Probation staff 'stretched to limit'

Britain's leading public sector union Unison has claimed the crisis is jeopardising the Government's so-called "rehabilitation revolution", which will see more offenders put on probation to lower the prison population.

A survey of staff in the sector by the union found 59.2 per cent of respondents were already suffering from staff cuts, and 76.2 per cent claimed that workloads have increased in the last year.

A total of 70.4 per cent said that stress levels had risen, whilst 59.2 per cent claimed morale had decreased. A total of 63.4 per cent of staff said they felt less secure in their jobs than they did last year.

The head of the regional branch of Unison, Cliff Williams, said: "The worry is that an already tough job is set to get even tougher. The Ministry of Justice has been hit with savage cuts. If these cuts fall on the probation service, it will buckle under the strain."

"At the same time as cutting, the Government is set to launch a 'rehabilitation revolution'. This will see more offenders placed into the community. Who will be making sure these offenders and the communities where they live and work are safe?"

It is predicted the Government's cuts to the Ministry of Justice will reduce the prison population by 3,000 and result in 11,000 front-line probation and prison staff losing their jobs.