Vast majority of Probation Service referrals involved men and drug use

Some 84 per cent of new cases of offenders engaging with the Probation Service last year were men, with just 16 per cent being women, according to the organisation’s annual report for 2022.

The service, part of the Department of Justice, works with offenders and the courts to help change offender behaviour and make good the harm done by crimes.

The annual report said the Probation Service dealt with 16,347 offenders in the community and 2,880 offenders in prison in 2022, a total of 19,227. The number one offence committed by offenders was drug use.

Drug-related offences were followed, in decreasing order, by assault; theft; public order offences; road traffic offences; and burglaries.

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Together the top six offences accounted for 76 per cent of all referrals to the service.

The year also saw the prison population rise from 3,800 to 4,300 people in custody.

The Probation Service handled 11,814 assessment reports in 2022. Some 1,228 community service orders were imposed by the courts, involving 174,287 hours of unpaid community work, with a value of just under €2 million.

The service supervised 122 life-sentenced prisoners in the community on their release from prison and completed 51 assessments for the Parole Board.

Mark Wilson, director of the Probation Service, said 2022 was challenging as it “continued to experience increasing demand for our services due to a surge in activity across the criminal justice sector post-pandemic”.

He cited “significant challenges in recruiting staff” due to the competitive employment market, but said the service attracted 46 new entrants, including 32 new probation officers.

Mr Wilson said there was a “notable reduction in community service assessment referrals in 2022″. He said the Probation Service had made “concerted efforts” to address this through the completion of an Evidence Review of Community Service Policy, Practice and Structure launched in December. The review responds directly to recommendations included in the Review of Policy Options for Prison and Penal Reform 2022-2024, and identifies opportunities to increase awareness, strengthen partnerships and enhance the model of community service.

“The implementation of these recommendations remain a key priority for the service into 2023,” he said.

Publishing the annual report on Thursday, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said the Probation Service played “an essential role in our criminal justice system, working to provide rehabilitation opportunities and support people as they look to build crime-free lives”.