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Probation and community sentencing

When an offender receives a Community Order from the court, or leaves prison on Supervised Licence or Order, the Probation Board for Northern Ireland will supervise that Order or licence for a specified period of time.

When is an offender put on probation supervision?

Offenders are likely to be put on probation supervision when:

  • a judge sentences them to a Community Order
  • the Parole Commissioners decide that they can be released into the community on Licence
  • they are released from prison after serving the custodial part of their sentence

Community sentences

People who commit serious crimes should go to prison and dangerous offenders should stay there until the risk that they might cause further serious harm has been significantly reduced.  However placing all offenders under custodial sentences (sending them to prison) is not possible or desirable.  In many instances a Community Order may be more effective in addressing offending behaviour.

Community sentencing can also allow offenders to make amends for their crime. Elements of community sentencing include:

  • challenging unpaid work (community service) such as removing graffiti, cleaning up derelict areas or working for charities
  • community supervision, which involves meeting regularly with a probation officer to ensure compliance with their court order, verifying their actions and challenging attitudes and behaviours and seeking to change those attitudes and behaviours
  • abiding with a curfew, where an offender must stay indoors at certain times, they can be electronically tagged to monitor the curfew
  • undertaking programmes to address offending behaviour for example drug or alcohol abuse, violent behaviour, sexual offending, domestic violence

If an offender does not comply with the requirements of a Community Order or licence immediate action will be taken by probation staff and they may be returned to court or directly to custody.  In some cases offenders may be re-sentenced and sent to prison.

Research has shown that probation is effective. Three in four people sentenced to community service do not re-offend within one year.

What does probation mean for an offender?

Offenders on probation must comply with the requirements specified by their Court Order or Release Licence. If they break these rules, they face enforcement action, which includes the risk of being sent to prison. For example, offenders must attend regular supervision sessions with their probation officers. If they fail to attend without a valid explanation they will be returned to court.

Other requirements can include:

  • completing specific programmes
  • completing alcohol and drug treatment
  • staying in approved premises
  • staying away from the area where a crime was committed

Probation officer's role

Probation officers in Northern Ireland work with over 4,400 offenders on any given day. Their role is to:

  • challenge offending behaviour
  • work towards positively changing an offender's attitude and behaviour
  • protect the public
  • work with partners to reduce re-offending and keep communities safer
  • work with victims through Probation Board for Northern Ireland Victim Information Scheme

Sentencing and enforcement in Northern Ireland

Sentencing and enforcement options available in Northern Ireland include:

  • indeterminate and extended custodial sentences
  • supervision of prisoners given a sentence of 12 months or longer on release from custody
  • Parole Commissioners to inform decisions about release of certain prisoners
  • Offender Recall Unit
  • strengthened community supervision through the use of electronic monitoring and drug treatment and testing orders
  • the use of approved accomodation

Victims

The Probation Board for Northern Ireland has a Victim Information Scheme which is open to any person (or agreed representative) who has been the direct victim of a criminal offence and where the offender in question has received a Probation Supervised Sentence. Preventing people becoming victims of crime is central to the work carried out by PBNI.  Everything probation officers do is about working to make local communities safer.

The scheme can provide certain information to victims or their representative who register with the scheme.

You may also contact the Victims’ Unit on 028 9032 1972.

Contacting the Probation Board

Probation Board for Northern Ireland
80-90 North Street
Belfast
BT1 1LD


Phone: 028 9026 2400
Fax: 028 9026 2450
Email: info@pbni.gsi.gov.uk

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