Courses for low-risk offenders cancelled to ease Probation Service pressures

Around 13,000 offenders did not complete rehabilitation courses as part of their sentences because the Probation Service was unable to deliver them in time under an “impossible” workload, the Justice Secretary has revealed.

Shabana Mahmood said thousands of accredited programmes ordered by the courts were not fulfilled before their sentences expired in three years up to March 2024, as she announced courses for low-risk offenders will be cancelled in a bid to “confront the reality” of the pressures on the service.

In a speech at London Probation Headquarters, the Lord Chancellor said: “Now is also a moment about the challenges that the service faces, and the simple fact is this, the service this Government inherited was burdened with a workload that was quite simply impossible.

“When we took office, we discovered that orders handed out by courts were not taking place in the three years to March 2024, around 13,000 accredited programmes, a type of rehabilitative course, did not happen.”

Ms Mahmood added that the problem had been years in the making as she ended courses for those who pose less risk to society.

They will still receive supervision from a probation officer and any breaches of a licence condition could see them back in prison, she added.

“We will ensure those offenders who pose a higher risk and who need to receive these courses will do so,” Ms Mahmood said.

“This isn’t a decision I take lightly, but it is a decision to confront the reality of the challenges facing the Probation Service.”

The Justice Secretary’s plan aims to free up time for probation officers to work with higher-risk offenders, to tackle root causes of offending and move away from a “one size fits all” approach.

“A probation officer’s time and focus is essential. It is no exaggeration to say that effective supervision of this cohort can be the difference between life and death,” Ms Mahmood added.

Asked by reporters how low-risk offenders will be assessed to have their courses cancelled, the Justice Secretary said it would be decided on risk of harm and risk of reoffending rather than specific to offences committed.

Asked further if sex offenders and domestic abusers were excluded, she added: “The accredited course is all based on risk.

“And so where any offender, regardless of whether they are a sex offender, whether they have a domestic abuse flag… or indeed, any other kind of offence, it would all be based on risk of reoffending and risk of harm.”

Ms Mahmood also laid out her plans to recruit 1,300 new probation officers by March 2026 and introduce new technology to stop staff “drowning” in paperwork when more time could be spent supervising offenders.

The new staff will be in addition to 1,000 officers to be recruited by March this year.