Minister McEntee publishes 2023 Annual Report of the Probation Service
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee TD, today welcomed the publication of the Probation Service Annual Report 2023, which provides a detailed overview of key developments, performance and general statistics on the work of the Service and its significant contribution to the criminal justice system.
The Probation Service Annual Report highlights the enormous work carried out over the course of 2023, during which the Service worked with 16,989 people in the community, 3,175 people in custody and completed more than 11,000 assessment reports.
In 2023, Probation Service staff also managed more than 1,600 community service orders, which amounted to more than 200,000 hours of unpaid work, equivalent to nearly 780 years of time spent in prison, and worth more than €2 million in unpaid work for the benefit of communities nationwide.
Publishing the Annual Report, Minister McEntee said:
“The Probation Service is a vital part of the Department of Justice. It plays an essential role in our criminal justice system by working to provide opportunities for rehabilitation and supporting its clients as they look to build crime-free lives.
“The unique and transformative role it plays in helping to motivate offenders to desist from crime and make positive changes for their future is informed by the belief that people can and do change, and the Probation Service continues to make a positive, lasting impact on those they work with and their communities.
"I would like to thank the Director of the Probation Service, Mark Wilson and his team for their continued hard work. The Probation Service’s commitment to improving the lives of the people they work with, addressing offending behaviours and making all of our communities safer is clear throughout the many achievements contained in this report.”
“We know that reoffending rates for people under the supervision of the Probation Service are lower than those who serve a custodial sentence, and I am delighted that under Budget 2025 we have been able to increase funding to the Probation Service by almost €4m bring the total Budget for the Probation Service to over €60 million to expand crime-diversion programmes, and support step-down facilities, restorative justice, and community-based alternatives to imprisonment.”
Director of the Probation Service, Mark Wilson said:
“The Annual Report 2023 outlines the impact the Probation Service had in addressing offending behaviour and helping to create safer and more inclusive communities.
The Probation Service worked with nearly 17,000 people in the community and completed nearly 11,000 assessment reports, meeting rising demand with dedication and professionalism.’
In keeping with the recommendations of the Review of Policy Options for Prison and Penal Reform 2022-2024, and through concerted efforts, the Service reported a nearly 30% increase in completed Community Service Assessments in 2023 over 2022’s figures, a total of 2,142.
The 2023 Annual Report also demonstrates significant progress against the Probation Service Strategy and the Performance Delivery Agreement 2023 and Review of Policy Options for Prison and Penal Reform 2022-2024. It also advanced commitments across 5 strategic pillars outlined in the 2021-2023 Strategy Action Plan, with particular focus on community sanctions & community service, social inclusion, work in prisons and with young persons, and high-risk offender management.
The Annual Report also highlights the further development and introduction of the Irish Probation Framework, a bespoke model of probation practice which is evidence-informed and underpinned by research. This will help the Probation Service to develop as a more effective, consistent and accountable organisation.
In September 2023, the Probation Service published the IPF Practice Manual, a critical resource that will enable Probation Officers to translate and operationalise the IPF into their everyday practice.
The Probation Service continued to actively recruit in 2023 in a highly competitive employment market, growing its staff numbers from 421 at the end of 2022 to 456 in 2023, including 64 new starters. In 2023, the Probation Service also introduced the role of Probation Assistant, a key role designed to support the supervision and management of offenders, and to support Probation Officers in the delivery of frontline services.
NOTES
Key 2023 statistics
- In 2023, the Probation Service dealt with 16,989 offenders in the community and 3,175 offenders in prison.
- The Probation Service completed 10,891 Probation Assessment Reports and 2,142 Community Service Assessment Reports.
- The 1,614 Community Service Orders for 2023 totals 209,311 hours work in lieu of 778 years in prison. This equates to over €2 million worth of unpaid work for the benefit of communities nationwide.
- 18% of referrals in 2023 were female and 82% were male.
- There were 700 young persons referred to the Probation Service in 2023.
- The top six offences resulting in referrals to the probation service and representing 75% of referrals in 2023 were 1. Theft; 2. Drug offences; 3. Assault; 4. Public order; 5. Road traffic; 6. Burglary.
About the Probation Service:
With more than 35 community-based offices nationwide, the Probation Service is responsible for the assessment and management of offenders in the community. It provides services to both adult and young offenders, in the community, in detention and in custody. Services are organised nationally and delivered locally with the provision of probation supervision, community service, community return, restorative justice and anti-offending behaviour programmes.
The Annual Report 2023 is available here: