Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 17
17
Deferred
Probation services already operating at 102% capacity, unable to absorb additional workload
Recommendation
HMPPS told us that probation officers and probation services officers were already dealing with a workload equivalent to 102% of capacity.60 We raised the potential impact on probation services if the sentencing review recommends alternatives to custody, possibly requiring more support from the probation service. HMPPS commented that if more people shift from short custody into probation this would need more support from probation officers. It told us that additional work could not be given to probation services without establishing what probation services would not be doing in future. It told us that “the lowest rung” of the probation caseload is those people who would only receive community sentence, not a prison sentence, and that there is no evidence that intensive supervision is very helpful for these people.61 50 C&AG’s Report, para 3.8 51 Q 134 52 Q 45 53 Q 44 54 C&AG’s Report, para 1.25 55 C&AG’s Report, para 1.24 56 C&AG’s Report, para 3.8 57 Q 47 58 Q 50 59 Qq 49–50 60 Q 118 61 Qq 119–121 13 2 Costs and impacts of the prison crisis Costs of the crisis
Government Response Summary
HMPPS will provide an update within two months of the publication of the next phase of the Sentencing Review in spring 2025, detailing the impact on the forecast prison place shortage and any further mitigation required, as well as reporting on the maintenance backlog.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
3.3 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: The department will update the Committee two months after the Independent Sentence Review publishes its final report. 3.4 HMPPS will provide an update within two months of the publication of the next phase of the Sentencing Review in spring 2025, detailing the impact on the forecast prison place shortage and any further mitigation required. HMPPS will also report on the maintenance backlog including fire safety improvement and the potential number of cells that may come offline at the end of 2027. This will be underpinned by the funding requested from Phase 2 of the Spending Review across HMPPS Estates including Probation and plans to support demand in community.