Our statement of purpose is to report on the effectiveness of work with adults and children and young people who have offended. Our Chief Inspector is appointed by the Crown to do this. We are funded by the Ministry of Justice but we are independent and report directly to the Secretary of State for Justice.

You can find our full statement of purpose and values in the ‘About HMI Probation’ section. There you will also find the memorandum of understanding with have with the Ministry of Justice for the oversight of probation services in England and Wales.

Youth offending and probation services play a critical role in protecting the public, reducing reoffending and safeguarding children and young people

Our Chief Inspector sums up why we inspect:

“Youth offending and probation services can make a big difference to those receiving them and to wider society. More than a quarter of a million people are supervised by them each year. If all these services were delivered well, there would be less reoffending and fewer people being returned repeatedly to prison. The prison population would reduce, and there would also be fewer people living on the streets, and fewer confused and lonely children, with a smaller number taken into care. Men, women and children currently afraid of assault could lead happier, safer lives. These things matter to us all.”