Tens of thousands of criminals released on to the streets are monitored by just a short phone call every six weeks, a damning report has revealed.
The probation watchdog warned that offenders who posed a risk to the public never had ‘vital’ face-to-face meetings with supervisors.
A highly critical dossier exposed how in some cases a convict met a probation officer only once before being placed on ‘remote supervision’ – phone conversations that often last less than 30 minutes and amount to little more than ‘checking in’.
The probation watchdog warned that offenders who posed a risk to the public never had ‘vital’ face-to-face meetings with supervisors (stock image)
Dame Glenys Stacey, the Chief Inspector of Probation, said it was ‘difficult to see’ how managing ex-prisoners over the phone could prevent them from returning to crime.
In one instance, a man given a community order after being convicted of supplying class A drugs was charged with wounding while he was being managed by telephone. Another man with more than 30 convictions, including domestic abuse, was supervised through telephone contact only on release from prison. He was later charged with beating up his partner again.
The criticisms will make embarrassing reading for the Ministry of Justice, which controversially shook-up the regime for managing about 262,000 criminals in the community in 2014.
The Government introduced the flagship £3.7 billion Transforming Rehabilitation programme in a bid to tackle reoffending, which costs society £15 billion a year.
The overhaul, which took place under David Cameron, created a National Probation Service to deal with high-risk offenders, with 163,000 medium and low-risk criminals assigned to 21 partly privatised Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs). The CRCs monitor all those released on licence from prison terms of a year or less or given community sentences by the courts.
Under a payment-by-results scheme, the companies check whether criminals are complying with court requirements and help rehabilitate them by tackling behaviour, drug and alcohol problems, and help them with housing, employment, finances and debts.
Some 38 per cent of prisoners released from custody or starting court orders in 2015 went on to reoffend (stock image)
In her annual report, published today, Dame Glenys warned that some individuals managed by CRCs never met their probation worker face-to-face.
She said: ‘Instead, they are supervised by telephone calls every six weeks or so from junior staff overseeing 200 cases or more. I find it inexplicable that, under the banner of innovation, these developments were allowed.’
The report said up to 40 per cent (65,000) of the 174,000 offenders monitored by CRCs could be supervised remotely. Some 38 per cent of prisoners released from custody or starting court orders in 2015 went on to reoffend. The number of criminals committing serious violent and sexual offences while on probation since 2014 soared by a fifth – from 429 to 517.
Dame Glenys said: ‘Regrettably, none of the Government’s stated aspirations for Transforming Rehabilitation have been met in any meaningful way. I question whether the current model for probation can deliver sufficiently well.
‘If all these services were delivered well, there would be less reoffending and fewer people being returned repeatedly to prison. Men, women and children currently afraid of assault could lead happier, safer lives.’
Frances Crook, of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: ‘The Government’s mishandled Transforming Rehabilitation programme was supposed to turn lives around, reduce reoffending and make us all safer. Instead, it has been a public safety disaster, and today’s report is a sober, sensible and quietly devastating verdict.’
Justice Secretary David Lidington said: ‘We have already changed CRCs’ contracts … and are continuing to review them. We are clear that CRCs must deliver a higher standard of probation services.’
KILLER BREACHED RELEASE TERMS 8 TIMES
David Braddon breached his probation order eight times before murdering an innocent teenager.
Braddon, 26, who was serving a community sentence for assaulting a police officer and drug offences, was being monitored by private probation company Working Links.
The killer, of Caerphilly, had taken 50 Valium tablets, cocaine and alcohol when he beat Conner Marshall with an iron bar and stamped on him in Porthcawl, South Wales, in March 2015.
David Braddon breached his probation order eight times before murdering an innocent teenager
He had mistaken the teenager for his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend.
He then removed his victim’s clothes, before punching him again as he lay naked and helpless on the ground. He was jailed for life for murder in June 2015.
Working Links claims only two of Braddon’s missed appointments were judged to be unacceptable.
In February, Working Links said: ‘All decisions were made and supervised by fully qualified probation workers.
‘Public protection is our top priority.’