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When an offender is likely to be put on probation

Offenders are likely to be put on probation when:

• a judge or magistrate sentences them to a Community Order
• the Parole Board decides that the offender can be released early from a jail sentence
• the offender is automatically released from prison after serving half or three-quarters of their sentence

Community sentencing

Placing all offenders under custodial (prison) sentences is not possible or desirable. Prison can break up families, hold back resettlement and place children at risk of repeating a cycle of crime within the family. If an offender doesn't pose a great threat to the public, a community order is often seen as a better option.

Combining punishment with changing offenders' behaviour, community sentencing sometimes also forces offenders to make amends for their crime. Examples of community sentencing include:

• compulsory unpaid work - such as removing graffiti, cleaning up derelict areas or working for charities
• community supervision - which involves meeting regularly with a probation officer to help change attitudes and behaviour
• curfews - where an offender must stay indoors at certain times (they also may be electronically tagged to monitor the curfew)
• addressing issues such as drug or alcohol abuse, which can lead to offending
• addressing certain types of criminal behaviour such as persistent drink-driving, domestic violence or sex offending

If the offender breaks the rules and requirements of the community order, they will be returned to court and will be given an additional penalty. In some cases, offenders may be re-sentenced and sent to prison.

What probation means for the offender

Offenders on probation must comply with rules and requirements specified by their court order or release licence. If they break these rules, they face disciplinary action, including the risk of being sent to prison. For example, offenders must attend regular supervision sessions with their probation officers. They only get one warning if they fail to attend; if they miss a second session, they'll be sent back to court and possibly imprisoned.

Additional requirements can include:

• completing community sentences successfully
• completing alcohol and drug treatment
• staying in a probation hostel
• staying away from the area where a crime was committed

The probation officer's role

Each year, probation officers supervise around 225,000 offenders. Their role is to:

• protect the public by helping to prevent the offender committing more crimes
• rehabilitate offenders
• enforce the conditions of offenders' court orders and release licences
• conduct offender risk assessments to protect the public
• help resolve problems that may have led offenders to commit a crime in the first place