Enforcement, Rehabilitation and Public Protection
Merseyside Probation Trust - a 5 Star Organisation
Who We Are
The Probation Service supervises adult offenders who have been given a Community Order by the courts, or who have been released on licence from prison. The Merseyside Probation Trust is part of the National Offender Management Service, which in turn is part of the Ministry of Justice. It employs around 700 staff in over 30 locations across the county, and its head is Chief Executive Officer Annette Hennessy.
Each Probation Trust is run by a local Trust Board, selected to reflect the diversity and concerns of the community it serves. The chair of the Merseyside Probation Trust Board is Liz Barnett.
The organisation has teams operating in each of the area's six Magistrates Courts and Liverpool Crown Court, and also has a probation team in the innovative Community Justice Centre in Kirkdale, Liverpool. The Trust serves around £1.4 million people across the whole of the Merseyside area, and its annual budget is around £32 million. The Trust also runs three probation/bail hostels for those who require 24 hour intensive supervision, and has staff operating in Merseyside's three prisons - HMP Liverpool, HMP Altcourse and HMP Kennett. The organisation works closely with the Police, and operates in partnership with over 40 other statutory and voluntary organisations. The Probation Service also plays an important role in local area Criminal Justice Boards, each of which comprises the heads of Probation, Police, CPS, Courts and Prisons. John Stafford is the head of the Merseyside Criminal Justice Board.
In June 2004 the Government announced the introduction of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), which incorporates both the Prison and Probation Services. In the past, responsibility for a case would transfer between probation and prison staff, depending on whether the offender was serving their sentence in custody or out in the community. Under NOMS the responsibility for a case rests with just one person (the case manager) throughout the duration of a sentence, be it in custody or out in the community.
Offenders continue to be monitored and supported through the punishment, reparation and rehabilitation processes. The police, NOMS and other organisations, such as health and housing services, may continue to have a role, even after an offender’s sentence has been completed.
The Ministry of Justice now oversees NOMS operations.
Our Aims, Vision, Mission and Values
For information on Our Aims, Vision, Mission and Values click here
Latest News
OFFENDERS TO PLANT PANSIES TO RAISE AWARENESS OF DISCRIMINATION - read more
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Judge for Yourself
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the doors of a Probation Office? Well, now's your chance to find out. Judge For Yourself is an interactive tour of four real-life cases, showing what happens following their initial interviews with the Probation Service. You can interview the offenders, learn about their lives, decide what level of risk they pose, choose a sentence for them and see what happens after they completed their Court Orders.
Click here to enter Judge for Yourself
Interactive Presentations
Local Crime Community Sentencing (LCCS) provides an interactive presentation lasting about an hour which can be made at any time to community groups. It's an
opportunity for your group to 'be the judge', and decide how best to sentence an offender.
Click on the logo for more info
Click here for details and a booking form.
