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Work within Prisons
The Probation Trusts are contracted to provide seconded staff to both public and private sector prisons. These staff deliver a number of services and interventions which vary from prison to prison as each custodial institution serves differing populations at different periods within their sentence.
Probation staff employed within Humberside currently work in HMP Hull, HMP Full Sutton, HMP Everthorpe and HMP Wolds.
HMP Hull is a local prison which contains a large proportion of men on remand waiting for conviction and sentence. Immediately following sentence convicted prisoners are returned to Hull where they are assessed before in most cases being moved to other establishments to serve the custodial part of their sentence. Those offenders sentenced to short periods of custody and those who are assessed as requiring access to the interventions specifically available at this establishment may remain within HMP Hull.
HMP Everthorpe and HMP Wolds are male category ‘C’ training prisons where specific work and interventions as detailed on the individuals sentence plan can be delivered. Prisoners remain within these establishments until released or until moved to another prison location either as a result of a re-categorisation or a need to undergo a specific intervention available elsewhere.
HMP Full Sutton is a male high security prison which takes the most serious offenders from around the country who are generally serving long sentences or who are seen as posing too many risks to be accommodated within prisons of lesser security. Prisoners are assessed for interventions according to their sentence plan and following work completed and evidence of presenting risks being reduced will in most cases transfer to category ‘C’ training prisons before release.
Probation Team Responsibilities
Prison Probation teams are currently managed by a Senior Probation Officer who in close co-operation with prison Governors delivers an agreed range of services and interventions as outlined within a Business Plan specific to the needs and nature of the individual prison .
Offender Management Duties / Offender Supervisor Duties
Probation staff currently working within prison establishments in Humberside are involved in varied duties and have wide ranging areas of responsibilities from responding to an individual ‘application’ from a prisoner to completing a report in cases where an offender previously released on Parole licence has been returned to custody. Probation staff will routinely interview prisoners and link with voluntary, statutory, and community agencies internal and external to the prison in attempts to assist prisoners solve problems and plan for a sustainable release, they will make assessments and recommendations in terms of reducing and managing those risks presented to the public and to children and provide specialist reports and assessments which contribute to Parole Board, Home Detention Curfew Board and Temporary Release Board decision making.
Interventions
In the majority of Humberside prisons probation staff are employed to both manage and deliver a number of accredited programmes. Programmes which are delivered within custodial establishments are similar in nature to those delivered by probation staff in the community although tutors and facilitators of those programmes delivered within prisons tend to be drawn from ‘multi-disciplinary’ backgrounds. For example a particular programme may be delivered by a combination of prison officers, psychologists based within the prison and probation staff. Within Humberside prisons probation staff deliver a number of programmes designed to examine and address thinking and behaviour which underpins the most serious sexual offending, substance related offending and poor problem resolution which contributes to general offending. All staff working on such programmes must undergo rigorous assessments for suitability, specific programme training and ongoing and regular supervision.
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