tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post2059918832283666667..comments2024-03-28T14:37:09.958+00:00Comments on On Probation Blog: News Roundup 8 Jim Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258147767051200157noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-39401122339671401592016-11-30T23:53:18.656+00:002016-11-30T23:53:18.656+00:00As with all Government privatizations one of the m...As with all Government privatizations one of the main assumptions (clearly wrong in almost every instance but the Government doggedly clings to the idea) is that the privatization will bring INNOVATION to the work to be privatized. Not a single one of the successful (dubious!) private companies that bought out the CRC's has stepped forward with any suggestions whatsoever about alternative "punishments" to prison, more refined and worthwhile unpaid work schemes or anything else to help keep people out of prison in order to alleviate some of the pressures on the prisoners and prison staff in our over-full prisons. My grandma shows more innovation in her cooking than all the private owners of the CRC's put together show in any form of innovation in any aspect of Probation work or dealing with those who come before the courts. Miss Truss - Secretary of State for Justice - time to get to work on these privateers and make them INNOVATE like they all promised. As this is totally unlikely then reinstate a "proper" joined up Probation Service and let them show you how it should be done. Remember they were an award winning service before Grayling destroyed them, and they could still rise from the ashes before it is too late. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-83884617463974871382016-11-30T23:49:46.108+00:002016-11-30T23:49:46.108+00:00Will NAPO provide the Guardian with a statement sa...Will NAPO provide the Guardian with a statement saying how the union feel privatisation? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-72858676576317303412016-11-30T23:35:52.092+00:002016-11-30T23:35:52.092+00:00'Constructive' does not sound scientific. ...'Constructive' does not sound scientific. It more implies they know what they're doing. The fact is they do not and there is nothing constructive or purposeful about any of this governments policies towards crime, punishment and rehabilitation. Everything current our side of the CJS stems from TR which was one of the most flawed policies there's been in a long time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-55651301172634654312016-11-30T23:23:28.477+00:002016-11-30T23:23:28.477+00:00"Toughness "versus "constructive me..."Toughness "versus "constructive measures to reduce offending" : how would the latter not appeal to the public? How would the latter be less politically expedient than the former? Constructive measures to reduce reoffending sounds scientific, well thought through, proven to be effective. It invites us to focus on the desired end result, less crime. <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-23045866160353326112016-11-30T23:13:55.350+00:002016-11-30T23:13:55.350+00:00No I disagree because we should expect more rather...No I disagree because we should expect more rather than less. NAPO should focus upon it's core business, wages terms and conditions AND indulge its members in any perks and benefits of being in a union.<br /><br />What is happening with the pay claim is a mystery at the moment, the 26 year pay spine (which is actually infinite due to pay freezes) is not shortening, and the only way we'll have equal pay for work of equal value will be when the last remaining probation officers have been replaced by PSO's.<br /><br />I say bring on the Xmas 'perks'. I have no qualms being distracted from the reality that nothing will improve with Napo as it's general secretary is happy being paid £70,000 to achieve less than nothing. No different from all those [privateer arse-licker and MoJ nodding-dog] probation directors and assistant directors sitting pretty with their £50k salaries. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-82997656672463076112016-11-30T22:30:10.934+00:002016-11-30T22:30:10.934+00:00NAPO should focus upon it's core business, wag...NAPO should focus upon it's core business, wages terms and conditions before indulging in bonus points and star prizes.<br />What is happening with a pay claim, shortening of the 26 year pay spine, and equal pay for work pf equal value?<br />Xmas 'perks,' are simply a distraction Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-4752760322008180222016-11-30T21:25:11.531+00:002016-11-30T21:25:11.531+00:00PO's are leaving in the NPS too. Most have had...PO's are leaving in the NPS too. Most have had enough. In my area both the NPS and CRC are deserted. Except for a handful of temp PO's and a few PSO's.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-7621367810438669292016-11-30T20:58:26.295+00:002016-11-30T20:58:26.295+00:00Ok I get the point but not all of us live for work...Ok I get the point but not all of us live for work. We work hard and should have some benefits. Christmas can be a magic time for some, especially kids and families. Napo is trying to give members some perks which we very much deserve. These actual perks are crap, but crap perks are better than no perks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-21660654545874506802016-11-30T20:55:20.714+00:002016-11-30T20:55:20.714+00:00Community service is not tough enough and needs to...Community service is not tough enough and needs to be a more visible punishment, Britain’s most senior judge has suggested as he says offenders view non-jail sentences as “getting off” free.<br /><br />The Lord Chief Justice called for harsher community penalties as an alternative to imprisonment at a time when jails are “overstretched” and unable to cope with overcrowding.<br /><br />Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd said making offenders more “visible” while they are carrying out work could deter offenders from seeing community service as an easy way out.<br /><br />He stressed both sides of the “controversial issue” needed debate and said there are “plenty of ways” to make workers stand out without “dressing people up” in striped uniforms.<br /><br />His comments come amid mounting questions over the prison population in England and Wales.<br /><br />This month thousands of prison officers staged a walkout after claiming the system was “in meltdown”.<br /><br />Around 85,000 people are currently behind bars and campaigners have repeatedly warned about overcrowding and rising levels of violence and self-harm.<br /><br />Speaking on Tuesday Lord Thomas said: “If you are sending someone to prison for a very short time, the ability of the prison to cope with that person is limited in the current circumstances.<br /><br />“What is absolutely essential is that you have, for magistrates in particular but also for judges, really good alternatives to prison.”<br /><br />He added: “There are two issues: how do you balance rehabilitation and punishment and what should the punishment be. Should you have some really tough kind of work for them to do? Should you make the punishment visible? These are issues that need to be debated.”<br /><br />Lord Thomas also said more work needed to be done in ensuring community sentences were not viewed as a soft option for those who have broken the law.<br /><br />He said: “We need to look much more carefully at how we give the public confidence, and the judiciary and particularly the magistracy.<br /><br />“Many defendants often say, ‘Phew, I’ve got off,’ and that is a terrible, terrible indictment of the system.<br /><br />Earlier this month Michael Gove said criminals should not be sent to prison unless there is no alternative.<br /><br />But director of Voice for Victims and former probation union official, Harry Fletcher, said "toughening up" community penalties was not simple.<br /><br />He said: “There have been calls to harden up community service and make it more visible for the last ten years. It has proved highly impractical to do it.<br /><br />“First, there is a shortage of placements and second there is a risk of abuse from the public to offenders and if the offenders are highly visible there’s a tendency for them not to show up, which defeats the point of it.<br /><br />“Community service must not be a vehicle to replace work down by local authority councils because it would put people out of work. It’s easy for the Lord Chief Justice to call for tougher community service but how do you do that? Make offenders break up rocks? Or do hard physical labour?<br /><br />“The reality is most of them are addicted to drugs or alcohol or both, and many have mental or physical health issues so therefore are incapable of doing hard, physical work.”<br /><br />Community sentences range from unpaid work to treatment programs and group activities.<br /><br />Offenders doing tasks such as removing graffiti, clearing wasteland and decorating public places are required to wear a high-visibility orange vest under the current regime.<br /><br />In 2008 Labour controversially introduced vests with the words “Community Payback” written on the back for criminals on community service.Jim Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00258147767051200157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-35377932677352377202016-11-30T20:36:03.725+00:002016-11-30T20:36:03.725+00:00Article here in the Telegraph. Lord Chief Justice ...Article here in the Telegraph. Lord Chief Justice wants much tougher community payback sentences, and more visibility to public. <br /><br />http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/30/lord-chief-justicecommunity-service-not-tough-enough-needs-visible/<br /><br />'Getafix'Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-64194608950415532752016-11-30T19:26:54.889+00:002016-11-30T19:26:54.889+00:00OMG as YPT say. Look what just dropped into my em...OMG as YPT say. Look what just dropped into my emails<br />Dear XXX,<br />If Christmas is magic, the build-up is manic. We can’t help you untangle your fairy lights. Or write the cards. Or squeeze a small army’s worth of food into an already bulging freezer. But we can help you make amazing savings on your Christmas shopping. (Read: more for your mulled wine budget.)