw practitioner access to the Workload Measurement Tool (WMT), in advance of its removal in several months.Napo has not agreed to these changes
We have been made aware of several untrue and incorrect statements having been made by regional senior managers to the effect that Napo, and other trade unions, have agreed to this. We have not and will not agree to these plans. It is now for any individual who has made these statements – whether out of ignorance or malice – to urgently account to staff why they have done so, retract their comments and apologise to their colleagues.
In earlier discussions that took place with the trade unions, Napo representatives have clearly and repeatedly explained to HMPPS figures the hugely negative impact their plans would have on the staff involved, and more widely in the workforce.
During these exchanges HMPPS have admitted for the first time that for a significant period the WMT underestimates the workload of the staff involved. They have failed to publicly acknowledge this in their communications on the future of the WMT, making only vague, and frankly misleading, comments on its accuracy.
These plans completely disregard previous agreements made between the employer and the trade unions on staff safety and care. HMPPS appear clueless as to how they now intend to meet their legal duty of care to monitor and manage individual workloads, for ‘sentence management’ staff and all other employees. They cannot adequately explain how they plan to provide workload reductions for staff requiring these, for instance as reasonable adjustments or as facility time for trade union representatives.
Despite claiming to value the importance of staff and their wellbeing, HMPPS have completely failed to ensure that an adequate mechanism to monitor and manage the workload of staff. HMPPS claim to have been aware that the Workload Measurement Tool (WMT) under-reports on the workload of staff but has not communicated that to its employees. They tell us that they have known that this will become worse due to changes planned under the employer’s heavily criticised and under-delivering Our Future Probation Service (OFPS) programme have not yet made sufficient plans to have a replacement in place.
Napo have, for months, been calling on HMPPS to agree to the joint ownership of the Workload Measurement Tool (WMT), including on any future version of this tool, and for its application to as many other workers outside of ‘sentence management’ as possible at the earliest opportunity.
We believe this is the only way for staff to have any confidence on this issue, given HMPPS’s consistent inability to adequately protect us in this regard, and be open and honest with us. Napo will now include demands for positive change, and a completely different approach by the employer, in relation to workload measurement and management.
We will be responding to a letter sent by the employer yesterday after they had decided to enact these changes, regarding industrial action in response to their failure to resolve our longstanding workloads dispute.
Napo HQ
I don’t know any other public sector workers who are treated with such contempt
ReplyDeleteThis is part of the gradual deprofessionalisation of Probation. However without well supported unions, professional associations, and institutes we struggle to look enough like a profession to resist this. It isn’t someone else’s problem it is one shared by everyone who calls Probation their profession. Those who have attacked Napo and the Probation Institute as vehemently as they have done should be ashamed.
ReplyDeleteI could be in that group but am no way ashamed.
DeleteIt is Napo incompetence and the pathetic grayling institute that has led us here.
Foolishly Napo placed the inus on staff last month to agree a pay deal and reorganisation to accompany it.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing but it was also stated in this blog buying a black bag in a fire sale is fraught with danger. When the employers negotiated the fall of our terms through scandalous pay delay and the Napo desperate acceptance to reorganisation what the hell did Napo think the employers were meaning. Or going to do. The employer knew it was to do this trick shortly and frankly it was predicted Napo ignored it and you all waived in the deal and this agreement will stand for the employer.
We can bounce the ball over health safety workloads and monitoring but the employer won't care . They will see officers at their desks for 39 hours per week and breaks will be one a valuable need. The factory
Will have targets Nd some staff will falter. That is a trigger to see who can be let go as AI helps reduce costs in staffing.
Napo will only now do what it does best feign a big noise talk about bad employer faith over a wmt that neither side used properly and besides it was already broken by the previous AG's who is an idiot and Mr Lawrence equally as thick for the role he holds it is a real joke on us.
Wmt used to be the workloads and employee care agreement . Wpec this original document protected staff way beyond workloads and help in workload reduction based on the actual capacity and indeed difference in staffing abilities to ensure all staff could have real manageable protection. Once that was re negotiated to wmt the film flam never saw many staff receive reduction or protection. As long as Mr Lawrence leads Napo this is another faux hill he will pretend to climb for members but as clear as day he will find a way to capitulate and members will have to wear it . That 2 percent pay deal he helped push through don't look so attractive in this new light does it?
Napo needs a real new leader as probation has lost everything under this fool and if we haven't learned anything yet after the pay deal last then we deserve what's next.
Unfortunately 15:32 you seem to epitomise part of the problem. Those who work in Probation need to join their unions and use democratic processes to get the leadership they want. Napo’s GS is an employee of the union. If he is not fulfilling his contract he can be subject to process and dismissed. His employer is the NEC that consists of elected officers are his employers. At AGM members can propose a vote of no confidence in the GS. He has anticipated this for years but no one has done it. Regarding the PI its association with Graylings project was misrepresented at the time. It was initially a project supported by the Probation Chiefs and Napo that received £50k that was similar in nature to the Home Offices support for Napo that started as a professional association. They could have given more and helped set up something like the BMA but Grayling was afraid of it having clout so starved it of funds. Roll forward to the present day its leadership, trustees and fellows are first rate and it produces a respectable free publication. Taking some high minded moral stand towards it on the basis it once received a relatively small amount of start up money from the MoJ claiming it was in some way irredeemably contaminated is ludicrous. I can tell you that those who berated the late Professor Paul Senior for his courageous defence of the institute should be ashamed. Let’s draw a line and support the institute as our own. Let’s insist it has powers to independently hold the employers to account whilst we join and reinvigorate the unions to help them make use of their unique position as our representatives. Cut the whingeing and report action and engagement leading to positive change.
DeleteSo how 'inaccurate ' is the WMT. I hover between 90 -110% but if feels like I always have 6 jobs on the go and another three dozen just waiting for when I finish those 6!
ReplyDeleteSome years ago a few of us POs and PSOs got together to time how long some tasks actually took, compared to the WLMT allowances. OASys, Parole Reports, PSRs etc). The difference was substantial. Senior managers were informed. Our experiences ignored.
DeleteYou could be right but I am aware from an ex Napo champion that the health and safety legislation still exists and we go back to the begining in a dispute and action for a new agreement.
ReplyDeleteLaughable are you an idiot the fact the employer has suggested as much with a timeline says it all. They will have already consulted their legals to determine what is within their gift. The weakness has been shown by the incompetence of the membership for failing to take full action when it would have done real reputational damage. The worst thing of all of course is the dunce who is Napo general secretary. My goodness he is wanting by miles I agree with comments on his credibility but am as scornful of a pathetic frightened membership.
DeleteI'm in general agreement with 14:11.
ReplyDeleteThere's been a focus far too long on how many eggs are being produced, but the goose thats laying them has been neglected, and left to become so sick, it might now be terminal. Probation has lost its identity, it's status and as such most of its bargaining powers.
Despite the entry levels being dumbed down and those entering being paid to train and qualify, theres still huge problems with recruitment and retention.
The truth is, probation is now in such a state, the employer can do almost anything they want without fear of resistance.
Maybe the next thing to go will be the name 'probation' itself and replaced by some other term like "community justice officer" which would sort of be like a 'community support officer' to the police force. Easier to recruit people, and retention can be exchanged for churn.
The following two articles may be of interest. One is a channel 4 fact check sheet on the WMT produced Sept 2024 at the time many prisoners were being released early.
The second is from On Probation blog 2014. I thought it might be interesting to read again Tom Rendon's resignation letter and the reasons he gave for leaving his post in NAPO.
http://probationmatters.blogspot.com/2014/05/napo-situation-normal.html?m=1
https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-the-probation-service-has-been-working-over-capacity-every-month-since-january-2023
'Getafix
I am led to understand that the first attack on the name ‘Probation’, was intended as part of the split……the implication that the name carries is redolent with a different time, a time when the individuality of the officer counted for something, when risks were taken and you were supported by your SPO…….that alas has been more or less consigned to history……step forward HMPps correctional agency……no need to worry about an individuals circumstances or background, they do wrong, they get punished……is the direction of travel, it’s a simple metric which means that the aim of deproffesionalising the service will have been achieved, in fact the only reason it hasn’t is that they worked out that they need to have someone to blame when someone is let out after 40% and goes on to commit a horrendous crime……the system is never wrong……it’s us…….
