Annex B
Note by the Home Office
MAGISTRATES' VIEWS OF PROBATION SERVICE:
REASONS FOR DISSATISFACTION
On 5 May Home Office witnesses to the Inquiry
into Alternatives to Prison Sentences reported that 94 per cent
of magistrates stated they were satisfied with the work of the
probation service overall, and undertook to provide reasons why
the remainder were not satisfied.
2. Information on the extent of magistrates'
satisfaction with probation service work is available from surveys
of magistrates carried out by HM Inspectorate of Probation as
part of its inspections of individual probation services under
the Inspectorate's current quality and effectiveness (Q&E)
inspection programme. In recent inspections, an average of 94
per cent of magistrates surveyed were satisfied or very satisfied
with the work of the probation service overall. Information is
not explicitly available on the reasons why the remainder were
dissatisfied. However the Inspectorate's survey questionnaires
ask for magistrates' views on a number of specific aspects of
the work of the service as well as on the work of the service
overall. This more specific information provides an indication
as to particular aspects of probation service work with which
magistrates are relatively more or relatively less satisfied.
Average results from recent inspections for some main specific
aspects of work are as follows:
AVERAGE PROPORTIONS
OF MAGISTRATRES
SATISFIED OR
VERY SATISFIED
WITH:
— clarity of pre-sentence reports 97%
— appropriateness of proposals for
sentence in pre-sentence reports 72%
— information in pre-sentence reports
about available sentencing options 75%
— length of adjournments to prepare
pre-sentence reports 70%
— overall usefulness of pre-sentence
reports in reaching a sentencing decision 91%
— the way in which community penalties
are supervised by the probation service 93%
— ability of the probation service
to supervise more serious offenders in the community 79%
— extent to which breach action is
taken when appropriate on community orders and licence 84%
— extent to which information can be
obtained on the outcome of community sentences 75%
— extent to which probation staff in
court are usefully engaged in the business of the court 88%
— the ways in which the probation service
keeps magistrates informed about its work in general 94%
June 1998
| 
