As an enforcement agency within the Criminal Justice System, we supervise adult offenders in the community (those aged 18 years or over). This includes those subject to a court order and those released on licence after serving a prison sentence. In 2007/8 Derbyshire staff supervised just under 4000 offenders.

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End-to-end Management

Staff work in small Offender Management Units and each offender is managed by one offender manager throughout their supervision. This enables us to build a productive working relationship with each offender and contributes towards a greater likelihood of the offender successfully completeing their sentence, and to them being less likely to re-offend.

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Services to Courts

Dedicated teams work with the courts to prepare reports to assist sentencing decisions both for the Crown Court and for magistrates courts.

Reports include:

• The circumstances of the crime

• The offender’s attitude towards the offence

• Their personal circumstances

• Their awareness of the impact of their crime

• Assesses the likelihood of the person re-offending

• Suggests appropriate possible sentencing options

Reports may also include information about a defendant’s suitability for bail.

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PSR – Pre Sentence Report

The standard, written report incorporating all the above elements

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FDR – Fast Delivery Report

A brief report which may be requested by a judge or magistrate. Often provided where a straightforward community sentence is being considered, FDRs can be provided within hours of being requested and can be delivered verbally if necessary.  The timescales for report delivery are as requested by the individual magistrate or judge.

In 2007/08 Derbyshire submitted 100% of standard PSRs and FDRs to court within the prescribed timescales.  For reports for Remanded in Custody (RIC) we delivered 83% to specified timescales.

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Prisons

Probation staff have contact with prisoners sentenced for more than 12 months, from the time of their sentencing and throughout their prison term. They manage their supervision on release on licence.

In prison, we provide programmes to address offenders’ behaviour and attitude, pruducing written reports, and we provide prison governors with offender assessments on matters such as home detention, curfews and resettlement on licence. Once released from prison, offenders are supervised throughout their licence period in the community by probation staff. The aims of resettlement work are:

• Public protection

• Challenging offender behaviour

• Reducing re-offending

• Keeping victims or their families informed

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Approved Premises (Hostels)

Hostels are not just an accomodation source, but are there to provide a high level of supervision for offenders, to minimise risk to the public and to encourage positive change in the individual.

Offenders are placed in hostels for one of the following reasons:

• They have been ordered to do so by the court as a condition of bail

• It is a requirement of a community sentence

• It is a condition of their release from prison

Residents must live by strictly-enforced rules. These include a night-time curfew. The Hostel is staffed round the clock and residents are under continuous assessment.

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Accommodation

Where the court sets a requirement for an offender to live in approved accomodation, we work with the Government appointed contractor Clearsprings. 

Stable accommodation can play a key part in enabling an offender to re-integrate into society and to cut the re-offending cycle.  Where appropriate, we work with housing agencies to assist offenders to gain that stable foothold.

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