DeleteGetafix looks back well . I met tom rendon myself on a good few occasions and while likeable he just not up to it. He was not going to be able to deliver a proper hard line union response to the tr agenda. While trying to maintain a progressive probation portfolio and that is why he was useless just like a flip flop. The deeper truth is that Ian Lawrence was alleged to have had a very aggressive exchange with Tim rendon in a lift journey . The few floors exchange was enough to see tom rendon both poo his pants and confide the abuse he received from Mr Lawrence made him so unable to manage out the reprehensible . Tom was a victim of that named officers group who were in part humiliated as dishonest later on and useless as trade unionists for what they failed to challenge. Absolutely crap bunch no wonder Napo is in more dire straights given the latest wmt fiasco.
DeleteHow else can we see how our colleagues in other offices compare with us? How else can we see how SPO s lean heavily on the competent at the expense of the less so? How else can we check that we are not being shafted………..what do you mean we agreed to it under the reorganisation banner?
ReplyDeleteI’m not sure that management understand just what an impact this could potentially have on office morale, which is not exactly high right now….
BBC Radio 4 Unlocked: Britain’s Prison Crisis
ReplyDeleteMore than 80,000 people are held in prisons across England and Wales - but those keeping the system running are under growing strain. In Unlocked: Britain’s Prison Crisis, Bara’atu Ibrahim investigates how recruitment pressures, staff shortages and a loss of experience shape daily life inside our jails. She reveals a system increasingly reliant on staff recruited from West Africa - some of whom aren't sure whether they will be allowed to stay in the UK because of a change in visa qualification
Through first-hand testimony from serving and former prison officers plus insights from unions and senior figures, Bara’atu reveals a wider picture of a service struggling to maintain safety and stability, asking not just who is keeping prison doors open - but at what cost? As staffing gaps widen and pressures intensify, what does it mean for officers, prisoners and the public when a system continues to function, but only just?
BBC Monday Ist June 4.00pm
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002x9wb
'Currently' is a reactive documentary and current affairs programme on BBC Radio 4. It explores the real stories and events happening behind the headlines, unearthing untold stories in the UK and internationally.
DeleteThey are getting rid of WFM so that we can’t compare our workloads to colleagues or evidence we are over 100% so that they can keep allocating cases . They think that if we don’t see our % we won’t feel stressed and overwhelmed. We should be able to have a wfm tool to monitor / track our case load and evidence our workload rather than have our feelings of stress as the measurement tool .
ReplyDeleteIf HMPPS genuinely cared about workload, staff would not have been working above capacity for years. If HMPPS genuinely cared about wellbeing, stress-related sickness would not be endemic. If HMPPS genuinely cared about reasonable adjustments, staff would not still be fighting battles to have them implemented, monitored and maintained.
ReplyDeleteThe uncomfortable truth is that workload measurement has never really been about protecting staff. It has been about providing the organisation with evidence that it was monitoring workloads. Now even that appears to be too much.
HMPPS admits the WMT underestimates workload. It knows workloads are increasing. It knows experienced staff are leaving. It knows morale is collapsing. Yet instead of fixing the tool or introducing something better, the answer appears to be to remove practitioners’ access to the data altogether.
Why?
Because excessive workload is easier to deny when staff cannot point to objective evidence.
The reality of probation today is that many practitioners are carrying workloads that would have been considered unsafe years ago. We are expected to absorb every new initiative, every new process, every staffing shortage and every organisational failure. The answer is always the same: do more with less.
Removing access to workload data will not reduce workload. It will not reduce stress. It will not improve public protection. It will not retain experienced staff. It will not make probation safer.
What it will do is remove one of the few remaining ways practitioners can demonstrate that they are overloaded before something goes wrong.
And perhaps that is the point.
Because if staff cannot evidence unsafe workloads, senior leaders can continue claiming everything is under control right up until the next inspection, the next tragedy, the next Serious Further Offence, or the next wave of experienced staff walking out of the door.
Probation has become an organisation where evidence is welcomed when it supports the narrative and inconvenient when it exposes the truth.
Clueless and uncaring HMPPS?
ReplyDeleteYesterday's Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/31/ex-prisoners-died-within-two-weeks-release-england-wales
'Getafix
In the weeks running up to his release from prison, Robert Barraclough began feeling anxious about becoming homeless. He told staff that he feared having to sleep in a tent in the cold, and began to self-harm.
DeleteHe had been serving a 19-month sentence for assault and criminal damage at HMP Nottingham, and initially told prison officers he was looking forward to seeing his family and working at his friend’s scaffolding business on release.
But as his release date came closer, and he had no guarantees of a place to live, his mental health deteriorated. He told his support worker he did not want to live outside prison as he “had nothing” and planned to end his life.
He was rejected for a place at a number of probation “approved premises” and, although offered a bed at YMCA Mansfield, when his release date came on 21 October 2022, a space was not available for another week.
At 10.30am on the day of his release, Barraclough’s support worker tried to contact probation to let them know a hotel room could be secured for him until the YMCA bed was available, but no one at Mansfield probation office answered the phone.
The following day, Barraclough was found dead at a house in Mansfield after taking prescription medication and smoking crack cocaine. He was 47 years old.
He is one of a growing number of people who have died within two weeks of being released from prison in England and Wales into homelessness.
Guardian analysis has found that the number of people dying within a fortnight after release from prison is at the highest since records began in 2021, and one in five of these people were homeless.
Experts said the housing crisis and a lack of funding for mental health and substance abuse services, as well as an overstretched probation and prison system, was pushing more prisoners into homelessness on their release.
The circumstances of prisoner deaths after release, detailed in prisons and probation ombudsman reports, show how a combination of substance misuse, mental health problems and homelessness allows individuals to fall through the cracks.
Like Darren Docherty, 48, who had a history of mental ill health and self-harm, and took his own life six days after release from HMP Stoke Heath in August 2023 where he had been serving a sentence for robbery.
DeleteOn his release from prison, he applied for emergency accommodation from Stoke-on-Trent city council, but no beds were available and he ended up homeless and sleeping in a tent.
When he spoke to his GP on 9 August, five days after his release, he said worries about having nowhere to live were affecting his mental health.
That same day, his probation officer passed on Docherty’s risk information, including his poor mental state, to the council in an effort to secure him emergency accommodation at a hotel, but again nothing was available.
As his probation officer was due to go on holiday, the next appointment with Docherty was not scheduled until 23 August. His body was found in woodland the following day, on 10 August.
Mark Johnston, 49, died of a drug overdose five days after being released from HMP Swansea in April 2024 with nowhere to live.
He had been recalled to custody while serving an 18-week prison sentence for theft, and told his prison resettlement officer he would be released homeless and that he had taken drugs to cope with his mother’s recent cancer diagnosis.
The ombudsman report into his death said “workload pressures” had delayed the resettlement team from seeing Johnston while he was in prison, and confusion around responsibilities meant there was a significant delay in referring him for emergency support.
Andy Keen-Downs, the chief executive of the Prison Advice and Care Trust (Pact), said the increase in prison population and a worsening mental health crisis had created a “perfect storm” that was helping cause increasing post-prison homelessness and deaths.
“There is a chronic lack of sustained support for people post-release. Prisons and probation have been one of the worst-cut public services over the last 20 years, and staff have very little time to provide the necessary support,” he said.
“That, plus a massive gap in mental health care services, means we’re inevitably going to see homelessness and deaths.”
