Serving the Courts

The National Probation Service is one of the major providers of services to magistrates and Crown Courts.

Our role is to provide:

• timely, high quality verified information and assessments to assist the Court's decisions. The courts require speedy information to enable prompt and effective remand and sentencing decisions
• a range of community supervision orders for consideration alongside other community and prison-based sentencing options.
• rigorous enforcement of community supervision orders in accordance with National Standards. If an offender fails to comply with the requirements of an order, he or she is taken back to the court which decides what action to take.

In planning and delivering probation services to the courts in Lancashire, we link closely with all the criminal justice agencies, Victim Support Services and sentencers. We promote awareness of the range of our services and probation programmes available to the courts. We do this by regular liaison with local Court clerks and sentencers.

In Lancashire's Crown and magistrates' courts our work is in public view when Probation Officers or Probation Service Officers present a report and speak in open court. This is to give to a judge, magistrates or other official a report about a person appearing in court. The report contains unbiased independent advice and information.

The two main types of Probation report are:

Pre-Sentence Report ( PSR ): a formal written report prepared at the request of the Court by a Probation Officer. It focuses on:

• Offence analysis - this explores why the offence occurred, the circumstances, and the offender's thoughts and awareness of what impact the crime has had upon the victim
• Offender assessment - this examines the personal background of the offender and tries to identify any lifestyle factors that may have been influential in this offence and any pattern of offending.
• Assessment of risk - this assesses the offender's risk of re-offending and potential to cause harm to others or self
• Conclusion - this identifies, where appropriate, how a community Order could be used to reduce the risk of the offender committing further offences. A specific proposal outlines the aims and the anticipated outcomes of the Order.

Specific Sentence Report (SSR): an assessment that takes place when the Court indicates it is considering a specific sentence and is completed same day. A Probation Officer interviews the offender and assesses the offender's suitability for a Community Rehabilitation Order of a maximum of 12 months duration or a Community Punishment Order to a maximum of 100 hours.

Probation staff also undertake:

• Bail Information Reports, assessing offenders' suitablity for bail.
• Arranging placement for offenders at Probation hostels where this will increase public protection.

In Lancashire we serve these centres:

Magistrates Courts
Accrington • Blackpool • Blackburn • Burnley • Chorley • Fleetwood • Lancaster • Ormskirk • Preston • Rossendale

Crown Courts
Burnley • Lancaster • Preston