Lancashire Probation Trust
Encyclopedia
Lancashire Probation Trust is a criminal justice agency responsible for protecting the public in Lancashire, England by punishing and rehabilitating offenders.
It is one of 35 probation trusts in England and Wales that make up the National Probation Service
. The Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom)
has overall responsibility for the National Probation Service and is also responsible for courts, prisons and constitutional affairs.
In Lancashire, the Trust is responsible for the delivery of reports about offenders to the courts and the supervision of offenders in the community. It also delivers programmes and interventions to rehabilitate offenders and reduce the chance of them committing crime in the future.
The aim of community payback is to provide opportunity for offenders to make reparation to the community and to reduce re-offending. Trusts work in partnership with local communities to find suitable work placements for the offenders to complete.
The work which is selected:
work closely together under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements ( known as MAPPA) to manage high risk sexual or violent offenders. The agencies carry out thorough assessments of the risk then prepare and implement plans to minimise it. This work is supported by a range of other agencies which have a duty to cooperate including local authority housing, education and social services, the health service and job centres. , and a Youth Offending Team
.
Probation staff also supervise prisoners who have been released on a life licence (usually after they have served part or all of a life sentence). This means that the offender has to regularly meet with probation staff for the rest of their life.
Lancashire now has a dedicated Partnership called HELP to work with the families of victims of murder and manslaughter.
The loss of a loved one through murder or manslaughter is something which affects families for many years after the event. Those families need and deserve help to move them out of victimhood and into some semblance of normality. The aim of Homicide Empathy with Lancashire Partnership (HELP) is to ensure that all those involved in victim care, work effectively and most importantly, together
The HELP partnership is a collaboration of Criminal Justice and Voluntary Agencies. The partnership was set up by Lancashire Constabulary
and Lancashire Probation Trust, and now includes Victim Support
, HM Prison Service, Support After Murder And Manslaughter National (SAMM), Lancashire Criminal Justice Board and the Sophie Lancaster Foundation.
their families by ensuring that every woman offender has access to community provision which addresses her needs.
It is one of 35 probation trusts in England and Wales that make up the National Probation Service
National Probation Service
thumb|right|100px|NPS logoThe National Probation Service for England and Wales is a statutory Criminal Justice Service, mainly responsible for the supervision of offenders in the community and the provision of reports to the criminal courts to assist them in their sentencing duties...
. The Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom)
Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Justice is a ministerial department of the UK Government headed by the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor, who is responsible for improvements to the justice system so that it better serves the public...
has overall responsibility for the National Probation Service and is also responsible for courts, prisons and constitutional affairs.
Aims
The Trust aims to:- Protect the Public
- Reduce Reoffending
- Enforce Punishment of Offenders
- Rehabilitate Offenders to lead law-abiding lives
- Uphold the interests of the victims of crime
In Lancashire, the Trust is responsible for the delivery of reports about offenders to the courts and the supervision of offenders in the community. It also delivers programmes and interventions to rehabilitate offenders and reduce the chance of them committing crime in the future.
Working with the courts
Lancashire Probation is responsible for the preparation of Pre-Sentence reports for the courts. When an offender is found guilty, the Sentencer has the option to order a report from the probation trust. This is a formal report prepared by a probation officer that includes details on why the offence occurred, the circumstances, the offender’s personal background and an assessment of the risk they may still pose to the public. The Sentencer can then consider the report when making their sentencing decision. Probation staff also prepare bail information reports which assess an offender’s suitability for bail and arrange placements at probation hostels.Working in the community
A lot of work is centred on those adult offenders that are ordered to serve their sentences in the community as part of a community order. There are twelve possible requirements that can be used to make up a community order and judges can sentence an offender to any combination from them. The twelve requirements are:- Community Payback (the new name for community service)
- Activity (e.g. Basic skills courses)
- Programme (a course to address offending behaviour)
- Prohibited Activity (e.g. being banned from entering licensed premises)
- Curfew
- Exclusion (being banned from entering a specified place)
- Residence (must live at a specified address)
- Mental Health treatment
- Drug Rehabilitation
- Alcohol Treatment
- Supervision (offender attends regular appointments with probation)
- Attendance Centre (under 25s only)
Community Payback
Community Payback can be a single requirement attached to a community order or can form part of a larger order. The court can order the offender to complete between 40 – 300 hours of unpaid work depending on the seriousness of the offence.The aim of community payback is to provide opportunity for offenders to make reparation to the community and to reduce re-offending. Trusts work in partnership with local communities to find suitable work placements for the offenders to complete.