Of the people released into homelessness, he said, many would end up back in prison, others would would be long-term street homeless, and others would die. “Sometimes that will simply be because living on the streets for long enough will kill you, but often it’s combined with drugs and alcohol,” he said.
Pact works to help prisoners rebuild and maintain relationships with their family and friends, something which is proven to reduce homelessness, reoffending rates and deaths. “We need to be working with people, not just in their last 12 weeks of a prison sentence, but right from the start,” said Keen-Downs.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/31/deaths-within-two-weeks-of-prison-release-hit-record-high-in-england-and-wales
DeleteThe number of people who die within two weeks of being released from prison in England and Wales has reached a record high, a Guardian investigation has found.
DeleteSeventy-seven people died within 14 days of being released from prison in 2025, 28% higher than the 60 deaths recorded the previous year and the highest since records began in 2021.
Experts said a primary driver of the crisis was a rise in prisoners being released into homelessness, with too many falling through “trap doors to crisis” owing to a lack of available housing.
Analysis of Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) reports published to date found that one in four people who died were released homeless. Separate Ministry of Justice data showed that almost 13,000 people left prison homeless or as rough sleepers in the year to April 2025, a 39% rise from the previous year.
Housing is a significant problem and despite best efforts probation officers cannot override local housing policy or have access to housing outside of AP and Cas. Sometime I feel like I’m more of a housing officer the amount of time I spend on it . More funding is needed and accommodation needs to be for than 4 mths to help stability on release
ReplyDeleteFrom NAPO mag: May 29, 2026
ReplyDeleteCBF Pay Progression Delayed Again as ACAS Talks Collapse
Napo and sister unions have condemned the employer’s handling of the ongoing CBF pay progression dispute after ACAS talks failed to make progress. The unions say the employer has ignored representations, failed to provide evidence of engagement with Treasury and Cabinet Office, and made an “outrageous” demand to weaken contractual protections for pay progression. Napo and our sister unions have exhausted every procedural avenue to make headway on our long running dispute on the failure of the employer to authorise pay progression on 1st April to eligible staff under the Competency Based Framework (CBF).
As we reported earlier this month, the parties agreed to seek conciliation of the dispute through ACAS and a meeting took place last week. Arbitration was not possible due to the agreement that was previously reached which was based on the assurances at the time that future funding would always be available to enable pay out of pay progression on 1st April.
Unfortunately, it has not been possible to make progress as the employer has persisted in their position and failed to take any of our representations into account again. In a communication received from the employer yesterday, it is clear they hold the view that pay progression in 2026/2027 for Probation Staff through CBF will require authority from HM Treasury and Cabinet Office and the outcome of pay negotiations. This is not a position that Napo are prepared to accept, and we still consider that there is a contractual obligation to honour the terms of the 2018 Pay and Modernisation Agreement.
This mirrors the position that was reached in the National Probation Joint Negotiating Committee dispute outcome last autumn, which tasked the employer to approach Treasury and Cabinet Office to ensure that pay progression would be implemented on 1st April 2026.
The talks at ACAS broke down when it became quickly clear to the unions that the employer had not made an approach to these departments in a form that that was consistent with what we had expected from them. No written evidence was supplied to ACAS to demonstrate that this had happened and what case had actually been made. In our view this is hugely disrespectful of the whole process, the trade unions who are joint parties to this collective agreement and the wider workforce.
To compound this failure, the employer has now indicated that they are now prepared to make a formal approach to pay out CBF progression if the unions are prepared to drop one of the trade unions key demands of the dispute, which is that pay progression must be paid as a contractual entitlement, separate to the cost of living rise and other increases that would result from annual pay negotiations.
This is an outrageous demand and is totally unacceptable. It casts a shadow over the review on wider ‘pay reform’, and CBF as a part of that, which the unions and employer had agreed to as part of the 2025/2026 pay award.
Napo to take legal advice
Meanwhile Napo will be seeking legal advice following this very serious challenge to the contractual terms and conditions of our members.
Napo’s Probation Negotiating Committee meets next week to review this development. We will also be meeting with sister unions after they have consulted with their negotiating structures on this issue, to discuss pay strategy going forward
Goodness me Napo are so behind and when the negotiating committee meet next week the bunch of them together in a video call won't achieve anything as they are all as thick as custard on trade union negotiations . Better off getting rid of the GS
DeleteHow can they tell us that we must complete our CBF and then not pay us as agreed in April ? This is a breach of the agreement made . Why is it that government can breach their own agreements / contracts without any consequence? This is the same government that harks on about fair employment rights and treatment etc
DeleteThey can do this, and more, because they have the power and you do not.
DeleteTwas ever the case and no amount of Union 'influence ' or staff outrage will ever change it.
CBF, the con that keeps on giving……..CBF…….CBA more like
Deletehttps://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jun/01/family-michaela-hall-murdered-by-partner-legal-challenge-police-probation-service
ReplyDeleteTragic case, but appears (on the surface) to be more an issue with Police. I also wish people understood that Probation doesn't 'release' people from prison.
DeleteProbation is used by Police, the courts and Government as a useful scapegoat when anything goes wrong
DeleteThe end is nigh!:-
ReplyDeleteNapo has responded to HMPPS proposals to appoint a Director General Probation, warning that the announcement raises serious questions about governance, accountability and the future structure of Probation.
Members may have seen an announcement of HMPPS’s latest U-turn this week, and the plans to appoint a Director General (DG) Probation to sit in the HMPPS senior management structure and the prospect of further, ill-defined “wider structural changes” to follow.
It’s odd that when Napo repeatedly push Ministers and HMPPS to enact the Government’s manifesto commitment to review Probation governance, which we hope will see Probation move out of the Civil Service, we are told that staff have ‘no appetite’ for wider changes, but when it suits HMPPS apparently this is no longer an issue.
Members will rightly question the bizarre position currently outlined in the most recent communication, where the Area Executive Directors (AEDs) who are responsible for line managing Regional Probation Directors (RPDs) will be managed by the Director General Prisons and not Probation.
HMPPS need to be open and honest with staff about what this means for the current structure they work in, rather than just vague words about the future. Also, what does any future restructuring of staff at this level say about the disgraced ‘One HMPPS’ programme and the millions of pounds of public money wasted on this sorry venture, as well as whether anyone in HMPPS is to be held accountable?
While the prospect of a distinct Probation voice within HMPPS at a Director General level may seem like a positive development members would be advised to be extremely sceptical.
HMPPS have an established track record of abject failure, for which many of those who may be under consideration for this role bear significant levels of responsibility. It’s clear that what we believe would be required of a person in this role almost certainly bears little relation to what Ministers and others in HMPPS are looking for.
It’s fair to say that, given the general and wide-ranging loss of confidence among much of the workforce in HMPPS to value Probation and meet their responsibilities to its workforce, coupled with the rank disfunction of the employer, the scale of the task faced by any incoming Director General Probation is almost certainly insurmountable.
The joint trade unions will be formally responding to this announcement and more news will follow.
Well why the hell. Not get a probation dg . They might help us change direction support and lead us back to a professional status it's not all a bad idea .
DeleteYep if U trust them matey
DeleteHaving a. Lead in the centre does not mean I trust it just says we need a leadership contender so we can channel how we are heard centrally . We need recognition in a key stakeholder leader.
DeleteAny Probation DG will be a political appointment to further oversee our demise as a relevant organisation
DeleteJust curious.
ReplyDeleteMostly because conversations on here in the past about what was and what is, has Mostly resulted in an argument aboutt dinosaurs, and what the service has become.
It needs to be rooted in what was. Otherwise, staff will be looked at as having niomore iimportance then someone working in a call centre
Why would people shout out for today's service. The service today doesn't heal or achieve very much. Loads of hours feeding the machine, the machine tells you what to do, tick the box, machine happy, arse coveted and the task (not the job) is done.
