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Concern over privatisation of the Probation Service without initial pilot schemes (6 February 2014)

Date: 06/02/2014
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, Concern over privatisation of the Probation Service without initial pilot schemes

Shadow Justice Minister in the House of Lords Jeremy Beecham has raised concerns over the government’s plans to privatise 70% of the Probation Service without proper piloting of the changes.

The only probation pilot set up to date involved non custodial sentencing and was cancelled.

If the plans go ahead, the Probation Service would be run by private providers like G4S and Serco, which do not have a track record in running probation services.

The two companies recently came under the spotlight for overcharging the Ministry of Justice for the services they provide for the electronic tagging of prisoners – prisoners who were not eligible for parole or in some cases had finished their sentence or had died were all charged for, investigators found.

Handing over the running of the Probation Service to private companies may also have safety implications for the general public – as well as for vulnerable offenders, some of whom may have mental health issues or be young offenders.

Lord Beecham has also said that the risks involved in moving prisoners between categories may be heightened unless private providers are able to deliver Probation Services effectively.

Last year Lord Beecham and former Chief Inspector of Prisons Lord Ramsbotham moved amendments to the Offender Rehabilitation Bill to enable discussion of the issues, which will be raised again in the House of Lords this week.

Reform to the Probation Service was set out in a document published in March 2012 by former Secretary of State for Justice Kenneth Clarke – who is also a former barrister.

The proposals set out the government’s initial vision for reforming the Probation Service:

“The plans will ensure community sentences are a tough and credible punishment that better tackles re-offending, supported by modernising reforms to probation to cut crime.

“We aim to make better use of the innovation, capacity and diversity of voluntary private providers, in partnership with the Probation Service.”

The proposals were intended to build on reforms to the criminal justice system set out in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill.


However Lord Ramsbotham called the coalition government’s plans to “fragment” the Probation Service by introducing more private provision as a “complete distortion of the whole criminal justice system”.

On Thursday (06/02/14) Lord Ramsbotham will also ask the government whether it intends to hold an independent review into the deaths of young people in custody, following publication of a damning report by the Prison Reform Trust and campaign group INQUEST.

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