Judicial Brochure: Probation Interventions Kent, Surrey and Sussex
An overview for members of the judiciary about available probation interventions in the Kent, Surrey and Sussex region.
Applies to England and Wales
Accredited programmes
Programme requirements are available as a sentence of the Court under the Criminal Justice Act 2003 and fall under the statutory purposes of sentencing of reform and rehabilitation of offenders and the protection of the public. They can also be added as Licence conditions to all types of prison Licences and Post Sentence Supervision. Probation Practitioners will identify all eligible and suitable cases at the pre-sentence or pre-release stage and will propose an Accredited Programme (when there are no barriers to attendance). These programmes are only delivered by trained facilitators, primarily within a group setting. For some Accredited Programmes, consideration can be given to delivery on a one-to-one basis in exceptional circumstances.
You can read more about accredited programmes here.
Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR)
The RAR is a requirement that can be included within a community order or suspended sentence order, although they do not have to include a RAR. A RAR is designed for individuals with clear rehabilitative needs when appropriate activities are available and where these needs cannot be met by an accredited programme requirement or a treatment requirement. The requirement allows for rehabilitation activity to be tailored following a more in-depth assessment after sentence. These activities can comprise structured interventions, commissioned rehabilitative services and approved toolkits, as below.
Structured Interventions
Structured Interventions are part of a suite of interventions that Probation Practitioners can refer people to if they present a low risk of recidivism and/or are unsuitable for an Accredited Programme. Structured Interventions can be delivered in a group setting or on a one-to-one basis, have a set format, and are a minimum of four sessions in length.
Structured Interventions are approved for delivery via the HMPPS Effective Interventions Panel and are assessed against seven core Correctional Services Accreditation Advice Panel (CSAAP) principles.
All regions will deliver a minimum of one Structured Intervention in the need areas set out below. Flexibility on meeting regional needs is also a key factor and delivery of any additional Structured Interventions in the three need areas will be at the discretion of the Regional Probation Director.
Commissioned Rehabilitative Services
These interventions and services are for individuals who are sentenced to a Community or Suspended Sentence Order with a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement, or on Licence/Post-Sentence supervision.
Approved Suite of Probation Practitioner Toolkits
Probation Practitioners can deliver change work directly with people they are supervising with a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement or who are subject to a Licence or Post-sentence supervision.
Community Sentence Treatment Requirements
Community Sentence Treatment Requirements offer treatment to address offending behaviour with the aim of reducing reoffending and offer an alternative to short custodial sentences. They can also be used in combination to address mental health and substance misuse issues and to support the completion of other community order requirements.
You can read more about the requirements here.
Electronic Monitoring
There are three forms of Electronic Monitoring (EM) available in all courts in England and Wales, all of which use a tag which is fitted to the individual’s ankle.
Read more about electronic monitoring here.
Unpaid work (Community payback)
Individuals undertake unpaid work that must benefit their local community as a way to pay back to the community for their crimes.