Probation: Coronavirus

(asked on 24th March 2020) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will provide guidance to probation services on the circumstances in which face-to-face meetings with offenders can be avoided during the covid-19 outbreak.


Answered by
Lucy Frazer Portrait
Lucy Frazer
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
This question was answered on 27th April 2020

Probation staff are considered key workers but we are encouraging them to work from home when possible. Probation officers will continue supervising in person those who pose the highest risk ensuring the monitoring of high-risk offenders remains as tough as it always is.

Face-to-face contact will remain for terrorists, offenders without a phone and prison leavers reporting for their initial appointment. Guidance has been issued to staff on adherence to government instructions on social distancing when conducting face to face supervision. Additional hygiene products are also being provided to reporting sites.

Doorstep visits will be the default option for all other high-risk offenders and medium-risk offenders with domestic abuse or other safeguarding issues. This will involve a phone call with the offender visible to their probation officer, with a separation of at least 2m. Video and voice calls will be used in addition.

Lower-risk offenders will now be supervised more frequently, via telephone or video messaging rather than face-to-face. If staff believe it is the right thing to do, offenders can always be recalled to prison.

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