The wonks at noms/hmpps got napo to surrender hard-won, long-standing & very favourable Ts&Cs for a shit multi-year pay deal, got napo to endorse job losses & agree a shit transfer document as part of TR... plain & simple, they've had napo by the short & curlies for years.
ReplyDeleteDumbing down & deconstructing the probation service was a long term goal for so many:
1. The civil service wanted to bring it in-house because it was an outlier, a rogue cog in the Whitehall machine, & their egos couldn't tolerate such impertinence.
2. Politicians wanted to control it so they could exploit it at the ballot box & score points with 'tough on crime' bollox.
3. Prisons staff wanted to get their hands on it because it was the embarassing little sibling that always did better.
4. The 'modern' probation managers (who couldn't manage a shit, let alone a caseload) wanted to wield their power, to be seen as worthy of being clasped to the bosom of 'the centre'; so they were more than happy to do their masters' bidding while pocketing dosh.
5. The post-McKnight napo was, sadly, the worst circus in town; from sex pest to the current incumbent - who seems to have handed the service to hmpps on a silver platter while trousering a substantial salary - it has been anything but a union or a professional association.
From my perspective there's nowt left to do except cash-in the backdated coin & fuck off to pastures new.
Note to the irritating arse that keeps trying to post defamatory comments - it's because of you I have to keep comment moderation in place. Why can't you understand that?!
ReplyDeleteDinosaurs ruled the earth for far longer than humans….must be something in that !
ReplyDeletehttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/probation-service-public-protection-inspection-action-plans
ReplyDeleteas you would expect, utter garbage in response to hmip reports
Deletehttps://hmiprobation.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/document/professor-matthew-millings/
ReplyDelete
Delete“Probation has been through a series of profound organisational changes and that sense of being able to recall, renew and identify core probation values has been really important at those moments.”
https://www.publictechnology.net/2026/06/04/education-and-skills/civil-service-head-ai-the-defining-opportunity-and-challenge-of-our-generation/
DeleteGovernment’s most senior civil servant has instructed her 500,000-plus colleagues that artificial intelligence technology is “the defining opportunity of our generation, as well as the defining challenge”.
DeleteWriting to civil servants in a blog post on GOV.UK, the cabinet secretary Dame Antonia Romeo said the civil service is at an “inflection point” at a time of global uncertainty and huge technological change.
A key part of this change is AI, which “will fundamentally transform our work, how we operate, and the services we deliver over the coming years”, according to the government chief.
“I have seen extraordinary work across the civil service already – teams using AI to process casework faster, improve outcomes, and free up time for the complex judgements that only people can make,” Romeo wrote. “This is happening now. We need to scale it up, talk about it and share it.”
Romeo said each department is putting in place a plan to ramp up technology and AI adoption safely, and working to build in-house AI engineering teams.
She said new training on AI will help officials to better understand and adapt policy responses to emerging AI trends, while a suite of new AI models is being developed to allow officials to “effectively automate and augment” their work, leaving them to focus on areas where they are adding the most value.
Romeo also announced the launch of a new Cabinet Secretary’s AI Innovation Award – a quarterly recognition programme for individuals and teams across the civil service using AI and technology in genuinely innovative and responsible ways. Nominations for the first round are open now, and close on 22 July. Winners will receive a financial award in the form of vouchers, a signed certificate and the opportunity to present their work to ministers. Shortlisted nominees will be automatically entered into the Civil Service Awards.
Elsewhere in her post, the Whitehall chief called for civil servants to “demonstrate a positive mindset in how we work and what we can achieve”.
This mindset, she said, should consist of three mantras: “Make it happen. Make it better. Make it count.”
The “make it better” element is where the use of AI and new technology comes in, while the need to “make it happen” will manifest in “relentless focus on excellence in delivery, being accountable, and serving the public and government with purpose”, Romeo said.
Romeo added that the civil service “must be a magnet for the best and brightest, and be an employer that delivers rigorous and world-class training”. She said the new National School for Government will play a vital role in broadening its collective capability and equipping officials with the “cutting-edge digital, analytical, and operational skills required for the Future Civil Service”.
Romeo said the third mantra, “make it count”, means “maintaining and building trust in our institution” and “taking pride in public service”.
She said pride “comes from working for an organisation that is genuinely excelling – from doing excellent work yourself, and from knowing that what you do changes lives”.
To turn the civil service into a world-class organisation, Romeo said she is focused on understanding the skills and capabilities the civil service will need in three-to-five years’ time.
“This will mean modernising development schemes, pay frameworks, talent management systems and recruitment processes, working with the unions,” she said. “Building a culture of pride that comes from high performance means we need to recognise and reward that performance, and also tackle poor performance where it exists.”
She said the magic words of job cuts reductions across all departments and how you are going to do it to yourselves.
DeleteThe words are ADDED VALUE
It's code meaning PRIVATISE REDUCE get rid of staffing costs people .
Ah, could it be the same la romeo, the most uncivil 'civil' servant who ever worked for HMG? She has fucked up so many departments while accumulating powerful friends & posting glossy & glowing reports about her successes & ability to lead. She was a key player in enabling the involvement of the vile Palantir & similar tech bros in the UK, not least being her introductions for acceptance as a tech partner with NHS. The responsible officer who fucked probation im arsch, who used UK taxpayer £££'s to fly her children across the Atlantic to school (funds she eventually had to reimburse) & who used taxpayer funds to entertain extreme right wing think tanks? Surely can't be the same person?
DeleteEverything she touches is a disaster. The gap between her and her trail of destruction is must be just wide enough for the corporate media to ignore it whilst she spreads more chaos and incompetence whatever high paid job she is currently occupying no doubt on her way to the Lords where she will be well at home with her friends like Grayling etc and those of similar ilk. A living example of septic tank theory. She is indeed the floater that never seems to sink.
DeleteAnd how much did it cost to come up with what every practitioner could have told them ?
ReplyDeleteNot every practitioner I suspect. The workforce has become very quiet with few if any speaking out about professional matters. In training people are told to be curious and question assumptions. In practice you keep your head down until you get through your training and get another job before you sustain too much trauma and lasting damage.
DeleteMmmm being awarded 5% -for ‘ dealing with higher levels of complex casework, and abuse and intimidation".- it’s a shame they don’t think probation workers are afforded a pay rise for the same working conditions and on time either !! ‘’MPs' basic salary will rise by 5% to £98,599 a year from April, Westminster's expenses watchdog has said.
ReplyDeleteThe Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) said it was also aiming to move towards a salary of around £110,000 by the end of the Parliament, due in 2029.
Ipsa chairman Richard Lloyd said the role of an MP had "evolved", with parliamentarians "dealing with higher levels of complex casework, and abuse and intimidation".
But the Taxpayers' Alliance said the public would be "seething to see politicians receive an inflation-busting pay rise, all while they suffer a personal recession".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2124j8jndo
ReplyDeletePrisoners being released into homelessness is a "dire" situation that is proving challenging to solve, a prison governor has admitted.
DeleteHMP Norwich governor Declan Moore said more than a dozen prisoners are released each month without having a definite home to live in.
Last year, the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) reported that 25% of men who left the prison found themselves homeless, a figure above the national average of 16%.
"Housing and employment on release are the two biggest issues that face any prisoner if he is genuinely attempting to reform and not reoffend," Moore said.
"The housing situation is quite dire. We work very hard on it with the local authority and indeed here in Norfolk we do very well.
"That doesn't mean to say that everyone leaving every month has got a house, that's not true.
"There are probably a dozen or more every month that are leaving this prison and don't have a roof over their head — that's tragic."
The prison, which was built in the 1880s, held 746 inmates of categories B, C and D when it was last inspected, external by the HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in January.
The refurbishment of a previously derelict wing has just been completed, providing an additional 170 places, and will open to prisoners next month.
Moore said in the eight years he has served as governor, the prison has never been "totally full" despite coming "very close" last year when only three beds were left one evening.
