Crime Reduction Programme
Work to Reduce Crime: A Thematic Inspection
This bulletin describes the key findings from the HM Inspectorate of Probation study: Work to reduce crime: An inspection of the delivery of Employment and Basic Skills (EBS) with offenders by the National Probation Service (NPS). The thematic inspection examines how the NPS aims to reduce likelihood of reoffending by increasing the Basic Skills and employability of offenders.
Title: Work to Reduce Crime: A Thematic Inspection
Author: HM Inspectorate of Probation
Series: Inspection Findings 2/04
Date Published: January 2004
Number of pages: 4
EBS Service Objectives
The NPS aims to increase both basic skills and the employability of offenders it supervises, in order to reduce reoffending.
The NPS working hypothesis is to improve offender skills in order to improve employability, and reoffending rates.
This inspection aimed to examine how well the NPS was delivering an EBS service to the offenders it was supervising in 2003. The Employment Skills Inspection (ESI) used 7 NPS probation areas to evaluate the projects:
Cheshire
Derbyshire
Hampshire
Kent
Lancashire
Leicestershire
Rutland
Nottinghamshire.
The probation areas were selected to provide a representative sample and are visited for a detailed examination of their work in relation to the EBS scheme. A national report is published which comments on the findings from all the areas inspected, identifying strengths and areas for improvement.
To ensure that the offenders are effectively supervised, inspections consisting of evaluating:
Quality of management
Findings: All areas demonstrated full commitment toward achieving Basic Skills targets. There was more variation in the commitment to employment work
Quality of assessment
Findings: Although Basic Skills was not integrated into mainstream operations of NPS offenders, EBS interventions were planned for the majority of relevant offenders.
Quality of interventions
Findings: In majority of cases the EBS interventions went as planned and took place successfully.
Quality of initial outcomes
Findings: Half the sample was assessed as having achieved an EBS objective and improved their EBS status by the end of the supervision.
Summary of Findings
Progress toward targets had been achieved by the 7 areas visited, but there wasn't evidence of an established course of continuous improvement
A methodology of resource allocation for Employment and for basic skills (EBS), both nationally and in areas, was at yet insufficiently developed within the NPS.
With further changes taking place it will take time for the scheme to bed down
EBS needs to be integrated into the mainstream case management of offenders by the NPS.
Uncertainties about compelling offenders to take part in either basic skills or employment work will also be need to be resolved
Much energy has been devoted to the basic skills targets, yet relatively little offender employment.
Given employment is one of the biggest factors in reducing offending, there is now a need for some strategic planning about how much of the NPS's resource should focus on this work.
Employment work should be developed further by having a performance target and by increasing the demand side of the work, marketing offenders in the labour market by developing a customer service aproach with potential employers.
Download 'Working to reduce crime' from the Home Office website 
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Date modified: 25 February 2004
Review date: February 2005
Originator: Crime Reduction Centre Information Services Team
Last update: 19/02/04