Huge workloads affecting offender supervision claim

PROBATION officers are buckling under a worsening workload and have serious concerns about supervision levels on offenders, according to their representatives.

The probation branch of Impact welcomed the recent announcement of 70 new probation officers in Budget 2008, but pointed out that all of those are for the Young People’s Probation Service and that most of those have already been appointed this year.

The branch said the budget did not allocate any new officers to carry out the requirements of Section 99 of the 2006 Criminal Justice Act, under which a judge can give an offender a split sentence involving prison followed by a period of supervision in the community.