THE probation service protects the public and assists communities by helping keep offenders from committing more crimes.
According to its own website, the service has a strong record of “reducing reoffending, managing offenders safely in the community, reintegrating prisoners after their release, and providing an effective, efficient, and value for money service”.
According to the service’s mission statement, it provides “high quality assessment of offenders and a professional and effective management of services and supports to bring about positive change in the behaviour of offenders”.
On behalf of the justice system and the wider community, the Probation services states that its role is to “ensure that court orders are implemented, to reduce the risk of harm and of reoffending by supporting re-offender rehabilitation, and to make good the harm caused by crime” through “evidence led services and programmes, delivered by our dedicated, well-trained and skilled staff and through co-operating with our partner organisations”.
In 2024, the probation services in Limerick handled 675 clients, 105 of whom were new referrals. These offenders were with the service in relation to probation orders and fully suspended sentences with supervision. 182 people were engaging with the service concerning community service orders.
70 per cent of clients in Limerick did not reoffend within one year of their probation sentence.
Nationally, the service dealt with 9,576 people last year. 1,702 of these were new referrals. 18 per cent of referrals in 2024 were female.
The ethnicity data shows that the services ” clients are broadly in line with the population”.
In terms of age, 58 per cent of new referrals in 2024 were 34 or younger, while 17 per cent were 45 or older.
– Court Reporting Scheme