The refurbishment work has taken four years and is part of a £50m investment in HMP Norwich over the past five years.
Moore said that the prison currently has about 30 prisoners who are doubled up in Victorian cells built to hold one person at a time.
"That has reduced overtime, and as our prison population is being driven down by sentencing reform then our objective is undoubtedly to have one person in one cell and never return to overcrowding," he said.
"I don't think we'll ever return to an open house where as many as the courts send the prisons service will accept through their doors.
"I think that was a situation that was very inhumane."
The Ministry of Justice said offenders at risk of homelessness upon release were eligible for up to 12 weeks of basic accommodation, external while they find a permanent home.
DeletePreviously, the IMB said the good work of reducing reoffending at HMP Norwich was "undermined by the lack of available accommodation for men on release".
Social justice charity Nacro said people were twice as likely to commit further offences if they were homeless when being released from prison.
Moore said HMP Norwich does its best to break the "consistent return cycle" of some offenders and encourages prisoners towards rehabilitation to make them "a better man" upon leaving.
"The key is, we are dealing with people," he said. "There's nobody in my prison today that hasn't created a victim. There is nobody in my prison today that I can see doesn't deserve to be here. We have to treat them with decency."
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/east-anglian-prisons-expanded-to-make-streets-safer
DeleteThe project has delivered 170 additional prison places to the Victorian-era jail, equipped with modern security features including reinforced windows to tackle 21st century threats like drones.
A new sports hall has also been added, ensuring prisoners can access vital physical activity and rehabilitation opportunities that help to reduce reoffending, cut crime and keep the public safe.
The project has been delivered while preserving the jail’s historic character and protecting the Norwich skyline. Its completion comes a week after a key milestone in progress at HMP Wayland which will provide a further 247 prison places in the region.
This development is the latest step in Government plans to build 14,000 extra places nationwide by 2031 - with 3,100 already added since July 2024 - to keep streets safer and ensure the country never runs out of prison space again.
It comes after only 500 places were added to the estate in the fourteen years to April 2024.
Minister for Prisons, Probation, and Reducing Reoffending, Lord Timpson, said:
We’re fixing the broken prison system we inherited, taking the action necessary to ensure we always have the space needed to lock up dangerous criminals.
In less than two years, we have already delivered 3,100 places, with thousands more underway - including through vital refurbishments like at HMP Norwich and the new houseblock under construction at Wayland.
These new, modern facilities are part of our plan to ensure punishment works to cut crime and keep the public safe.
HMP Norwich’s chapel was also refurbished as part of the construction, reflecting the important role faith can play in helping offenders turn their backs on crime.
The new wing has been named the Elizabeth Fry wing, in honour of the Norwich-born social reformer and philanthropist who pioneered prison reform in the 19th century.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/request-a-further-parole-board-consideration-of-ipp-licence-termination
ReplyDeleteTwo years after a person’s first release from prison, the Secretary of State has to refer anyone serving Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) or Detention for Public Protection (DPP) sentences to the Parole Board for consideration of whether their licence should end.
If the Parole Board does not terminate an offender’s licence, a further request can be made to the HMPPS Public Protection Casework Section (PPCS) to send their case to the Parole Board so they can consider this again.
Who can apply
You can request another Parole Board review if all of the following apply to you:
you are in the community on an IPP or DPP licence
and one year has passed since the end of your 2 year qualifying period
If you have been recalled to custody and subsequently re-released, you may also apply if:
the Parole Board decided to release you on licence after your recall
and one year has passed since you were re‑released on your IPP/DPP licence.
If you are not sure whether you can apply, speak to your Probation Practitioner, who can help you.
How to apply
If you meet the above criteria, you can apply by completing and submitting the request termination of IPP/DPP Licence form.
You may want to talk to your legal representative before submitting the form, if you have one.
What happens after submitting your application
After your form is received, the Public Protection Casework Section will:
Check that you are eligible for another Parole Board review.
If you are eligible, they will ask your Probation Practitioner to write a report about whether your licence should end (this is called a ‘termination report’). A copy of your request will be provided to your Probation Practitioner.
Your probation practitioner will provide you with a copy of the report and you will have the opportunity to provide further representations before it is sent to the Parole Board.
Your case will be sent to the Parole Board, who will make the decision.
If at any point you would like an update on how your application is progressing, you can ask your Probation officer.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supervision-of-indeterminate-sentences-policy-framework
ReplyDeleteThis policy sets out the mandatory requirements for the Probation Service and the Public Protection Group for all indeterminate sentenced offenders on licence.
The framework mandates the processes for:
managing the frequency of reporting for all indeterminate sentenced offenders in the community
applying for the suspension and re-imposition of supervision of all indeterminate sentenced offenders in the community
the referral for consideration of licence termination by the Parole Board for those subject to indeterminate sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) and Detention for Public Protection (DPP)
automatic licence termination for those subject to indeterminate sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) and Detention for Public Protection (DPP)
further referrals to the Parole Board for licence termination, where requested by the IPP offender.
This policy replaces the managing parole eligible offenders on licence policy framework
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-national-offenders-on-licence-and-is91-policy-framework
ReplyDeleteThis policy framework sets out the mandatory requirements, and general guidance, for prison and probation staff in the management during immigration detention and following any release of foreign national offenders on licence as part of their custodial sentence.
It sets out the data sharing process with Home Office Immigration Enforcement, accommodation options, responsibility for risk assessments and licence production.
Remember when probation was about helping people ? I do
ReplyDeleteIf we make it about something else they will discover helping people and launch it as a new initiative.
DeleteHas probation had an invite?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.poauk.org.uk/news-events/news-room/posts/2026/june/invitation-to-take-part-in-international-research-on-structured-risk-assessment-tools-for-violence-or-offending/
https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/162/welsh-affairs-committee/news/214164/prisons-probation-and-rehabilitation-in-wales-overcrowded-prisons-and-workforce-pressures-undermining-safety-and-rehabilitation-mps-warn/
ReplyDeleteThere's some pretty interesting articles to be found on the Probation Institute website today. This is one of them.
ReplyDeletehttps://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ec3ce97a1716758c54691b7/t/6a271d3dc8a37b4b08887f67/1780948286020/Too+Much+Risk%2C+Not+Enough+Change%3F+Probation+at+a+Crossroad.pdf
'Getafix
MPs back Napo calls for probation investment and exploration of Welsh devolution
ReplyDeleteNapo has welcomed the publication today (9 June) of the Welsh Affairs Committee report Jagged Justice: Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation in Wales, which echoes long-standing union concerns about the future of probation in Wales and the need to properly invest in the workforce.
The union submitted written evidence to the Committee's inquiry, while Napo Cymru branch member Su McConnel gave oral evidence alongside colleagues from UNISON and PCS.
Although much of the report focuses on prisons, two recommendations are of significance for probation staff and the communities they serve.
The Committee held the UK Government to their manifesto pledge to explore the potential benefits of devolving probation and youth justice in Wales, concluding that “it could not be delayed indefinitely” and that “there is merit in testing whether a more localised approach could deliver better outcomes for people on probation and the wider public.”
The report also calls on the Ministry of Justice to undertake a review of probation staffing levels, pay and working conditions as part of its forthcoming strategic review of probation, recognising that ambitions to expand community sentencing cannot be delivered without sufficient investment in the workforce.
Napo General Secretary Ian Lawrence said: "It is encouraging to see a Parliamentary Committee recognise issues that Napo has been raising for many years.
"The recommendation to explore the devolution of probation in Wales reflects our long-held view that services are often most effective when they are designed and delivered closer to the communities they serve.
"We’re also pleased that the Committee agree that probation staff cannot continue to do more with less. If governments are serious about reducing reoffending and making greater use of community alternatives to custody, then staffing levels, pay and working conditions must be addressed as a matter of urgency.”
