Thursday 16 July 2020
A record number of Community Service months were allocated as an alternative to a custodial sentence in 2019, the Probation Service's annual report shows.
Some 275 months - nearly 23 year's worth - were handed down by the courts last year - an increase of 74 months over 2018. In 2019, 83 new Community Service orders were made, a 9% increase over the previous year. The youngest person sentenced was 14 years old, and the oldest was 69. The average number of active orders was 43, a 22% decline from 2018.
The report shows another busy year for the Probation Service, with a total of 238 full Social Enquiry Reports prepared for the Magistrate's and Royal Court, and in addition 41 Parole Assessment Reports were completed for the Parole Review Committee giving an assessment of the level of risk associated with early discretionary release.
Priorities for the year included taking part in the Justice Review, scoping of alternative sentencing - including tagging - and the ongoing development of the domestic abuse perpetrator programme, were among areas which formed priority workstreams for the service.
Chief Probation Officer Anna Guilbert said:
"The report outlines the sheer breadth and volume of work undertaken by my staff day in and day out. Their work largely takes place in the background but is an integral part of efforts to make our community a safer place to live. I want to pay tribute to each and everyone one of them, who tirelessly dedicate themselves to their work. They are a real credit to the island and I am proud to work with them.
"I look forward to continue to build upon the successes of 2019."