<br />Click here to browse a selection of merry, Napo Extra offers available.<br />Best Wishes<br />Napo HQ<br /><br />Off message? Working with head and heart to find accommodation for the homeless, early release for the motivated (but I cant secure any accommodation), supporting vulnerable people caught in the Daniel BLake Catch 22 bullying benefits regime, and they send me this crap. Bah Effing Humbuganonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15359540301847252660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-9583651901931249312016-11-30T18:51:08.194+00:002016-11-30T18:51:08.194+00:00Not just Magistrates leaving in high numbers so ar...Not just Magistrates leaving in high numbers so are Probation Officers more notably in the CRC,s.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-32761569801014371392016-11-30T18:17:30.747+00:002016-11-30T18:17:30.747+00:00Regarding ESA and Unpaid work.Guideline V0322
Comm...Regarding ESA and Unpaid work.Guideline V0322<br />Community service<br />1 R(S) 5/51; R(S) 13/52; R(S) 24/52; R(S) 34/52; R(S) 37/52; R(S) 8/55; R(S) 2/61; R(S) 2/74; R(S) 10/79<br />V3022 Community service should not be regarded as work. Courts will take account of a person’s limited capability and the type and extent of activities prescribed by the court should be appropriate to the limited capability.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-31498074597331507562016-11-30T18:13:04.836+00:002016-11-30T18:13:04.836+00:00Last year 8,600 probation staff were outsourced as...Last year 8,600 probation staff were outsourced as part of the privatisation of more than half of the probation service in England and Wales.<br /><br />In 2014, seven-year-long contracts for rehabilitation services worth £3.7bn were awarded to companies such as Staffline, Sodexo and MTCnovo to supervise low and medium-risk offenders. Those who are deemed high-risk are still supervised by the National Probation Service.<br /><br />If you work in probation services we’d like to hear from you. What do you think of their current state, and how have you been affected?<br /><br />You can share your experiences with us by filling in the form below - anonymously if you wish. All information will be kept confidential and we will feature some of the submissions in our coverage.Jim Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00258147767051200157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-88924807861229577142016-11-30T18:11:06.796+00:002016-11-30T18:11:06.796+00:00A new way of measuring crime in England and Wales ...A new way of measuring crime in England and Wales has been devised that ranks offences according to their seriousness.<br />The Crime Severity Score is designed to reflect the relative harm of offending, rather than how many crimes there are.<br />Under the new system, murder is given the top weighting - 7,979 points per offence - while cannabis possession has the lowest of three points per offence.<br />West Yorkshire had the highest crime severity score, Dyfed-Powys the lowest.<br />The Metropolitan Police's score was second highest.<br />The Office for National Statistics compiled the new system, and said over the past 14 years the police recorded crime rate and the Crime Severity Score (CSS) have shown similar trends - both have generally decreased but in recent years showed slight increases.<br />Drugs and damage<br />However, the ONS says the value of the CSS is in providing additional information to understand crime at a local level - although like other police figures, the CSS may fluctuate according to changes in the way forces record offences.<br />The weighting for each offence is calculated by analysing sentencing data - the tougher the sentence imposed for a particular crime; the greater the weight for that offence.<br />Once a weight has been calculated for each offence, it is multiplied by the number of incidents.<br />That total is then divided by the population for the area in question to give the Crime Severity Score.<br />In England and Wales, the CSS in 2015-16 was 10.1, compared with 14.3 in 2002-03.<br />After murder and other homicide offences, the next highest individual crime weightings are for attempted murder, aiding suicide, and rape.<br />The lowest weighted offences after possession of cannabis were soliciting for prostitution, possession of controlled drugs more generally, criminal damage to buildings, and dishonest use of electricity.<br />'Blunt instrument'<br />The law and order debate has been hampered for many years by the absence of statistics that reflect the reality of offending.<br />The police recorded figures are a blunt instrument: they measure only the volume of crimes reported and logged by forces - a murder and a theft each count as one crime, for example.<br />The other long-standing crime measurement tool is the Crime Survey of England and Wales, the main benefit of which is that it includes offences that aren't reported to police.<br />But the survey has its limitations as well - some categories of crime are not measured and when it estimates the number of crimes no distinction is made between offences which cause severe harm and those that are less serious.Jim Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00258147767051200157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-64924175540119554872016-11-30T17:50:41.412+00:002016-11-30T17:50:41.412+00:00On sentencing variability:
