Probation staff in the West Midlands supervise over 12,000 new cases every year, working from offices throughout the area.

More than 9,000 people receive community orders. These are made up of different components or requirements, depending on the seriousness of the offence and the problems that an offender needs to address to prevent him/her reoffending in future. The Order may consist of one requirement or several of the following:-
Supervision, Unpaid Work, attendance at a nationally accredited groupwork programme, drug rehabilitation, a specified activity (such as attending education to improve employment prospects), residence or curfew with electronic tagging.

Each year, around 4,000 people are released from prison on licence, with conditions to keep regular appointments with a supervising officer, not to reoffend, reside at an address approved by the supervising officer, undertake work approved by the supervising officer and not to travel outside the UK without the permission of their supervising officer. Some may have additional undertakings such as a curfew, attendance at groupwork programme or to have no contact with victims of their offences or to keep away from a specific area.

Seven districts cover the West Midlands:- Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton and each has several area offices.

Each offender is assessed using a national assessment tool to assess the risk that they pose to the public, both in relation to causing harm and to reoffending. On the basis of that assessment they are allocated to a tier of offender management. Those assessed as posing the highest level of risk receive more intensive supervision which may involve joint work with other agencies such as the Police. Those posing the lowest level of risk receive less intensive supervision and are likely to need more practical help to avoid reoffending in the future, such as help with finding accommodation and employment. Each district will have a number of teams to work with the different levels of risk, as well as supervising unpaid work placements and delivering nationally accredited groupwork programmes.

Attendance Requirements

Failure to keep appointments or to turn up for work on an Unpaid Work Scheme leads to offenders being returned to Court.

When a community sentence is imposed by a judge or magistrate, the court team will notify the offender’s local probation office of the outcome of the offender’s court appearance and will make arrangements for him/her to be seen. Depending on the assessment of the risk posed by the offender, they will be seen either within 1 working day or 3 working days and will be assigned an offender manager who will be responsible for ensuring that there is a clear plan of work which is regularly reviewed.

During the first interview the offender’s details will be verified, the requirements of the sentence explained to them, relevant forms completed and an appointment card with 16 appointments issued.

The importance of keeping appointments and acceptable reasons for absence is emphasised.

The offender will usually be required to report weekly for the first 16 weeks, as the work to help prevent reoffending begins. Appointments will then become less frequent and set according to the individual needs until the sentence ends, although will never be less than monthly.

Failure to Attend

First failure to attend means the offender receives a Final Warning Letter;

Second failure to attend leads to a Breach being initiated, and the offender is returned to Court.

Release from Prison

Newly released prisoners must report to a nominated officer at their local probation office on their day of release. Further appointments are issued and keeping to them is a statutory requirement.

The procedures for failing to attend are similar for offenders on a community sentence, except that the police and prison authorities are notified and the offender is arrested and returned to prison.