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The National Probation Service occupies a central role in the criminal justice system. North Yorkshire is one of 42 probation areas in England and Wales that make up the National Probation Service. It is our job to prevent further crimes by effectively managing offenders who have been given a community sentence by the courts.
North Yorkshire is England's largest county, covering an area of over 3000 square miles. The total population is almost 813,000 with the principal urban areas being in York, Scarborough and Harrogate. We have nearly 300 staff based in 6 locations and we spent around £10 million last year to enable us to carry out our work.
The aims of the service nationally are:
Protection of the public
Protecting the public is the key aim to which all our efforts are directed. We take a lead role in judging how much of a risk an offender is to society – in terms of committing further offences and causing harm to other people. Our experienced and well-trained staff advise the courts on appropriate community sentences, supervise offenders on community sentences and also supervise offenders upon release from prison.
Reduction of re-offending
Reducing the number of crimes committed is part and parcel of protecting the public. As part of their community sentence some offenders are required to attend specific programmes to address the cause of their offending behaviour.
The proper punishment of offenders
It is important to dispel the myth that community sentences are a soft option. They are a punishment, like all sentences handed down by our courts. Community sentences make big demands on offenders. If they don’t meet the demands they are returned to the courts for re-sentencing. The sentences also contain constructive elements aimed at rehabilitating the offender, because that is the best way to reduce future crime. The probation service’s task is to match the offender to the right punishment, the sentence most likely to achieve the best results for society as a whole.
Ensuring offenders awareness of the effects of crime on victims of crime and the public
A key part of rehabilitating offenders is for them to confront the effects of their offending. Probation staff also work with the victims of violent or sexual crime where the offender has been sentenced to a year or more in prison. They keep the victim informed about the progress of the sentence and may consult the victim about conditions of release.
The rehabilitation of offenders
In addition to ensuring the ‘proper punishment of offenders’ we aim to rehabilitate offenders – giving them the opportunity to become positive members of our communities. A whole host of factors can be behind people’s crimes. These can include drugs and alcohol dependency, lack of basic skills such as numeracy and literacy, unstable backgrounds, the inability to deal with the life situations and decisions most of us take for granted.
Our supervision and various programmes are designed to tackle the underlying causes of their offending. We also make use of the expertise of other organisations, both voluntary and statutory. This includes training and education, welfare rights and debt counselling and drug and alcohol services. It is unrealistic to think that all offenders will respond positively. But many do stop offending. Some secure jobs and some go on to college. It’s difficult and painstaking work but it’s helping to bring down crime.
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