Probation: 'Too few staff, with too little experience, managing too many offenders'
Holding his chin in his hand and staring into the distance, a probation officer tells me how he planned to end his life. "I started to prepare how I was going to do it," he says. "I needed to get out of this work situation - I'd been doing the job for so long and it had got even busier and chaotic. I just couldn't cope and I needed an exit."
His face is expressionless and his voice is solemn. Thinking about his family stopped him from going ahead - but he says panic attacks have become a regular occurrence because of his increasing workload. "It happens three or four times a week," he tells me. "Waves of nausea, heart racing, profuse sweating, and I wake up in the night thinking: 'Have I missed something at work that could lead to someone getting hurt?' "This is no way to live."
This isn't an isolated case - the National Association of Probation Officers (NAPO), which represents thousands of probation officers in England and Wales, says its members are "burning out due to the relentlessly high workloads".
Probation officers supervise offenders after prison sentences and check they follow other terms of their release, such as sticking to curfews and not taking drugs. They also help former prisoners with housing, employment and access to benefits, and protect the public by assessing the risk of further offending.
In its 2022/2023 annual report, external, the probation watchdog assessed most of the probation service was working beyond its capacity. The probation caseload - that's the number of former offenders staff are attending to - was 238,646 at the end of June 2024. That figure is slightly higher than in 2023, when it was 238,264. Probation officers may have multiple appointments with each person.
Since the HM Inspectorate of Probation report was published and those caseload figures were captured, probation officers' workloads have increased significantly - because the government released more than 2,000 offenders early from prisons in England and Wales to deal with overcrowding.
The justice secretary said this had prevented the penal system from reaching maximum capacity, and "a total breakdown of law and order".
"We used to have around eight appointments a day - some with people of high risk," the probation officer explains, "but that's gone up to 12 appointments - colleagues are crying at their desks as it's too much."
Appointments can involve a probation officer and offender discussing the rules of the probation, the dates and times of future appointments, and job and training opportunities. Some offenders are serious criminals who require close and regular monitoring, and if probation officers are overworked they might miss opportunities to prevent them reoffending.
The murder of Zara Aleena in east London in 2022 was partly blamed on mistakes made by probation staff. Her killer, Jordan McSweeney, attacked Ms Aleena nine days after his release on license from prison. The unit responsible for supervising him had staffing levels of just 61%.
The probation officer tells me about a former prisoner who should have been visited by a probation officer but wasn't - and then went on to stab someone. "That's what we're dealing with," he says. "It's not our fault, we can't do it all. "And then we have to live with feelings of guilt."
The government said it would recruit 1,000 new officers by March 2025 to help with the additional duties, but critics argue it takes at least a year to train a probation officer. Staff say it will take time before additional staff make any difference.
"It's not like we're going to have these extra staff now up and running which is what we want," another probation officer, who's been working in the sector for several years, says. "There's not a day that passes where I don't think about quitting. We're facing excessive workloads and poor pay - all of which have led to entrenched problems of staff retention and sickness rates in crucial roles."
Sickness levels among probation officers have gone up nationally. In the year to September 2024, HMPSS staff each lost an average of 11.4 working days to sickness absence - an increase from 11.2 average working days lost for the year ending 31 March 2024.
Senior probation staff claim at least 75% of that sickness is down to stress. The service is also facing a significant shortfall in staff. Last year's annual report from HM Inspectorate of Probation cited "chronic under-staffing" and the "knock-on impact on workloads" as key issues of concern. There are 20,652 full-time probation staff in England and Wales - an increase of 103 on the previous year.
His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) says 790 probation officers left the service in England and Wales over the last year (to the end of Sept 2024). This is a slight decrease (0.8%) compared to the previous year.
"My mental health is a mess. I'm getting upset stomachs and feeling drained all the time. It's my job and its affecting my health," the second probation officers says. "I get why people are leaving - I would if I didn't have a mortgage and bills."
Recent inspectorate reports into probation services in various parts of the country also make for grim reading - with many identifying staffing to be an issue. In November, the Bradford and Calderdale Probation Delivery Unit in West Yorkshire was assessed by the Inspectorate to be "inadequate", and at risk of not protecting the public from harm because of "large gaps in staffing".
Martin Jones, chief inspector of probation, says he's deeply concerned warning signs could be missed because of the excessive workload. "The more pressure probation officers are under, they may miss things going wrong, so - of course - I'm acutely worried about that. "What you're seeing is a service under huge pressure. My assessment is the probation service has too few staff, with too little experience, managing too many cases. Is that really sustainable for the long term?"
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson told the BBC the new government inherited a prison system in "crisis", and it had been "forced into taking difficult but necessary action so it can keep locking up dangerous criminals and protect the public".
"This included replacing the last Government's early release scheme with one that gives probation staff more time to prepare for a prisoner's release and with new protections in relation to domestic abuse offences."
This isn't an isolated case - the National Association of Probation Officers (NAPO), which represents thousands of probation officers in England and Wales, says its members are "burning out due to the relentlessly high workloads".