A Post-code Lottery? T...On sentencing variability:<br /><br />A Post-code Lottery? The Different Rates of Custody<br /><br />Criminal justice areas where benches have curbed their use of immediate custodial sentences include Bedfordshire, Dorset, Durham, Kent, Northumbria, Staffordshire and Warwickshire. However, magistrates’ courts in areas such as Derbyshire, Gwent and Northamptonshire imposed immediate prison terms more frequently in 2011 than they did in 2001.<br /><br />The areas which imposed the highest rates of imprisonment in 2011 were:<br /><br />Northamptonshire: 6.5 per cent<br />Derbyshire: 6.2 per cent<br />West Midlands: 5.8 per cent<br /><br />The areas where magistrates’ courts imposed the lowest rates of imprisonment were:<br /><br />Northumbria: 1.6 per cent<br />Warwickshire: 1.5 per cent<br /><br />https://www.criminallawandjustice.co.uk/features/Sentencing-Magistrates%E2%80%99-Courts<br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-25362486132198308582016-11-30T17:37:00.747+00:002016-11-30T17:37:00.747+00:00Here's the Guardian link.
https://www.thegua...Here's the Guardian link. <br /><br />https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/nov/30/tell-us-about-the-state-of-uk-probation-servicesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-15440665952729202362016-11-30T17:27:48.224+00:002016-11-30T17:27:48.224+00:00Guardian on line asking for feedback from probatio...Guardian on line asking for feedback from probation staff on impact of privatisationAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-65030554263555339592016-11-30T17:16:50.246+00:002016-11-30T17:16:50.246+00:00Most interesting article by Richard Garside.
I don...Most interesting article by Richard Garside.<br />I don't know about wanting tough community sentences, but I think many magistrates would like to have far better options for community penalties.<br /><br />I am not sure that magistrates sentence to custody excessively - the guidelines now prevent this quite effectively. Breaches are possibly a different matter, particularly breach of Post Sentence Supervision.<br />Here's a regular problem with Community Orders:<br />First, Probation recommends a number of days of RAR - a maximum number of days, note, not the actual number. Does any magistrate know what actually happens in RAR? I doubt it. <br />Want to impose some unpaid work (community payback)? No, defendant is on ESA so can't do it. How about a curfew then? No, indications of domestic abuse in an earlier relationship so not possible. And so it goes.<br />So a high level community order may end up as some RAR and a fine - which won't be paid or payable as defendant is on benefits and already has the maximum deduction.<br />In stead of worrying whether community orders are tough enough let's have some imaginative options which make them meaningful.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-86123826348238798912016-11-30T13:21:15.502+00:002016-11-30T13:21:15.502+00:00Should I divide by pi, or multiply by the current ...Should I divide by pi, or multiply by the current VAT rate? <br /><br />http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38157840<br /><br />'Getafix'Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-43355523255618083912016-11-30T11:38:21.750+00:002016-11-30T11:38:21.750+00:00I think the magistrates stopped reading this blog ...I think the magistrates stopped reading this blog some time ago.Jim Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00258147767051200157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-86513761595367019542016-11-30T08:30:15.092+00:002016-11-30T08:30:15.092+00:00HMP Hindley Report: The POA are still part of the ...HMP Hindley Report: The POA are still part of the problem in achieving decent regimes. Even microwaves that would make a difference for the better are opposed.<br /><br />'Many examples of good practice could be found in the chaplaincy, education and health care.<br />The same could not be said about the residential areas. There needs to be an honest appraisal of the culture that predominates among some staff in these areas. Inspectors were disappointed to be told things by some members of staff that were at variance with the very clear evidence before us' (p.5)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-9431544655182590372016-11-30T08:08:42.917+00:002016-11-30T08:08:42.917+00:00Could the author of The Magistrate's Blog offe...Could the author of The Magistrate's Blog offer any more accurate figures or observation about the magistrates' quiet revolution?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com