Probation Officers

My daughter is a probation officer, and passionate about her work, she sent me this e-mail, presumably for forwarding to my friends, but I thought some Gransnetters might be interested
On Tuesday 5th February the above programme is being shown on BBC1 at 10.35 pm. It was filmed last year in Surrey and Sussex Probation Trust offices in Brighton and Chichester. We have been told that over 100 hours of filming were undertaken to be condensed into this one programme. It will concentrate on the work of my colleagues who supervise those who commit the more socially unacceptable crimes of sexual and high end violent crime and those chaotic prolific offenders where just keeping hold of their coat-tails is a daily challenge.

I am making a request that you watch/record/i-player this programme, whatever suits because the government is aggressively pursuing 'payment by results' privatisation of the Probation Service. Like Humpty Dumpty, once this occurs we will never be able to put it back together again.

Chris Grayling is the Justice Minister leading the charge. He headed up 'payment by results' in the back to work scheme (not a qualified success) and now proposes to do the same with the Probation Service, with an arrogance in the confidence of his decision-making that he has cancelled all pilot-schemes to test the theory. If, like me, you do not believe profit should be made from the misery of others, please watch the programme and contact your MP (they all have a website now) to voice concerns. This does affect us all. £40 is added to each motor insurance premium to take into account those who drive without. A percentage is included in the pricetag for goods we purchase to counteract shoplifting. If, like me, you have, seen the impact of serious crime on victims and their families, I hope you will agree that profit should not be the first consideration when assessing the management of the offender. In my opinion the management of such people should remain within the sector in which I work with some stunningly committed and talented personnel.

The producer of this documentary has experience of film-making in various criminal justice environments. She admits that her view of the Probation Service, specifically those of us who work within it, has changed for the positive. I hope the programme will relay that message and if just one of you is stirred into reaction as a result, this email will not have been a waste of time,