Probation: UK

Community Payback is essentially the replacement for Community Service, also more recently called Community Punishment. Courts are given the power to sentence offenders of certain crimes to undertake between 40 and 600 hours of Community Payback. This work is unpaid and demanding.

Download the Correctional Services Review by Patrick Carter. This key document outlines radical reforms to correctional services unveiled by Home Secretary David Blunkett on 6 January 2004. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) brings together the Prison and Probation Services to ensure progress in prison is followed through in the community.

HM Inspectorate of Probation is an independent Inspectorate which is funded by the Home Office and reports directly to the Home Secretary. The Inspectorate retains its independence from the National Probation Service's policy making and operations.

The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is a single service which combines the work of correctional services in both prisons and probation.

Napo is the trade union, professional association and campaign organisation for staff in the National Probation Service and the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass).

NPRIE is a network of research, information and communications staff within NOMS.

The National Probation Service for England and Wales is a key UK statutory Criminal Justice Service. Established in April 2001, it comprises 42 Probation Services (matching police force area boundaries) together with the London-based National Probation Service.

The National Statistics Probation Page offers links to key probation statistics.

National Probation Service Performance Reports outline the extent to which local probation areas are delivering to targets and overall strategic objectives

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman investigates complaints from prisoners and those subject to probation supervision. The Ombudsman is completely independent of both the Prison Service and the National Probation Service.

The Probation Board for Northern Ireland aims to integrate offenders in the community by effective assessment and supervision thereby reducing re-offending and contributing to public protection.

Probation 2000 from Knivett, Blake and Associates provides the only full online catalogue of Probation Circulars. They also offer advice about self-assessment and the European Excellence Model. The site offers some interesting downloads. Some have a managerial focus, though there is plenty here for practitioners.

Reducing Crime - Changing Lives outlines the Government's plans for transforming the management of offenders via the new National Offender Management Service (NOMS), a new body providing end-to-end management of all offenders.

Rethinking Crime and Punishment aims to raise the level of public debate about the use of prison and alternative forms of punishment in the UK, and to promote rational and effective policy to reduce crime.

Individual Probation Area websites for the National Probation Service in England and Wales: this page lists all area websites.

Probation: International

The American Correctional Association is a professional association for those who work in all disciplines, including probation, within the corrections field. It offers comprehensive access to resources in corrections.

The American Probation and Parole Association is an international association whose US and Canadian members work in probation, parole and community-based corrections in the adult and juvenile sectors.

The Conférence Permanente Européenne de la Probation includes statutory and voluntary organisations whose common concern is to protect society without resorting to the expense of prison.

The Correctional Service of Canada site has information on Canada's federal institutions for men, institutions for women, community correctional centres for offenders on conditional release, and parole offices.

The Orange County Probation Department in California supervises around 23,000 adult and juvenile offenders on court-ordered probation or in diversion programs. Volunteers play a key important role in helping the Probation Department. This website has a wealth of background information.

Probation And Community Corrections Officers' Association Inc (PACCOA) is an Australian association that represents the professional interests and aspirations of people working in the field of community based offender management.

The South African Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has the dual roles of keeping offenders in custody and “supervising and controlling” probationers and parolees, providing rehabilitation. DCS Annual Reports can be downloaded at this website.

The Swedish Prison and Probation Service's English language website outlines the Service's main tasks: to implement prison sentences and probation, to be supervise conditionally released persons, to implement community sentences and prepare pre-sentence reports in criminal cases.

The Wisconsin Division of Community Corrections supervises people on parole, extended supervision or probation. The supervision is community-based to strengthen the family unit, encourage lawful behaviour, and provide local treatment programmes.