Probation Service

The National Probation Service works within England and Wales to provide supervision of offenders, primarily in the community. It also assists in doing reports for the courts which aid in sentencing of individuals. The probation service has actually existed since 1907 but the way that it is now formed was put together as a joint venture between the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act in 2001. Northern Ireland and Scotland have their own probation service.

The National Probation Service (or NPS) comes under the banner of the National Offender Management Service. This is now a part of the Ministry of Justice. In total, there are 42 probation areas and these generally fall in line with police area boundaries. Each area is funded by the NOMS and it is this organisation that is responsible for employing all staff except for the Chief Officer.

All probation areas of the UK come under the inspection of HM Inspectorate of Probation. This is an independent committee which will then feed back its findings on the probation service and how it is being run directly to government ministers.

The history of how the probation service actually came about has its roots in religion. The Church of England Temperance Society, as well as a few other voluntary organisations, has appointed a selection of missionaries to the London Police Courts in the latter part of the 18th century. It was around this time that offenders began to be released into the community, but only on the understanding that they kept in touch with an appointed missionary and accepted the guidance that they were given by this missionary. In 1907 this practice became a matter of statute and the courts were able to employ 'probation officers' to fulfil this role.