The work which is selected:
- promotes community safety and public protection
- prevents crime and tackles causes of crime by better neighbourhood security
- makes good the harm caused by crime, repairing damage and helping victims
- lessens fear of crime, for example making safer footpaths and environments
Programmes
Nationally-accredited programmes aim to reduce reoffending by getting offenders to address offending behaviour and challenging their attitudes and beliefs. They are intense courses that can last over long periods of time. The programmes that the probation service delivers in Lancashire are:- Thinking Skills Programme A thinking skills group work programme designed to help change thoughts, attitudes and values behind criminal behaviour.
- Addressing Substance Related Offending It is a behaviour programme that looks at reducing substance abuse and preventing re-offending. Its focus is on changing attitude and solving problems.
- Drink Impaired Driving For offences of driving with excess alcohol or linked offences.
- Sex Offender Group work Programme (SOGP) For adult male offenders who have committed sexual offences. Specialist assessment is required for this intensive programme.
- Internet Sex Offender Programme - ISOP For male offenders with convictions for internet only sex offences. It is designed to reduce the risk of future internet offending and progression to contact sex offending.
- Controlling Anger and Learning to Manage - CALM - A programme for male offenders to reduce aggressive and offending behaviour through teaching social skills, emotional management and cognitive techniques
- Community Domestic violence Programme - CDVP- A programme for male Offenders to reduce/stop acts of domestic violence against partners/ex-partners thus reducing the risk of repeat victimisation.
Managing Sexual and Violent Offenders
Lancashire Probation Trust, along with Lancashire Constabulary and Her Majesty's Prison ServiceHer Majesty's Prison Service
Her Majesty's Prison Service is a part of the National Offender Management Service of the Government of the United Kingdom tasked with managing most of the prisons within England and Wales...
work closely together under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements ( known as MAPPA) to manage high risk sexual or violent offenders. The agencies carry out thorough assessments of the risk then prepare and implement plans to minimise it. This work is supported by a range of other agencies which have a duty to cooperate including local authority housing, education and social services, the health service and job centres. , and a Youth Offending Team
Youth Offending Team
In England and Wales a Youth Offending Team is a multi-agency team that is coordinated by a local authority, which is overseen by the Youth Justice Board It deals with young offenders, sets up community services and reparation plans, and attempts to prevent youth recidivism and incarceration...
.
Supervising Offenders Released from Prison
Every offender sentenced to 12 months or more in prison is required to be supervised in the community for a proportion of their sentence. Probation staff work closely with HMPS to help prepare offenders for release. This might involve helping to secure accommodation, reinstating family ties and finding employment.Probation staff also supervise prisoners who have been released on a life licence (usually after they have served part or all of a life sentence). This means that the offender has to regularly meet with probation staff for the rest of their life.
Working with Victims
Lancashire Probation Trust employ dedicated victim liaison officers who contact all victims of sexual or violent offences within two months of a prison sentence being given to an offender. Through these officers, victims are updated about the sentence, as well as what will happen when the offender is released, and are able to voice their concerns and contribute to release proposals.Lancashire now has a dedicated Partnership called HELP to work with the families of victims of murder and manslaughter.
The loss of a loved one through murder or manslaughter is something which affects families for many years after the event. Those families need and deserve help to move them out of victimhood and into some semblance of normality. The aim of Homicide Empathy with Lancashire Partnership (HELP) is to ensure that all those involved in victim care, work effectively and most importantly, together
The HELP partnership is a collaboration of Criminal Justice and Voluntary Agencies. The partnership was set up by Lancashire Constabulary
Lancashire Constabulary
Lancashire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial county of Lancashire in the North West England. The force's headquarters are at Hutton, near the city of Preston...
and Lancashire Probation Trust, and now includes Victim Support
Victim Support
Victim Support is a charity in England and Wales which aims to help victims and witnesses of crime by raising awareness of their needs and by delivering dedicated services to them. It was established in 1974. It is a national charity with branches in every community and each criminal court in...
, HM Prison Service, Support After Murder And Manslaughter National (SAMM), Lancashire Criminal Justice Board and the Sophie Lancaster Foundation.
Working With Women Offenders
Lancashire Probation Trust released a strategy for working with women offenders on International Women's Day 2011. The strategy has the following aims:- To reduce the number of women in custody, including those on remand.
- To increase the number of women successfully completing Orders and Licences and reduce the reconviction rate of female offenders.
- To improve the criminal justice, health and social outcomes for women offenders and
their families by ensuring that every woman offender has access to community provision which addresses her needs.
External links
- Lancashire Probation Trust website
- Lancashire Probation Trust microsite
- A report on Offender Management in Lancashire (OMI 2), HM Inspectorate of ProbationHM Inspectorate of ProbationHM Inspectorate of Probation is a statutory body and independent UK inspectorate funded by the Ministry of Justice, formed in 1936.-Role and functions:...
, 25 October 2011