Probation Officer

A Probation Officer can work in a variety of different roles, working predominantly with higher risk offenders with complex needs:-

Offender Management:

Working in Offender Management, a Probation Officer will:

Write reports for Courts to provide information about offenders and their behaviour in order to assist and inform sentencing
Manage and enforce Court Orders and Licences
Work with partnership agencies in assisting the offender to reduce their risk of committing further crime
Work with offenders to reduce the likelihood that they will re-offend and cause further harm

Prolific and Priority Offenders/High Crime Causers:

Some Probation Officers will work solely with offenders who are known to be involved in very frequent offending. They will work closely with the police and other partnership agencies to give these offenders a more intensive level of intervention to reduce their rate of re-offending.

Public Protection:

Some Probation Officers will work predominantly with sex offenders. They will work closely with the police to manage the risks posed by these offenders to protect the public from harm.

Accredited Programmes:

A small number of Probation Officers will undergo specific training to deliver Accredited Programmes specifically designed to address sex offending.

Prisons:

Some Probation Officers will be based in prisons. They will assist prisoners to do work while they are in prison which may reduce the likelihood that they will offend again when they are released into the community. In addition, Probation Officers working in prisons will write reports for the Parole Board about offenders who have committed very serious offences.

Courts:

Working in Courts a Probation Officer will:

Provide verbal and written reports to the Court to give them information regarding the offenders behaviour to inform and assist with sentencing
Record relevant information from Court
Prosecute breaches when an offender has not complied with their Court Order or Youth Offending Licence

Secondment:

Some Probation Officers will be seconded to do a type of work for a designated period of time. For example, a Probation Officer may work for a partnership service or agency, such as the Youth Offending Service.