High standard of PBNI community supervision praised by Inspectors

CJI Chief Inspector Brendan McGuigan has indicated that community supervision standards in Northern Ireland surpass those of England and Wales in many occasions.  View report page.

Commenting on the findings of CJI's first comprehensive review of probation practice, Mr McGuigan said PBNI had been found to be an effective organisation that understands and accepts its role in delivering public safety and reducing reoffending. 

 

"Supervising offenders in the community represents a significant proportion of the overall work of the probation service which is carried out by probation officers and probation service officers across the whole of Northern Ireland.  As a small number of these offenders continue to pose a significant risk to the community following their release from prison, it is essential that they are supervised effectively to support their rehabilitation.

 

Probation practice was evaluated to establish how often specific areas of work such as risk of harm assessments, likelihood of reoffending assessments and compliance and enforcement work reached the level of quality sought by the inspection team.

 

"Inspectors were pleased to find that in each of the three key areas, the PBNI was found to exceed the average percentage scores for similar work carried out in English and Welsh probation regions, for example in relation to likelihood of reoffending assessments and for compliance and enforcement work," said the Chief Inspector.

 

In conclusion Mr McGuigan said: "This is one of the most positive reports that CJI has produced on any criminal justice agency since it was established in 2004.  It is a testament to the hard work and commitment and leadership and staff within PBNI that it has developed its practice in the area of community supervision to such a high standard.