Humberside Probation Trust

The National Probation Service is one of the main providers of services to Magistrates and Crown Courts.

Probation staff work in each of the Courts in Humberside. Magistrates Courts sit in Hull, Bridlington, Beverley, Goole, Scunthorpe and Grimsby, and there are Crown Courts in Hull and Grimsby.

A range of services are provided both for the sentencers (Magistrates and Judges) and the offenders who appear before the Courts. These services include:

PSRs are detailed documents which assess the risk posed by an individual, their motivation to stop offending, the impact of their crime on the victim and make a proposal that clearly identifies how a community sentence would act as a punishment and address the offender’s reasons for offending and contains an outline sentence plan. In cases where a custodial sentence is assessed as necessary information is given to the court about the effects this may have on the offender’s home life and any employment. There are two formats to these reports:

Standard Delivery (SDRs). These reports are based on a comprehensive assessment of the offender and are prepared by Probation Officers during a three week adjournment period. They give in-depth details and analysis of the offence, the offender’s personal circumstances, their attitude towards the offence and whether they are aware of the impact their offending has had on the victim(s). The main thread running throughout the report is a thorough risk assessment, which looks at whether the person is likely to reoffend and how much harm they pose to the public. Finally, the report concludes with a realistic proposal detailing possible sentencing options. This may be either a community or custodial sentence.
Fast Delivery (FDRs). These reports are also written and contain an assessment of the offender, any risk they may pose and their risk of re-offending. However, these are much shorter reports and are prepared on those offenders who are assessed as posing a lower level of risk. FDRs are often prepared on the same day that the offender appears in court for sentence although they can be requested for any time within a five day period.
Oral. These reports are presented verbally in court and are generally used when the magistrates have a specific sentence in mind and the offender is considered to be low risk. It is a short report that deals with the specific request of the sentencers.

Interviewing offenders is an essential part of writing SDRs and FDRs. Probation staff also interview offenders after they are sentenced to make sure they understand the sentence, to find out if they have any special requirements and to assess their mental state.

Probation staff are available within the Courts to handle enquiries and give advice to sentencers, including providing further verbal information to complement a written report.

In circumstances where bail is being considered, Probation staff may be asked to enquire about suitable bail places. This can include telephoning relatives or checking for available places in Probation Approved Premises (hostels).