Napo will continue to press both the UK and Welsh Governments to engage with probation staff and their representatives as discussions on the future of justice services in Wales develop.
https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/162/welsh-affairs-committee/news/214164/prisons-probation-and-rehabilitation-in-wales-overcrowded-prisons-and-workforce-pressures-undermining-safety-and-rehabilitation-mps-warn/
DeleteWonder just how probation staff will use all this free time being afforded them by the introduction of Al????
ReplyDeleteCivil Service World.
Lammy: AI rollout will save ‘thousands of days’ of MoJ staff time.
Deputy prime minister says artificial intelligence will also speed up justice and cut courts delays.
David Lammy has said the rollout of artificial intelligence at the Ministry of Justice is already on course to save tens of thousands of staff days a year and that further applications will reduce court delays, accelerating resolution for victims.
Lammy, who is justice secretary and deputy prime minister, pointed to a raft of AI innovations being pursued by his department – including a new transcription tool for Probation Service staff and the development of legal assistance applications for court staff.
He said that every probation officer in England and Wales has now been equipped with “Justice Transcribe”, an AI tool that automatically records and transcribes conversations with offenders.
The MoJ said Justice Transcribe will cut the time probation officers currently spend transferring hand-written notes onto digital systems, allowing them to focus more time on reducing reoffending.
It said Justice Transcribe alone could “free up the equivalent of 18,750 calendar days of valuable time every year”, allowing frontline staff to spend more time monitoring offenders and keeping streets safe.
On Monday, the MoJ also announced that legal services will be the first sector to take part in the government’s AI Growth Labs initiative. It will enable the UK’s growing “lawtech” sector to develop and refine cutting-edge AI products in a secure, controlled setting, before bringing them to market.
According to the MoJ, a “raft” of new technology products is currently being developed, including AI legal assistants to support legal professionals and staff, and streamlined case management processes to get cases moving faster.
'Getafix
Those saved 18500 days have already been taken up by having to deal with weekly Tag battery breaches and the numerous associated forms...
DeleteJust a thought, but maybe those wearing the tags are deliberately not charging them so you don't know where they are?
DeleteIt seems that any and all 'hm inspectorates' have a similar style of reporting failure, i.e. "its not good but the leaders are leading..."
ReplyDeleteEverything that spurr, romeo & rees touched simply turned to shit. There's so much that they've hidden from view over the last two decades its become impossible to keep it under wraps, yet STILL the inspectors say utterly bonkers stuff, e.g. "if the prison can do more to improve the amount of purposeful activity and reduce the ingress of drugs..." Oh really, Charlie? How about:
***IF*** the whole system hadn't been fucked about with by utter bellends trying to monetise this & privatise that
***IF*** competent people had been allowed to remain instead of being replaced with politically aligned arseholes
***IF*** probation and prison staff had been allowed to discharge their respective professional duties without the interference of right-wing blowhards...
... but "ifs" and "buts" don't cut it. And now we have the shittiest, least competent & most stressed prison & probation system we've ever known. Staff, prisoners, probationers & the general public are at a heightened level of risk we've never known.
https://hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_reports/hmp-woodhill-5/
"HMP Woodhill is a prison that is a cause for deep concern. Despite some limited signs of more stability since our last inspection, much of this following the recent appointment of a new and experienced governor, the fundamental issues that have affected Woodhill for many years remained unresolved... At this inspection of Woodhill, we found that outcomes for prisoners were:
Poor for safety
Not sufficiently good for respect
Poor for purposeful activity
Poor for preparation for release."
https://hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_reports/hmp-long-lartin-4/
"At this inspection of HMP Long Lartin we found that outcomes for prisoners were:
Not sufficiently good for safety
Not sufficiently good for respect
Not sufficiently good for purposeful activity
Reasonably good for preparation for release"
https://hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_reports/hmp-yoi-stoke-heath-2/
"Although our rating for safety had fallen from ‘good’ to ‘not sufficiently good’ I left the jail with some optimism that if the prison can do more to improve the amount of purposeful activity and reduce the ingress of drugs...
At this inspection of HMP & YOI Stoke Heath, we found that outcomes for prisoners were:
not sufficiently good for safety
reasonably good for respect
poor for purposeful activity
reasonably good for preparation for release."
https://hmiprisons.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmipris_reports/hmp-wakefield-3/
"In the months after the 2025 inspection, there had been two alleged murders in very close succession. Two prisoners had taken their own lives and there had been a further death yet to be classified... Since the full inspection, there had been significant changes to the leadership team, including the arrival of a new deputy governor and four other senior leaders."
We need to start talking about approved premises. Several are closed do to complete mismanagement by NAPT. Hostels are still being propped up by completely untrained security guards . It is getting harder and harder to get beds for cases that need them.
ReplyDeleteI'm finding that even the most minor transgressions by residents appears to be met by a surly email to the COM, copying in every manager know to man and beast and a improvement plan with some pretty unrealistic expectations.
DeleteMy experience of APs has always been their attempt to place people under impossible and unrelenting demands...I avoid them where I possibly can and where any other form of accommodation can justifiably be used. Where I have had to use them i completely agree that my days get completely overtaken by requests to get involved in minor matters that would be best dealt with there and then by AP staff...their inability to manage behaviour and deflection of any and all responsibility is shocking.
DeleteAP's any positive outcomes are thanks to them, any negatives outcomes are the sole responsibility of the COM. (And yes I avoid them at all costs, they just want rid of Pops as soon as possible)
DeleteThe reason for the closures is staffing. PSOs and residential workers cover the day shifts. Nights are usually staffed by one residential worker and one or two security staff. Then some genius decided the way to save money was to scrap the security contract and force residential workers to cover the nights instead.
DeleteThe problem was there simply weren’t enough residential workers to do it, and they weren’t properly consulted in the first place. Recruitment was never going to solve the issue quickly because vetting takes months (another genius idea was police vetting for probation staff). The whole thing was unnecessary anyway and the cost saving minimal. Some of the security staff had been there for years and knew the job inside out.
The wider AP setup is broken. AP Managers in their little dictatorships rarely listen to frontline staff, despite them being the people who actually know how the place runs. Ironically, now APs are closing and managers are being redirected elsewhere, many of those same managers seem to be going off sick.
It’s the usual shit show. I’ve no idea how they’re still scoring well in HMIP inspections, but I can tell you one thing: the picture would look very different if HMIP turned up unannounced.
08.41 - you're misinformed there. Using internal staff to cover night shifts is not a cost saving mechanism, it costs more
DeleteBut otherwise I agree with you - the actual implementation is total mess
https://www.probation-institute.org/news/ai-and-probation-context-and-controversy
ReplyDeleteI think people don't understand that when you put someone in an AP you know a lot more about their behaviour. Often that behaviour is minor but it still needs a response and often that behaviour is a good indicator of how they would behave in less monitored environments.
ReplyDeleteIs that what the probation handbook of bs tells you?
DeleteNonsense there are many psychological studies around environment affecting behaviours . Anything suggesting a hostel illustrates future independent living is in the wrong post. Reading this makes a full rethink a must.
Delete0851...I once had a person recalled out of hours because he ordered a pizza and went outside to collect it despite staff telling him not to as it was outside curfew hours....yes it added to what we already knew about his tendency for rule breaking....was it representative of an increase in risk that could not be managed in the community...no! Did it warrant an out of hours emergency recall, without full consideration and scrutiny of me, the SPO, the PPCS and others...no!
DeleteThe staff in that hostel sound like they need some training. Getting food delivered but unable to open a door hardly reflects rule breaking. This is staff over doing the brain cell.
Delete@15.08 - I think that's a gross simplification of how that incident went - I'm sure there was a background context and I'm sure the incident was worse than the innocent event you portray, was he perhaps aggressive with staff?
Delete@17:03, I wasn't there, I have no knowledge of the situation BUT... sometimes there are situations we have to learn to live with and things we have to accept are collateral for the roles we have & the environments in which we work.
