Probation services are on the “brink of collapse” and the public could be in danger, a cross-party group of MPs warns. The number of offenders recalled to prisons is at an “all-time high” – 13,583 at the end of March – and has shot up 49% since June 2021. Probation service staff are working in a “toxic environment, in a culture built on emotional strain and trauma”, according to Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the chairman of Westminster’s powerful public accounts committee.
He had a blunt message for the Government: “The probation service in England and Wales is failing.”
The risk of harm presented by offenders was properly assessed in fewer than three out of 10 cases. The vacancy rate for probation officers has soared from 14% in 2021 to 21% last year. Meanwhile, the social and economic cost of reoffending is an estimated £21billion a year. The MPs’ investigation found services had deteriorated since coming under full public control in 2021.
Mental ill-health is the most common cause of staff illness, with the service suffering from a sickness rate of 13.2 days in the year to March. Sir Geoffrey warned the “public’s safety” relies on staff being able to perform their duties. He fears planned changes to the service could “cause further disruption and place more pressure on overstretched staff”.
A radical increase in the use of electronic monitoring is expected. Today, around 26,600 people are monitored this way but an increase of up to 22,000 is expected.
Sir Geoffrey said: “Unfortunately, the landscape for probation is not going to become more forgiving for a service which has slipped into decline in recent years, as plans to free up capacity, including with early release schemes, in other parts of the crisis-ridden justice system are likely to increase demand…The probation service is already teetering on the brink. Government’s immediate goal must be to avoid making matters worse.”
Reform UK Sarah Pochin said: “The probation service is on the brink of collapse. Millions of pounds has been poured into it, yet reoffending is rising fast showing a complete failure of law and order in this country.
“Reform UK will shut the revolving door on repeat criminals with tougher sentencing: commit more crime, serve more time.”
Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin says the probation service is collapsing (Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Express)
Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy MP said: “Probation is being pushed past breaking point as Labour continue to release tens of thousands of prisoners early. Pressure is growing in the wrong places at the worst possible moment. We warned Labour didn’t have a plan for what came after their mass release of criminals. And now we are seeing the consequences in our communities. While Labour tolerate this lawlessness, the pressure on our prisons has not eased. What we need is a radical plan for our prisons. Not Lammy’s surrender to crime.”
Andrew Neilson, of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “The committee’s findings speak to the fact that across probation, overstretched staff face unrealistic caseloads and struggle to provide high quality support and supervision.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “This Government inherited a Probation Service under immense pressure which has placed too great a burden on our hardworking staff. We’re fixing it by committing to a record £700million funding increase, recruiting 1,300 probation officers and investing in new technology that will cut a quarter of a million days worth of admin – these changes will help staff focus on reducing reoffending and protecting the public.