Probation officers supervise offenders after prison sentences and check they follow other terms of their release, such as sticking to curfews and not taking drugs. They also help former prisoners with housing, employment and access to benefits, and protect the public by assessing the risk of further offending.
In its 2022/2023 annual report, external, the probation watchdog assessed most of the probation service was working beyond its capacity. The probation caseload - that's the number of former offenders staff are attending to - was 238,646 at the end of June 2024. That figure is slightly higher than in 2023, when it was 238,264. Probation officers may have multiple appointments with each person.
Since the HM Inspectorate of Probation report was published and those caseload figures were captured, probation officers' workloads have increased significantly - because the government released more than 2,000 offenders early from prisons in England and Wales to deal with overcrowding.
The justice secretary said this had prevented the penal system from reaching maximum capacity, and "a total breakdown of law and order".
"We used to have around eight appointments a day - some with people of high risk," the probation officer explains, "but that's gone up to 12 appointments - colleagues are crying at their desks as it's too much."
Appointments can involve a probation officer and offender discussing the rules of the probation, the dates and times of future appointments, and job and training opportunities. Some offenders are serious criminals who require close and regular monitoring, and if probation officers are overworked they might miss opportunities to prevent them reoffending.
The murder of Zara Aleena in east London in 2022 was partly blamed on mistakes made by probation staff. Her killer, Jordan McSweeney, attacked Ms Aleena nine days after his release on license from prison. The unit responsible for supervising him had staffing levels of just 61%.
The probation officer tells me about a former prisoner who should have been visited by a probation officer but wasn't - and then went on to stab someone. "That's what we're dealing with," he says. "It's not our fault, we can't do it all. "And then we have to live with feelings of guilt."
The government said it would recruit 1,000 new officers by March 2025 to help with the additional duties, but critics argue it takes at least a year to train a probation officer. Staff say it will take time before additional staff make any difference.
"It's not like we're going to have these extra staff now up and running which is what we want," another probation officer, who's been working in the sector for several years, says. "There's not a day that passes where I don't think about quitting. We're facing excessive workloads and poor pay - all of which have led to entrenched problems of staff retention and sickness rates in crucial roles."
Sickness levels among probation officers have gone up nationally. In the year to September 2024, HMPSS staff each lost an average of 11.4 working days to sickness absence - an increase from 11.2 average working days lost for the year ending 31 March 2024.
Senior probation staff claim at least 75% of that sickness is down to stress. The service is also facing a significant shortfall in staff. Last year's annual report from HM Inspectorate of Probation cited "chronic under-staffing" and the "knock-on impact on workloads" as key issues of concern. There are 20,652 full-time probation staff in England and Wales - an increase of 103 on the previous year.
His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) says 790 probation officers left the service in England and Wales over the last year (to the end of Sept 2024). This is a slight decrease (0.8%) compared to the previous year.
"My mental health is a mess. I'm getting upset stomachs and feeling drained all the time. It's my job and its affecting my health," the second probation officers says. "I get why people are leaving - I would if I didn't have a mortgage and bills."
Recent inspectorate reports into probation services in various parts of the country also make for grim reading - with many identifying staffing to be an issue. In November, the Bradford and Calderdale Probation Delivery Unit in West Yorkshire was assessed by the Inspectorate to be "inadequate", and at risk of not protecting the public from harm because of "large gaps in staffing".
Martin Jones, chief inspector of probation, says he's deeply concerned warning signs could be missed because of the excessive workload. "The more pressure probation officers are under, they may miss things going wrong, so - of course - I'm acutely worried about that. "What you're seeing is a service under huge pressure. My assessment is the probation service has too few staff, with too little experience, managing too many cases. Is that really sustainable for the long term?"
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson told the BBC the new government inherited a prison system in "crisis", and it had been "forced into taking difficult but necessary action so it can keep locking up dangerous criminals and protect the public".
"This included replacing the last Government's early release scheme with one that gives probation staff more time to prepare for a prisoner's release and with new protections in relation to domestic abuse offences."
Jim, no apology needed for the delay in publishing this blog. It could have been written a year ago, yesterday, or a year tomorrow. The only constant is that things do not improve and in fact often get worse.
ReplyDeleteThe glorious leaders know what is happening on the frontline and have done nothing to prevent the rot over the past decade. They keep claiming to be recruiting but at the same time are doing nothing to retain experienced staff who are leaving in their droves.
The churn of staff has become something of a joke with large numbers not even qualifying before leaving and the thought of anybody doing interventions or rehabilitative work is simply preposterous.
I can’t think of any function of the probation service that can’t be incorporated into the work of prison staff for those in custody, or the police for those in the community. I have said before that I think the only remaining purpose of probation is to carry the can when it all goes wrong.
Perhaps the time is right to wrap it all up and walk away.