DeleteFor example, I used to run a pre-breach court 'surgery' (established by a very much brighter, smarter & lovelier colleague than I could ever be [she knows who she is]) which ran for an hour or so (i.e. during lunch break) *before* our weekly scheduled breach courts. Those summonsed to attend could call in, with or without their lawyers, and discuss their breach. If they were adamant they were not in breach, we'd simply relist for a contested hearing & instruct lawyers/counsel. If they were ambiguous, vacillated or were merely resigned that their 'reason' for failing to comply was bollocks, we'd agree to request a limited penalty for admission of failure to comply. Through this 'plea bargain' approach we reduced the 'not guilty' hearings considerably, saved the service £thousands, the District Judge was happy & we achieved a significant uplift in completions.
It is said that common sense is not so common.
so where would you put high risk cases who need close supervision?
ReplyDeleteYou don’t “put them” anywhere. People are not things!
DeleteThere are many high risk people needing “close supervision” (whatever that is), not housed in probation APs.
If it was up to a majority of new PO's and SPO's everyone on probation would be given a High ROSH just to ass cover and to pretend they are considering risk issues
Deletehttps://www.gov.uk/government/news/tough-us-style-courts-to-crack-down-on-repeat-offenders
Delete14:12...there's a big difference between those who need "close supervision" as you put it, and an AP regime which is wholly set up to see the person recalled, fail and be subject to so many different requirements even the most responsible would find it difficult to comply with...the AP regime and the staff within them in my view tend to be punitive, overtly overly officious, antagonistic, and position themselves as all knowing and somewhat arrogant....imposing rather than working together in the interests of both offender and others working with them.
DeleteSo a rehash of Drr Review Courts which were great but considered to expensive and draining on Probation & Courts resources so were scrapped.
Deletehttps://insidetime.org/mailbag/the-true-causes-of-crime-and-criminals/
ReplyDelete'Getafix
This is something that lammy, the cobbler & all of their drooling swivel-eyed acolytes cannot & will not accept accept, let alone try to understand:
Delete"We are taught that the criminal justice system exists to protect society from crime and criminals. But what if it does something more troubling than that? What if one of the institutions most closely associated with controlling crime actually creates it? Perhaps the criminal justice system does not simply process crime. Perhaps, too often, it entrenches the conditions that create crime and turns avoidable social injury into a criminal identity...
... instead of addressing causes early on, upstream, society waits until the damage appears later, downstream ... This avoidable burden lands on a system designed around control and punishment. Then the cycle deepens... Yet we keep expanding criminal justice while shrinking many of the institutions capable of reducing the harm before crisis arises."
They can't & won't consider such thinking because ***THEY*** are the problem.
Their thinking, behaviour & lifestyles are predicated on the existence of a criminal class, of scapegoats they can demonise, of a swathe of society they can 'other' in order to hold themselves up as 'role models' & revel in some kind of reflected glory generated by a culture of blame, shame & humiliation.
Its a false premise, & dangerous.
These comments are all you need to know:
ReplyDelete* Minister for Prisons, Probation, and Reducing Reoffending, Lord Timpson, said: "We’re fixing the broken prison system... These new, modern facilities are part of our plan to ensure punishment works to cut crime and keep the public safe."
* Lammy: "We are calling time on the justice system of the past... We are making sure the conditions are right for lawtech to thrive... Margaret Thatcher reclassified crimes... I am clear about what is needed: a new ‘Swift, Bench Division’ of the Crown Court... Just as nurse practitioners free up doctors to focus on complex clinical decisions... Case Co-ordinators [have] delegated powers to manage tasks that would otherwise sit with judges... Blitz Courts support timely decision-making by all parties... this Government has shown that we are prepared to invest. We are building 14,000 new prison places..." etc etc ad nauseaum.
The same model has been quietly applied to probation; the pso 'nurse practitioners' now significantly outnumbering qualified-as-PO staff to enable 'streamlining of supervision' via any number of initiatives, from telephone reporting to kiosks to logging-in. And, of course, lamey's 'lawtech' means the millions of hours saved by transcribe will be utilised supervising even more prison releases as the prisons capacity rises year on year.
You forgot getting rid off all toolkits to be replaced by SPARKS conversations.... Sounds to me like they are preparing to hand the lot over to other agencies and police to manage and get rid of office based probation in the community altogether!
Deletehttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/looking-after-our-people-the-prison-service-employee-package/looking-after-our-people-the-prison-service-employee-package--2
Delete"Spark
Spark is a fast-track talent scheme that enables existing staff with high leadership potential to accelerate through the grades to Head of Function by developing skills and leadership behaviours."
Or:
https://www.sparkinside.org/about-us
"the award-winning intervention: Hero’s Journey™. This was the first structured life coaching programme for 15- to 25-year-olds in prison, enabling them to build motivation, define goals, and move away from crime... Reducing reoffending and violence through life coaching. Our Hero’s Journey™ programme was evaluated at HMP Wandsworth and HMP Wormwood Scrubs."
Or:
"a pioneering systems coaching programme: The Conversation Systems Coaching Programme® (The Conversation).
The programme brings together prison staff and people living on the wings, and through dialogue, aims to enhance their relationships, improve empathy, and support sustained positive cultural change...."
"We are making sure the conditions are right for lawtech to thrive"
DeleteRobocop? Skynet? Nope, its LawTech:
"LawtechUK is a Ministry of Justice (MoJ) backed initiative dedicated to driving digital transformation in the legal sector. As of April 2023 LawtechUK is managed by CodeBase and Legal Geek, on behalf of the MoJ."
https://lawtechuk.io/
CodeBase is a tech ecosystem support organisation that has supported over 500 startups and scaleups, who have collectively raised over £4 billion. Codebase is committed to promoting collaboration in tech innovation, across startups, scaleups, corporates, governments, academia and the third sector.
Legal Geek is a global community of legal professionals and lawtech enthusiasts dedicated to promoting innovation and technology in the legal industry. Founded in 2015, Legal Geek has quickly grown to become one of the world's largest lawtech communities, with events and initiatives held across the globe.
The LawtechUK Panel was established in 2018 by the Secretary of State for Justice. It consists of leaders and experts from the public and private sectors who act as the advisory board to LawtechUK."
*** .io is technically the country-code domain for the British Indian Ocean Territory, a UK Overseas Territory located in the Indian Ocean, halfway between Africa and Indonesia. It consists of the Chagos Archipelago, covering about 640,000 square kilometers of ocean but only 60 square kilometers of land. There's no better place to base your technology business, I guess.
"part of our plan to ensure punishment works to cut crime and keep the public safe." - the cobbler.
ReplyDelete"Quaker Gaie Delap spent Christmas 2024 and her 78th birthday in prison after authorities failed to find an electronic monitoring tag that fitted her.
Now, with support from @goodlawproject, she's suing the Ministry of Justice for false imprisonment.
She is also bringing a claim under the Human Rights Act, alleging breaches of Article 8 (respect for private and family life) and Article 14 (protection from discrimination based on her sex, age and medical conditions).
A retired teacher, Delap was sentenced to 20 months in prison for peaceful protest. She was later released on home curfew with a tagging requirement, but was recalled to prison when Serco, the private contractor responsible for electronic monitoring, couldn't provide a suitable tag for her wrist.
She was returned to custody just before Christmas with ten minutes to pack at 10 o'clock at night.
The impact of her experience has been lasting. “I still have nightmares about prison," Delap said. “I want justice not just for myself, but for everyone whose civil liberties are under threat from a failing justice system."
Thats probation for you
ReplyDeleteJOINT UNION PAY CLAIM 2026/27
ReplyDelete"The recognised probation trade unions submit the following pay claim for 2026. These claim headlines will feature in the full claim which we aim to submit shortly.
A one year pay deal
A 12% increase on all pay points
A 12% increase on all cash allowances: London Weighting, Prison Supplement etc.
