Kim Thornden-Edwards
Biography
Kim Thornden-Edwards is the Chief Probation Officer for England and Wales and a senior leader at Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. Probation employs around 20,000 staff working, in 11 regions and Wales, and includes the National Security Division which manages the highest risk offenders including those who have committed terrorist offences.
Kim joined the Civil Service in June 2021 to work within the Probation Workforce Programme, taking on the role of Programme Director in November of the same year. The programme is part of a major change initiative, aimed at improving the capacity and capability of the probation workforce.
Before this, Kim was the Managing Director of Interserve Justice, a private sector provider delivering a range of government contracts for Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRC) and prison industries.
Kim qualified as a Probation Officer in Kent in 1996 and has spent her career in and around probation and criminal justice. She has held senior operational positions, including Head of Operations in Greater Manchester CRC and Chief Executive of Hampshire CRC.
Chief Probation Officer
- leading the Probation Service in England and Wales, an organisation that supervises offenders in the community on court orders, on licence from prison and subject to Post-Sentence Supervision
- driving excellent practice across the Probation Service, with a particular emphasis on risk management and public protection.
- ensuring the Probation Service reduces reoffending by delivering the best possible sentence management and interventions.