Private firms to lose role in probation services – BBC News
‘The government has scrapped plans to let private firms run behaviour programmes and unpaid work schemes for offenders in England and Wales.’
BBC News, 11th June 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: probation
Probation services to return to public control after Grayling disasters – The Guardian
‘Probation services in England and Wales will be fully restored to public ownership and control, the justice secretary has announced, marking the final nail in the coffin of Chris Grayling’s disastrous privatisation changes.’
The Guardian, 11th June 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Government not doing enough to prevent crimes committed on probation – report – The Guardian
‘The government and probation service are not doing enough to learn from mistakes that led to serious crimes being committed by offenders under supervision, including murder, rape and other violent offences, inspectors have said in a critical report.’
The Guardian, 14th May 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Lie detectors should be used to monitor sex offenders, UK study says – The Guardian
‘Mandatory testing with a polygraph, or lie-detector, should be introduced to monitor convicted sex offenders undergoing police supervision, according to university research commissioned by police chiefs.’
The Guardian, 18th March 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Serial rapist Joseph McCann could have been put back in prison weeks before rampage, report reveals – The Independent
‘A serial rapist who attacked a string of victims aged between 11 and 71 could have been jailed weeks before he started the rampage, a report has revealed.’
The Independent, 5th March 2020
Source: www.independent.co.uk
UK freed 42 terrorists in year before law to detain extremists for longer – The Guardian
‘More than 40 convicted terrorists were released from prison in the year before emergency legislation was introduced to keep jailed extremists locked up for longer, figures reveal, while the number of far-right detainees has surged.’
The Guardian, 5th March 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
When are Article 8 rights engaged in the context of an unfair dismissal claim and how should the engagement of such rights be approached by the tribunal? – 3PB
‘The claimant was employed by the respondent from 1994 until November 2014 as a Probation Service Officer (“PSO”). In 2014 there was an incident at the claimant’s home involving the claimant, her then partner, and her daughter, who was then a teenager. It was alleged that the claimant had been violent towards her daughter, something she had always vehemently denied. Social Services became involved and her daughter was placed on the Child Protection Register (“CPR”).’
3PB, 7th February 2020
Source: www.3pb.co.uk
Employees and child protection issues – Local Government Lawyer
‘The Employment Appeal Tribunal recently considered whether a probation service officer who failed to disclose a child protection issue was fairly dismissed. Ceri Fuller, Zoë Wigan and Hilary Larter analyse the outcome.’
Local Government Lawyer, 14th February 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Article 8 & Unfair Dismissal – January 2020 – Pallant Chambers
‘Q v Secretary of State for Justice UKEAT/0120/19 was a recent case in which the Employment Appeal Tribunal looked at the application of the Article 8 in a conduct dismissal case.’
Pallant Chambers, 23rd January 2020
Source: www.pallantchambers.co.uk
Staff shortages leave probation service in crisis, report finds – The Guardian
‘Public safety is at risk as huge workloads and staff shortages continue to place the probation sector under pressure, inspectors have said, while officers lack the “professional curiosity” needed to spot potentially dangerous behaviour among offenders managed in the community.’
The Guardian, 14th January 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Probation officer supervising Conner Marshall killer was ‘overwhelmed’ – The Guardian
‘A probation services officer broke down in tears during an inquest as she described being “overwhelmed” by her workload in the months before a serial offender she was supervising murdered a teenager in an unprovoked attack.’
The Guardian, 7th January 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Black cab rapist John Worboys given two life sentences – BBC News
‘Black cab rapist John Worboys has been handed two life sentences with a minimum term of six years for attacking four more women.’
BBC News, 17th December 2019
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Joseph McCann guilty of horrific rapes after being freed by mistake – The Guardian
‘Joseph McCann, who has been convicted of a horrific series of rapes and kidnappings against 11 women and children, was freed in error to commit his crimes after authorities failed to realise he should have been in jail for a previous violent offence.’
The Guardian, 6th December 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
Homelessness and Offending Rates – An Inextricable Link – Pump Court Chambers
‘The Homelessness Reduction Act (HRA) 2017 came into effect on 3rd April 2018 and places new legal duties on local authorities so that everyone who is homeless, or at risk of homelessness, should have access to meaningful help, irrespective of their priority need status, as long as they are eligible for assistance. The Act amends part VII of the Housing Act 1996 and is arguably the biggest change in homelessness legislation since the Housing
(Homelessness Persons) Act 1977.’
Pump Court Chambers, 12th November 2019
Source: www.pumpcourtchambers.com
Freed prisoners killing themselves at a rate of one every two days – The Guardian
‘The number of people who took their own life while on supervision after leaving prison has increased sixfold since 2010 to a rate of one every two days, fresh analysis seen by the Guardian shows.’
The Guardian, 18th November 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
Mother to sue justice ministry after probation errors led to son’s murder – The Guardian
‘The Ministry of Justice is to be sued by the mother of a five-year-old boy who was murdered by her boyfriend after an inquest concluded that defects in the probation system contributed to his death.’
The Guardian, 9th November 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
Over 200 offenders on probation have been convicted of murder since Government shake-up five years ago – Daily Telegraph
‘More than 200 offenders under probation supervision have been convicted of murder since the system was overhauled in 2014 by the then Justice Secretary Chris Grayling.’
Daily Telegraph, 31st October 2019
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Murderer of boy, five, says probation service should have done more – The Guardian
‘A man with multiple convictions for violence including murdering his partner’s child has said the probation service should have done more to protect his victims.’
The Guardian, 3rd September 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
Probation service ‘struggling’ with workload, inspectors find – BBC News
‘The probation service in the South East and East of England has been struggling with “high workloads and staff shortages”, inspectors have said.’
BBC News,4th September 2019
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Sentencing review to look at most dangerous and prolific offenders – Ministry of Justice
‘The work, which begins immediately, will focus on whether violent and sexual offenders are serving sentences that truly reflect the severity of their crimes. It will consider whether changes in legislation are needed to lock criminals up for longer – by not letting them out automatically part-way through a sentence. It will also look at how to break the cycle of repeat offending.’
Ministry of Justice, 12th August 2019
Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
