Today we are announcing a national probation inspection, covering England and Wales, and reviewing the ability of regions and PDUs to deliver probation services effectively. National arrangements for service delivery have a crucial role in enabling effective outcomes in frontline probation work. We see some of the impact of this activity through our regional and […]
Published: 06 December 2024
Last week the Lord Chancellor announced an Independent Review of Sentencing, which will be chaired by former Lord Chancellor, the Rt Hon David Gauke, and supported by a panel including representatives from the judiciary and expertise from across the justice system. I believe this review represents a unique opportunity to deliver a more effective system, […]
Published: 30 October 2024
“I wish to offer my congratulations to HM Inspector Dave Argument for winning Inspectorate Staff Member of the Year at this year’s Skills for Justice – Inspire Justice Awards. “Dave Argument embodies the values of the Inspectorate and has a genuine desire to make a positive impact on the organisations we inspect, and each individual […]
Published: 18 September 2024
HM Inspectorate of Probation has announced the publication of a new Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy. This document builds on positive progress made over the last year to deliver the organisation’s EDI mission statement: Driving forward positive change in equity, diversity and inclusion – for everyone, all the time. Creating an equitable, diverse and fully inclusive […]
Published: 11 September 2024
Today, as the Government implements the SDS40 scheme, I am again highlighting the significant impact this move will have on the Probation Service, and its critical role in mitigating and managing risk. It is clear the extreme pressure prisons are facing – they are currently close to 100 per cent capacity, with the population at […]
Published: 10 September 2024
Our consultation on the Inspectorate’s plans to launch a programme of approved premises inspections ran from 24 May to 21 July 2024. Download our consultation document here (PDF, 461 kB). We would like to thank all those involved in this wide-ranging consultation for their contributions and support. We will be publishing our response in the […]
Published: 17 May 2024
I agree with the emerging consensus that there is a need to act on the ongoing, troubling legacy of the IPP (imprisonment for public protection) sentence and welcome the proposed amendments to the Victims and Prisoners Bill which seek to remedy some of the concerns about its impact. Our 2023 thematic inspection on the recall of IPP […]
Published: 03 May 2024
After five months as interim Chief Inspector of Probation, tomorrow I will step down and hand over the reins to the new Chief, Martin Jones. On this, my last working day, it is inevitable that I have a period of reflection and look back at what we have done during my tenure. The five months […]
Published: 29 February 2024
I took over as interim Chief Inspector on 01 October 2023 so am coming to the end of my third month in the role. I wanted to share some of the things I have done since I started and set out a brief summary of what we have achieved in the last quarter of 2023. […]
Published: 20 December 2023
At the end of September, I will be stepping down as Chief Inspector of Probation after more than four years in the role. It’s been a huge privilege to hold this post and to work with such a great and committed team of inspectors and headquarters staff – but also to get to know so […]
Published: 21 September 2023
