It is the Probation Service’s statutory responsibility to contact victims of serious sexual/violent offences when the offender receives a minimum of 12 months imprisonment or certain disposals under mental health legislation.  

 

On release, offenders who have been sentenced to such  imprisonment are subject to a period of supervision on licence by the probation service under specified conditions and victims can request extra conditions such as non contact or exclusion from a particular area during the supervision period. 

 

We are required to contact victims within 40 working days of sentence being imposed and to offer a face-to-face meeting in our initial letter.  We try to ensure that victims receive the service they are entitled to in a way that fosters their safety and well-being.

 

The purpose of our contact is to offer:

 

  • Information about the role of the Victim Liaison Officer and the Probation Service in general.
  • The opportunity for him/her to give their views on proposed conditions surrounding the offender’s release. 
  • Information about the offender’s progress through the prison system at key stages of the sentence. 
  • The opportunity to provide information about any concerns they may have about that stage. 
  • Information about any conditions of release which relate to contact with the victim. 
  • An explanation about the implications of the offender being on licence and the implications of breach. 
  • Information about any special victim protection arrangements which are proposed and seek their agreement to them. 
  • An explanation of how information received from the victim or their family relating to breaches of release conditions would be dealt with.
  • An explanation of the function, extent and limits regarding confidentiality  

 

Victim welfare
We do not provide victims with  ongoing emotional support  ourselves – only information at key stages - but we are able to make assessments  and refer them to other groups or agencies, such as Victim Support,  or police community safety units with which we work closely to develop safety plans in high risk of re-victimisation cases.   In addition, we represent victims’ views  through  Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA).

 

Offenders and Victims

The risk an offender poses to their victim is a factor when the courts are making sentencing decisions. Victims' concerns can also be taken into account before release and will be considered as part of the offender’s licence conditions.

 

Our staff challenge offenders to face up to the impact of their crime on other people.  By ensuring that offenders understand the effect their behaviour has on others, we help to prevent more people becoming victims.

 

Many Community Payback projects in London make a practical contribution to crime prevention, for example, removing graffiti or fitting security locks to prevent burglaries.  This work gives offenders a way of making amends to the community for their crime.

 

If you have been a victim of a serious sexual or violent crime please click here for more information