I escaped the mad house 4 years ago. I was bad enough back then and I shudder to think what it's like currently. Stress, depression, panic attacks are all history for me now. God help anyone on the 'shop floor' as it's only going to get worse.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.aol.co.uk/news/ankle-tag-pilot-flops-two-190652423.html
ReplyDeleteThe Home Office lost contact with two thirds of asylum seekers who had been electronically tagged, a report has revealed.
After 500 days, officials reported that two thirds of those on tags were no longer in contact with the Home Office, the same rate as a “control” group who were tag-free.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gps-expansion-pilot-evaluation/gps-expansion-pilot-evaluation
Martin Jones is right. Too many subjected to probation supervision, with too many inexperienced staff holding too many excessive caseloads.
ReplyDeleteHowever, doubling the pay and halfing the caseloads dosent change the system one jot, and it's the system that's gone wrong.
Jones is reported in today's Times pointing out that too many people on probation are being recalled.
It might be an uncomfortable truth, but far too many decisions taken by probation today are about protecting the service itself, and not much at all about protecting the public.
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/prisoners-recalls-times-crime-justice-commission-3n0gk3nxq
Chin up Jim, good to see you back!
There has to be big changes around the corner for probation, it just can't be left to go on the way it is. They might not be what we would like to see, but what ever they are I for one would like to be able to log on and get your opinion.
'Getafix
Too many ex-prisoners are being recalled to jail because of “excessive” licensing conditions, the chief inspector of probation has said.
DeleteMartin Jones cited Ministry of Justice statistics showing that only 12 per cent of offenders were recalled to prison due to further criminal behaviour.
The bulk, 88 per cent, were recalled for failing to comply with licensing conditions such as abstention from alcohol or drugs, curfews and attending appointments with probation officers.
Jones, giving evidence to the Times Crime and Justice Commission, blamed this on the “excessive” conditions that lasted for “very extended periods of time” leading the prison recall population to increase at 100 times the rate of the past 30 years.
MoJ figures showed that the number of people in prison after being recalled while being monitored by the Probation Service was 12,579 in September 2024, up from about 150 in 1995. The recall population makes up 17 per cent of those in prison in England and Wales.
Jones urged the government to do more to educate employers and the public on the benefits of employing ex-offenders, saying that people would be “more forgiving” if they understood how vital having a job was to preventing reoffending.
He said that more needed to be done to ensure prisoners have homes to go to on release and that the reoffending rate was double for the homeless. About a fifth of prison leavers do not have a home.
Jones, whose inspects the 12 probation services of England and Wales, called for the requirement that lower level criminals be supervised by the probation service to be dropped.
Probation service monitoring is required for all offenders, but before 2015 this did not apply to those sentenced to less than a year in jail.
Before 1998, the probation service did not monitor offenders sentenced to less than four years in jail. Now, all individuals released from prison must be supervised for a minimum of 12 months, in addition to those serving community sentences.
In June 2024, the Probation Service was monitoring 238,646 offenders.
DeleteJones said: “I think what the government needs to do is unpeel the underpinning reasons why that increase has been so severe. It’s faster than other areas. We know that the prison population has doubled, but it’s an extraordinary increase. And I think it’s a result of a combination of reasons.
“One is simply that what we have done over time is increased the stretch of licence periods, so that almost everybody now released from prison is subject to supervision by the probation service for very extended periods of time. Periods of time which I think may be excessive to the risk that they represent.
“If you look at the reasons for recall to custody — and let’s be clear about this, sometimes recall is an absolutely crucial measure to protect the public from significant harm, but that’s a minority of cases — 12 per cent of the reasons for recall in the latest period were for alleged further offending, 88 per cent of reasons were for reasons of non-compliance, drug taking, alcohol and problems with accommodation.
“So if you take a step back, it’s really about people not complying with the terms of their conditions. And my fear is that the probation service is concerned about the risk of things going horribly wrong and somebody committing a serious offence.”
Jones also called for a greater use of alcohol tags. He said a significant cause of recall was young men who went straight to the pub and “run out of control and very quickly come to the attention of the authorities because they’re drunk and disorderly”.
He compared alcohol tags to cameras deterring motorists from speeding. “If people see a speed camera they slow down,” Jones said. “It’s the same thing with the alcohol tag. The reality is, if you’ve got an alcohol tag when you leave prison, say for the first four to six weeks, because that’s the critical risk period.
“And we say to people, ‘actually, we’re going to be monitoring your alcohol consumption in that period’. Now those young men might pop to the pub, and they might have a pint or two. Are they going to have ten? I don’t think they will. I think it’d be a much better way of trying to use technology a little bit smarter, but trying to get to the underpinning issue.”
Lord Howard of Lympne, the Conservative who, as home secretary, declared that “prison works”, agreed that too many ex-offenders were recalled.
He told the commission: “I think I heard somewhere there are something like 5,000 people returned to prison for breaches of conditions on which they were released on license. Some of them fairly trivial breaches. And that seems to be one area where perhaps returning them to prison isn’t the most sensible option.”