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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/public-leaders-network/2018/feb/10/probation-service-meltdown-john-worboys-supervised
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| The probation service is in meltdown: how will Worboys be supervised? | The probation service is in meltdown: how will Worboys be supervised? |
| (5 days later) | |
| If black-cab rapist John Worboys is released, he will be required to report to probation staff every week. The case for probation services that are well-resourced and properly run couldn’t be clearer. | If black-cab rapist John Worboys is released, he will be required to report to probation staff every week. The case for probation services that are well-resourced and properly run couldn’t be clearer. |
| I’m a probation officer working in the National Probation Service (NPS) and I’m very concerned that high-risk offenders like Worboys are not being properly supervised or supported in their rehabilitation. | I’m a probation officer working in the National Probation Service (NPS) and I’m very concerned that high-risk offenders like Worboys are not being properly supervised or supported in their rehabilitation. |
| Why are privatised probation services using public libraries to see clients? | |
| I cannot comment on the Worboys release decision, the Parole Board makes those every day and is very experienced and thorough. But I can comment on the inadequate supervision he is likely to get. | I cannot comment on the Worboys release decision, the Parole Board makes those every day and is very experienced and thorough. But I can comment on the inadequate supervision he is likely to get. |
| I’ve been in this job for more than a decade. Probation officers used to be able to take the time to understand the individual and be responsive to their needs. But in 2014, the probation service split in two, and the work has been draining and mentally exhausting ever since. Now, the NPS only works with the most dangerous offenders – those deemed high risk – the rest are supervised by private community rehabilitation companies (CRCs). | I’ve been in this job for more than a decade. Probation officers used to be able to take the time to understand the individual and be responsive to their needs. But in 2014, the probation service split in two, and the work has been draining and mentally exhausting ever since. Now, the NPS only works with the most dangerous offenders – those deemed high risk – the rest are supervised by private community rehabilitation companies (CRCs). |
| Today the job is about fire-fighting, to get assessments done and targets hit. We just have to hope that nothing goes wrong. | Today the job is about fire-fighting, to get assessments done and targets hit. We just have to hope that nothing goes wrong. |
| If my workload is anything to go by, Worboys’ supervision will be minimal. He will be on licence for at least 10 years – which in theory means that, if he puts a foot wrong, he’ll go straight back to prison – but how much rehabilitation will he get in that time? | If my workload is anything to go by, Worboys’ supervision will be minimal. He will be on licence for at least 10 years – which in theory means that, if he puts a foot wrong, he’ll go straight back to prison – but how much rehabilitation will he get in that time? |
| Of my 45 cases, roughly half of them are in the community and the majority of those should be seen weekly. I say “should” because I don’t manage to do that, and neither do my colleagues. Due to workloads we’ve been told to prioritise the most risky clients. | Of my 45 cases, roughly half of them are in the community and the majority of those should be seen weekly. I say “should” because I don’t manage to do that, and neither do my colleagues. Due to workloads we’ve been told to prioritise the most risky clients. |
| My job's been called Mickey Mouse probation. I'm now inclined to agree | |
| For example, if I have a high-risk domestic violence offender that has to complete specific one-to-one offence-focused work, I have to do that because it has been ordered by the court. | For example, if I have a high-risk domestic violence offender that has to complete specific one-to-one offence-focused work, I have to do that because it has been ordered by the court. |
| But it feels rushed, I don’t really have the time, and for every minute I spend with them, I know I have to cut it from someone else’s supervision time. Home visits have taken a back seat as there simply isn’t the time. | But it feels rushed, I don’t really have the time, and for every minute I spend with them, I know I have to cut it from someone else’s supervision time. Home visits have taken a back seat as there simply isn’t the time. |
| Before the probation service split, pre-sentence reports were a vital first assessment of a client in terms of their risk of harm, how motivated they were and how much they understood their offending. | Before the probation service split, pre-sentence reports were a vital first assessment of a client in terms of their risk of harm, how motivated they were and how much they understood their offending. |
| Now we give a verbal report on the day of sentence after a half-hour interview. Having the time to do a full report – with longer interviews and more than one if necessary – is very rare. We also don’t have the time to get valuable information from other agencies the offender has had contact with, such as the police or children’s services. | Now we give a verbal report on the day of sentence after a half-hour interview. Having the time to do a full report – with longer interviews and more than one if necessary – is very rare. We also don’t have the time to get valuable information from other agencies the offender has had contact with, such as the police or children’s services. |
| I interview prisoners by video link, they attend court by video link, I attend parole hearings by video link. It won’t be long before you can take a case from arrest to end of sentence and they never have any real contact with a person. That’s how people slip through the cracks. | I interview prisoners by video link, they attend court by video link, I attend parole hearings by video link. It won’t be long before you can take a case from arrest to end of sentence and they never have any real contact with a person. That’s how people slip through the cracks. |
| Many of my colleagues are looking for work elsewhere. Things aren’t sustainable as they are, with staff shortages, heavy caseloads and an ICT system that is not fit for purpose. Imagine having all that work to do, reports to write, assessments to complete, and then the system goes down and you lose all of it. | Many of my colleagues are looking for work elsewhere. Things aren’t sustainable as they are, with staff shortages, heavy caseloads and an ICT system that is not fit for purpose. Imagine having all that work to do, reports to write, assessments to complete, and then the system goes down and you lose all of it. |
| The justice system has lost its way. It is in meltdown: from police cuts, to prison violence and now the probation service in chaos. | The justice system has lost its way. It is in meltdown: from police cuts, to prison violence and now the probation service in chaos. |
| This series aims to give a voice to the staff behind the public services that are hit by mounting cuts and rising demand, and so often denigrated by the press, politicians and public. If you would like to write an article for the series, contact emma.sheppard.casual@theguardian.com. | This series aims to give a voice to the staff behind the public services that are hit by mounting cuts and rising demand, and so often denigrated by the press, politicians and public. If you would like to write an article for the series, contact emma.sheppard.casual@theguardian.com. |
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| Public servant: my letter to the public | Public servant: my letter to the public |
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