Probation work is paying off in Bolton, says head of service (From This Is Lancashire)

Probation work is paying off in Bolton, says head of service

6:22am Tuesday 16th March 2010 in

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CRIMINALS sentenced to short jail terms would be better carrying out community service, the head of Bolton’s Probation Service has said.

Carolyn Smith, head of the Greater Manchester Probation Trust’s (GMPT) operations in Bolton, also said prison is a costly option.

She spoke out following a report by the National Audit Office, which revealed that re-offending by thousands of criminals serving short prison terms in England and Wales costs the taxpayer up to £10billion a year.

Mrs Smith said: “The cost of a six week custodial sentence is £4,500. In contrast, the cost of a two year intensive community order is £4,300.

“These are the most intensive community orders for the most prolific offenders, under which they are required to attend probation for up to four times a week. The cost of a standard community order is much less.”

Around 60,000 prisoners are jailed for less than 12 months each year, costing taxpayers £300 million, the National Audit Office report found.

It also said that many prisoners on short term sentences were spending all day in their cells rather than being engaged in training and rehabilitation.

Of all those in jail, prisoners serving less than a year have the highest re-offending rates and the most convictions.

They are usually convicted for theft and minor violent crimes. Most spend around 45 days inside and are released automatically at the halfway point of their sentence.

Mrs Smith said the Greater Manchester Probation Trust was currently rated at Green Star level.

This means it has performed at the highest standard nationally in successfully managing risk and public protection, and ensuring that offenders successfully complete the sentence imposed by the courts.

In January, 82 per cent of the orders imposed by the court were completed successfully in Bolton.

This is higher than the national average, which is 76 per cent.

She added: “Probation staff in Bolton work very hard to gain compliance and work with offenders very successfully to address the needs which contribute to their offending.”

Tactics used include the use of unpaid work, employment, the teaching of basic skills, supervision and drug and alcohol misuse programmes.

Bolton Probation Service is currently supervising around 1,600 offenders in the area.

Mrs Smith said: “As the senior manager with responsibility for the delivery of probation services in Bolton, I am proud of these achievements.

“Staff work with offenders and their families to assist them in making changes to their behaviour that have lead them to commit offences.

“They have a key role in reducing the amount of crime in Bolton and protecting victims.”

pkeaveny@theboltonnews.co.uk