What future for the Probation Service?
I’ve come here to plead guilty. Over the years, I’ve put out dozens of articles, hundreds of press releases and thousands of leaflets. In them all, the probation service has barely featured. So yes – I am guilty of largely neglecting what should be one of the most important public services. I hope I’ve begun to put that right since joining the Liberal Democrat Home Affairs team in Parliament last year. And why do I feel that the probation service should be considered one of the most important? It’s because it is at much at the forefront of fighting crime as the police. The figures are stark: six out of ten people released from jail go on to commit another crime within two years of their release. Right there – at the heart of where the probation service works – is a key front in the fight against crime. And in case my military metaphors mean you mistake me for a general (or Paddy Ashdown), let me add that there is also another, more humane perspective. If we are to cut re-offending rate
