Probation rescue plans will be disastrous

This is the last chance saloon for the probation service and rescue plans proposed by the MoJ just don’t cut the mustard.

Responding to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) consultation on the structure and services provided by the probation system, UNISON national officer for probation Ben Priestley said:

“This is the last chance saloon for the probation service and rescue plans proposed by the MoJ just don’t cut the mustard.

“Earlier this year, the Justice Select Committee laid bare the failings of the government’s probation reforms, yet astonishingly ministers want to continue with the disastrous split between public and private provisions.

“Before these counterproductive reforms, probation was a successful service. Probation must be put back together, returned to public ownership, and this failed experiment in privatisation brought to an end.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON represents 3,000 people working for the National Probation Service (NPS) and the 21 community rehabilitation companies (CRCs)
– The private firms were awarded contracts in 2014 to supervise non high-risk offenders
– UNISON wants the probation service brought back together, the CRCs returned to public ownership once their existing contracts have been terminated and Her Majesty’s Prisons and Probation Services (HMPPS) reformed

Media contacts:
Anna Mauremootoo T: 0207 121 5555 M: 07903 870786 E: a.mauremootoo@unison.co.uk
Liz Chinchen T: 0207 121 5463 M: 07778 158175 E: l.chinchen@unison.co.uk