In response to the Lord Chancellor’s announcement, Chief Inspector of Probation Justin Russell said:

“The Transforming Rehabilitation reforms have severely tested the probation service over the past five years. Fundamental flaws in the original design of the contracts, particularly the payment by results mechanism, have starved Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) of essential funding. This has had a significant impact on the quality of supervision many CRCs have been able to deliver.

“Today’s announcement is likely to be welcomed by many, but it is not a magic bullet for improving performance by itself. The probation service must be properly funded. The quality of probation supervision will not improve merely by lifting and shifting large volumes of cases from CRCs back into the NPS next year. Vacancies for probation officers must be filled and staff properly trained for their new responsibilities. The positive innovations that CRCs have brought with them – including decent office accommodation and a commitment to involving ex-service users in delivery – must not be lost.”

ENDS

Notes to editor

1. HM Inspectorate of Probation is the independent inspector of youth offending and probation services across England and Wales.
2. For media enquiries about this statement, please contact Head of Communications Catherine Chan on 07889 405930 or media@hmiprobation.gov.uk (E-mail address)
3. For media queries about the Lord Chancellor’s announcement, please contact the Ministry of Justice press office.