A minimum wage in the Probation Service of £15 per hour
Regional Reward and Recognition funds to be the subject of collective bargaining.
Following a meeting of Napo’s Probation Negotiating Committee (PNC), and discussions with the other recognised trade unions (Unison and GMB/SCOOP), a joint pay claim for our members in the Probation Service has been submitted to HMPPS for the 2026/27 pay year.
In submitting this claim the trade unions commit to work for our members to secure a realistic cost of living increase and address low pay in Probation, while continuing our campaign to make up the lost ground on comparable pay."
It has been agreed the claim will be supplemented by further detailed evidence, to be provided once the employer has shared detailed workforce and other data, which will also provide a key part of the union's joint approach to negotiations."
Sound familiar???
_____________________________________________________
"PROBATION SERVICE PAY CLAIM 2025
TIME TO RESTORE PROBATION PAY
3. The Claim
We seek:
A one year pay deal
A 12% increase on all pay points
A 12% increase on all cash allowances: London Weighting /Geographical Allowances etc
A minimum wage in the Probation Service of £15 per hour
The conversion of the current Regional Reward and Recognition funds into a single fund for staff retention purposes, to be the subject of collective bargaining"
______________________________________________________
Best part of £800,000 spent on staff at Napo and they seem to have simply photocopied the last pay claim submission.
May I make a suggestion:
Canon imageRUNNER C3326i A3 Colour Multifunction Laser Printer (Wireless)
Print, scan and copy
17.8cm LCD colour touchscreen
Window and Mac compatible
1,200 sheet input capacity
£2,828.74 (£2,357.28 ex. VAT)
Ryman Superior Copy Paper A4 80gsm - box contains 15 reams, totalling 7500 sheets of high-quality, 80gsm paper... ideal for all your printing, faxing, and copying needs.
£74.99
If there's no money for a big payrise then I'll take 3% and a 4 day week with no pay cut, should be doable with Justice Transcribe and all these other amazing things they blather about
DeleteConstantly annoys me that I find out about this via a blog rather than directly from Unison.
DeleteThe pay claim is all so much hot air unless they start mobilising the troops and win a couple of small victories to increase morale.
ReplyDeleteHow’s about instructing members to only work contracted hours, or taking a legal case in respect of the harm caused by stress and resulting mental health problems.
Look at the Birmingham bin workers who have stood by their principles for a long 14 months to defend terms and conditions. Look at the BMA who have demonstrated solidarity over several years and significantly enhanced their incomes, albeit with a lot still to do.
Let’s see the supposed leadership do some leading and raise their heads above the parapet otherwise it’s just words.
This money should already have been paid as the pay deal should have been finalised in time for 1st. April in line with terms and conditions.
This government ( and any which succeeds it) are in serious trouble with their finances and the options are to cut spending, raise taxes or borrow more. We are heading into another period of austerity and if there is no fight, there will be no pay rise.
"We are heading into another period of austerity"
DeleteWe have been in a period of austerity for years now and it aint gonna get any better for several generations.
Only a priveleged few are lucky enough to be able to complete a food shop without looking at the prices, to be able to buy somewhere to live without fearing a shift in interest rates, to be able to heat their home or run a vehicle without counting the pennies.
Many, in fact most, of the folks I know are living in a murky nether-world of renting property, cars on contracts, furniture on buy--now-pay-later, holidays & other major purchases on numerous credit cards. They actually own very little but owe vast sums. There has to be a reckoning eventually.
And that is the sledgehammer of Damocles waiting to fall. We've only been hit by a series of toffee hammers to date. Since 2008 the global financial system has been recovering, but only in favour of a small percentage; mostly the so-called techbros, the $billionaires & $trillionaires, the political class hoovering up taxpayer cash & the highly organised criminal gangs exploiting technology via any number of sophisticated frauds.
Its thought the UK economy loses more than £200 billion annually to fraud. Estimates suggest tax system fraud/errors [£46bn], historic pandemic-related schemes [£11bn) & benefit fraud [£6bn] account for some £60+bn losses to the public purse.
Presumably that loss to the public purse doesn't include the £hundreds-of-millions handed to numerous useless, performative fuckwits posing as 'leaders' in a range of publicly funded roles. While they preach & measure & bully the public sector workforce, they are lining their pockets with eye-watering salaries, pension schemes, bonuses & golden goodbyes.
And while they enjoy their comfortable lifestyles, exchange recipes & recommendations for fizz - y'all keep on turning up, working through your lunch breaks, staying late, catch up at home, pop in for a couple of hours at the weekend to 'tidy up a few loose ends'...
Oh, and about 5,500 of you each give £21 a year to a GenSec who does ... ?
1219 spot but as much as I agree I have never heard Napo or others show support to do anything than accept the brutalising we have experienced. I for one realise this is a crap job and that's all I want to give it.
DeleteSurveys launched to seek views on the use of Approved Premises, staffing and availability
ReplyDeleteThat spells the end welcome serco
DeleteIt's probably already been posted but despite all the ongoing recruitment of PQuips over the last few years, there were 5,573 FTE band 4 probation officers in post as at 31 March 2026 — a slight decrease of 84 FTE (1.5%) since 31 March 2025. So they're either still not recruiting enough or are really struggling with retention due to just how shitty the job has become.
ReplyDeleteNAPO, 29 May 2026: "We will be responding to a letter sent by the employer yesterday... regarding industrial action in response to their failure to resolve our longstanding workloads dispute."
ReplyDeleteGo on then, what happened? What did you say? What did the employer think about your response? When are you going on strike?
Or:
was there ever a response, let alone one threatening industrial action?
Yours, a disinterested & very bored onlooker.
"Napo's National Executive Committee has unanimously declared that it has no confidence in HMPPS as an employer, as concerns over workloads, pay, health and safety and broken agreements continue to grow across the Probation Service... This no confidence motion is proof if ever it was needed that trust in the employer’s ability to handle workloads, pay, health and safety and the implementation of agreements that directly affect staff has evaporated. Things need to change, and they need to change now... NEC reviewed organising plans, campaign activity and member engagement strategies designed to build pressure on HMPPS and the Ministry of Justice in the weeks ahead... Napo is preparing for the possibility of a formal industrial action ballot."
ReplyDeleteCan I hear knees knocking in Petty France from here...?
No. Its just the clatter of bedpans as they piss themselves laughing. Again. And again. And again. And again.
Advert: The Hardman Directory: A Practical Tool for Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hope
Let’s play your Hardman & Rehabilitation hand of hope and raise you Probation Quarterly Ai & Context.
Deletehttps://www.probation-institute.org/news/probation-quarterly-issue-40
Aye, it seems everyone wants their piece of what probation practice represents but no-one wants a probation service.
DeleteMike Nellis “ Put simply, the government seems to be reconfiguring the Probation Service as a punitive-surveillant agency. More is in play here than AI, but AI is being aligned with it. It is difficult to see how rehabilitation and supporting desistance will thrive amidst arrangements in which punishment and monitoring are the main intended influences on probation’s identity.”
Deletehttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/expanded-drug-rehabilitation-requirement-drug-testing-process-evaluation
ReplyDeleteInteresting enough just had an email stating WMT will stay until at least until September. Apparently ‘ the change is being implemented because the WMT no longer reflects the reality of probation workloads.’ No shit Sherlock, it is been removed because everyone is aware it is so divisive and shows favouritism towards other team members!
ReplyDeleteIs that the rubbish your managers told you? Probation is set to absorb a surge of cases because of the sentencing changes. WMT is being hidden because the pending increase in caseloads will send WMT through the roof. The new WMT they’re working on will be less accurate than the current one.
DeleteInstead of getting rid of wmt why are they not making the software better linking it up to your electronic diary and making it so you can input data into it like having to fill put a housing form or doing safeguarding referral, appointment start and end times, Oasys completions etc etc a d then giving an estimate of how much time you have left for other tasks based on your hours...
ReplyDelete