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The Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI) helps to prevent reoffending by assessing offenders, challenging their offending behaviour, changing their attitudes and behaviour and thereby protecting the public. PBNI seeks to achieve its aims through the assessment and management of risk, through the preparation of professional assessments to assist sentencers, and the supervision of offenders in the community.

The Probation Board is a Non Departmental Public Body (NDPB) of the Department of Justice (DOJ), which is a new Northern Ireland Department which came into existence on 12 April 2010 and was established by the Department of Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2010. It has a range of devolved policing and justice functions, set out in the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (Devolution of Policing and Justice Functions) Order 2010.

What does the Probation Board do?
The main strands of PBNI work are to assess convicted offenders and annually prepare over 9,000 reports for Courts, Parole Commissioners and others, to supervise over 4,000 court orders at any given time, provide behavioural change programmes covering areas such as sex offending, domestic violence, drug/alcohol-related offending, anger management and violence, to offer a Victim Information Scheme to any person who has been the direct victim of a criminal offence where the offender has been put under probation supervision, and to work alongside the police, prison service and other agencies to manage the risk posed by the most serious offenders as part of the Public Protection Arrangements Northern Ireland.

A central role within the Criminal Justice System.
The Probation Board for Northern Ireland plays a central role within the Criminal Justice System.

The introduction of the Criminal Justice (NI) Order 2008 has increased the responsibilities of the Probation Board. For example, following release, those prisoners who have been sentenced to a public protection or a determinate sentence of 12 months or more will automatically be subject to licence conditions under the supervision of the Probation Board for Northern Ireland.

The legislation also made provision for the introduction of Supervised Activity Orders which are a new measure designed to support the enforcement of fines. PBNI has been tasked to deliver orders with the emphasis on the offender ‘paying back’ to society in an alternative and appropriate fashion where they have not paid their fines.


 * PBNI advocates the need for a more joined-up approach across government to deal with offending particularly across the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, Department of Education, Department of Employment and Learning, Department of Social Development and Department of Justice.
 * PBNI strongly supports a cross-cutting approach to future development of community safety in Northern Ireland. PBNI staff are keen to play their part in delivering local solutions and ensuring safer communities.
 * Northern Ireland, unlike England and Wales, has one Police Service, one Probation Service, one Prison Service, one Court Service, one Youth Justice Agency and one Public Prosecution Service. PBNI believes that there is a need to maximise resource effectiveness and there should be a greater sharing of experience, through increased secondments, exchanges and research within the Criminal Justice System.

Probation working to make communities safer
The work probation carries out plays a key role in relation to community safety.

Probation works at the heart of communities in Northern Ireland. There are 31 probation offices throughout Northern Ireland. In every provincial town, probation staff build positive partnerships with community and voluntary organisations. Those links and partnerships are crucial in working to build safer communities. The Probation Board allocates over £1 million of its budget to voluntary and community organisations for the provision of facilities and schemes to assist in the prevention of crime.

Probation officers carry out home visits with offenders wherever they reside in the community. This enables the officers to assess the offenders in their own surroundings and verify the environment they live in and their relationships with others. That first hand experience enhances PBNI staff’s ability to make thorough assessments of risk. The very fact that the Board, which provides strategic leadership to the organisation, is made up of people from across the community highlights the fact that community engagement is central to what PBNI does.

What are community sentences?
Community sentencing combines punishment with changing offenders’ behaviour. It may also force offenders to make amends for their crime through compulsory unpaid work such as removing graffiti, cleaning up derelict areas or working for charities.

Probation currently enforces the following community sentences:


 * Probation Order - a sentence of the Court which can be made for between six months and three years. The Probation Board supervises the implementation of the order in the community and enforces offender compliance.


 * Community Service Order - a sentence of the Court which can be made when an offender is found guilty or pleads guilty to an offence punishable by imprisonment. If the offender consents they will be required to carry out unpaid work in the community. An order is made for at least 40 hours and not more than 240 hours. Each year offenders deliver an average of 100,000 hours of unpaid work to the community in Northern Ireland through community service sentences.


 * Combination Order - a sentence of the Court which combines a Probation Order and a Community Service Order.

What other sentences or licences does PBNI supervise?
PBNI supervises Custody Probation Orders, Sex Offender Licences and Life Licences.


 * Custody Probation Order - a sentence of the Court requiring an offender to serve a period of imprisonment (offence must justify 12 months or more) followed by a period of supervision in the community (the period of supervision will be one to three years commencing on date of release).


 * Sex Offender Licence - article 26 of the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 makes provision for all offenders convicted of a sexual offence and imprisoned to be released on licence.


 * Life Sentence Licence - any person serving a life sentence may be released from custody on licence. An individual must comply with the conditions of his licence in order to remain in the community and not be returned to custody.

The Criminal Justice (NI) Order 2008   introduced a range of new sentencing powers. Indeterminate Custodial Sentences, Extended Custodial Sentences and Determinate Custodial Sentences all require that, when a prisoner is released from custody subject to a licence, the licence is supervised by PBNI.