Essay

The role of probation in crime prevention and community safety

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Module
Crime control and community safety

Institution
London Metropolitan University (LMU)

A 2500-word essay that critically discusses the role of probation in the context of crime prevention and community safety.

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Uploaded on January 25, 2025
Number of pages 10
Written in 2023/2024
Type Essay
Professor(s) Unknown
Grade A

probation
crime
crime prevention
safety
security
cime control
community
community safety
offender
prison
rehabilitation

Critically discuss the role of probation in the context of crime prevention and community safety.

Probation is a community-based punishment that enables an offender to maintain his or her
freedom under the conditions stated by the terms of a court order (Garland, 2001). Her Majesty’s
Probation and Prison Service administer rehabilitation programs to support offenders in the
process of reintegration into society and to support them in changing their antisocial behaviours
and attitudes (Smith, 2001). Individuals who leave prison with a solid basis for success in life,
such as having a safe accommodation, a stable career, and being free of substance abuse, are less
likely to commit further offences (Farrar, Rees and Vigurs, 2021). This paper will start by
introducing what the probation service is and its aims. Subsequently, it will examine the key
factors that contribute to re-offending and examples of accredited programs aimed at improving
desistance. The paper will then explore offender management and how this motivates the
offender in changing his or her behaviour, together with the relevance it has in risk assessment
and public protection. It will conclude with a brief note on how the probation service works with
victims of crime to ensure their safety.

The Probation of Offenders Act (1907) set the foundation for the probation system, stating that
the responsibility of the probation service is to supervise those individuals who have been
released from jail on a conditional sentence or who have been ordered to serve a community
penalty. The probation organization provides pre-sentence reports for judges to determine the
best sentencing for the situation. As required by the Act, probation officers should guide, support
and encourage individuals under supervision (Probation of Offenders Act, 1907). Specifically,
officers have the duty of assessing the risk that offenders represent for society, delivering
tailored behavioural programs, and preparing them for their release. The word probation has its
origin in the Latin word ‘probare’, which means to test or prove something. Offenders have the
chance to demonstrate that they changed their violent and antisocial behaviour into a sociably
acceptable one (House of Commons Justice Committee, 2011), and to prove that further offences
can be avoided. Thus, probation attempts to rehabilitate and reform an offender. Its practices are
focused on the individual rather than on the crime, aim to public protection, and allow the
offender to make amends to the victims (Bates, 1934). Although regarded as a community

, sentence, probation is not merely punitive. It combines supervision with support and relies on
offenders’ cooperation in adopting the terms of a court order (Raynor, 2012). As noted by
Grunhunt (1952), probation contributes to offender rehabilitation through the conditional
suspension of penalty combined with the monitoring of the offender by a court officer and with a
focus on personal wellbeing. The role of the probation service in crime prevention was initially
brought up by Stephen Shaw (1983), who claimed that probation can benefit the community by
improving the physical environment and encouraging self-help. As part of the sentence, a court
may require the offender to undertake a particular program designed to provide the necessary
skills to avoid recidivism after release. Such interventions are approved by the Correctional
Services Accreditation and Advisory Panel (CSAAP) and may be generic, when suitable for
most offenders, or specific when designated to target certain types of offences (House of
Commons Justice Committee, 2011), such as domestic violence, sexual offending, substance
misuse or gang affiliation (Her Majesty’s Prison Service, 2005). Through detailed advice, such
probation programs aim to minimize the likelihood of offending and to strengthen the
individual’s sense of risk of being re-convicted (Laycock and Pease, 1985).

Probation officers work with offenders on issues that could lead to the committing of more
crimes. Individuals who leave prison with a solid basis for success in life, such as having a safe
accommodation, a table career, and being free of substance abuse, are less likely to commit
further offences (Farrar, Rees and Vigurs, 2021). Generally, offenders who have been released
but do not have a stable place to live are about 50 percent more likely to engage in criminal
activity again (Bradley, 2009). Thus, providing stable housing lowers the risk of reoffending and
helps safeguard the public. To achieve such a goal, Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service
(HMPPS) introduced in July 2020 a new plan to reduce the risk of homelessness among ex-
offenders, proving temporary housing in Approved Premises (APs) for 12 weeks. In this way,
officers could support and carefully monitor ex-offenders while improving public safety (Farrar,
Rees and Vigurs, 2021). Another aspect on which probation programs focus is assisting
offenders in developing the basic skills required in finding a job. Employment plays a critical
role in reducing crime by allowing individuals to achieve independence and participate in the
community in prosocial ways. Ex-offenders who find a job after being released from prison are
up to nine percent less likely to re-offend (Bradley, 2009; Farrar, Rees and Vigurs, 2021). As

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