The Offender Teams are responsible for:

• Providing a service to the Courts in Gloucestershire. Court Duty officers attend relevant Courts to provide advice and guidance to the Court, particularly in the cases of offenders already known to the Probation Service. If the Court request a Pre-Sentence Report or Fast Delivery Report the officers will collect relevant information to enable that report to be allocated to a Probation officer. The Court duty officers also prepare Oral Reports for same day hearings, on offenders where the Court is considering a Community Penalty. Fast Delivery Reports are shortened versions of Pre-Sentence Reports.
   

• Supervising Community Orders for offenders who have been assessed as having a low/medium risk of re-offending.
  

• Monitoring contact with prisoners sentenced to over 12 months who are then supervised on licence after their release (except for those offenders assessed as presenting a high risk of harm to others, who are supervised by the Public Protection Team).
  

• Representing the Gloucestershire Probation area at the Crime and Disorder partnership groups in each of the 6 districts in the county.
  

What is a Programme?

What Works is an approach to working with offenders based on international research evidence as to what has been effective in reducing re-offending. It aims to ensure that all probation practice is based on evidence of success.

Programmes are a structured way of challenging offending, based upon What Works principles. They can be delivered in a group setting or on a one-to-one basis (depending upon the programme). They have to be delivered in a consistent way, which ensures that practice is effective (based on the research evidence) and can be evaluated. Some programmes are for general offending whilst others are more specialist (see below).

As programmes are developed they are assessed against What Works principles and thoroughly researched. This means that programmes delivered by the Probation Service currently are at various stages of development. These include;
ACCREDITED – Programmes deemed to comply wholly with What Works principles and whose effectiveness has been thoroughly tested through research
RECOGNISED – Programmes nearly ready for accreditation but requiring further research or small adjustments before they can be deemed accredited
PATHFINDER – Programmes that have been developed but are in the process of being tested and evaluated
LEGACY – This means that this is a programme that has not been through the accreditation process.

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What Programmes are run in Gloucestershire?

With the implementation of the new Domestic Violence programmes we can now state that in Gloucestershire we only run accredited programmes.  All our programmes are group based and we boast a high standard of integrity on our delivery.

Although group based all programmes have individual sessions as part of their statutory delivery.  In total this area will offer six programmes to meet the needs of the offender and  the courts.

THINK FIRST 
General offending programme focussing on teaching problem-solving skills. 30x 2 hour sessions 24 of which are delivered in a groupwork setting.

ADDRESSING SUBSTANCE RELATED OFFENDING (ASRO)
Programme for offenders with drug and/or alcohol related offending. 27 x 2-hour sessions 21 of which are delivered in a groupwork setting.

AGGRESSION REPLACEMENT TRAINING (ART)
A programme for male and female offenders with problems with aggressive behaviour linked to offending.  29 x 2 hour sessions 19 of which are delivered in a groupwork setting.

DRINK IMPAIRED DRIVERS
Programme aimed at offenders convicted of a drink related driving offence.  25 x 2 hour sessions 15 of which are delivered in a groupwork setting.

THAMES VALLEY SEX OFFENDER PROGRAMME
 Programme for offenders who have committed sexual offences. An accredited programme delivered in a groupwork setting. Takes a year to complete.

INTEGRATED DOMESTIC ABUSE PROGRAMME
Programme for male perpetrators of domestic violence. 35 x 2-hour sessions 28 of which are delivered in a groupwork setting. Having run the Duluth programme for some years we now are implementing the update and accredited version – IDAP.

WORK MATTERS
 A legacy programme for unemployed offenders aimed at planning for future work and/or training.

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Where Can I Find Out More

Further reading “What Works: Reducing re-offending: evidence-based practice” published by Home Office Communication Directorate. 

Dealing with Dangerous Offenders in the Community

This is a major priority for the Probation Service in Gloucestershire. We work very closely with the Police, Social Services Department and other agencies in the successful management of high risk offenders, such as sex offenders and other serious violent offenders. Multi Agency Public Protection Panel arrangements are in place to assess and manage those offenders considered to pose highest risk.

We continuously monitor and assess the risk posed to the public by all offenders who are subject to Community Orders, or those who have been released early from prison on parole licence. These assessments lead on to action plans which are designed not only to ensure public protection but also to improve the likelihood of rehabilitation of offenders. High risk offenders who are released from prison are subject to very strict conditions which may include:-

• Living away from the home area in a hostel.

• Being electronically tagged.

• Being required to attend intensive treatment programmes.

• Staying away from specific areas and/or not contacting their victims.

Failure to comply with such conditions is immediately acted on and can lead to a swift return to prison.

The management of dangerous offenders in the community is a difficult and demanding task that the Probation Service carries out on behalf of society. It is essential we work closely with the Police, Courts and other agencies to ensure public safety. The Probation Service successfully reintegrates many dangerous offenders in the community. The public rarely hear about these cases. Regrettably there are a tiny percentage of cases when such offenders do reoffend. Such incidents lead to an immediate enquiry to establish what, if anything, went wrong and what lessons can be learned.