About Us and Our Work: HMI Probation
History of HMI Probation
The History of HMI Probation from 1936 to present day
1936
Following ollowing the report of the departmental committee on social services in the Courts of Summary Jurisdiction, HMI Probation was established as an independent inspectorate within the Home Office.
Initially, the work of HMI Probation comprised inspecting probation areas and training and confirming the appointment of probation officers. For this latter area of work, a number of regional offices were set up across the country, a structure that existed for the next fifty years.
1987
Following a Cabinet Office Efficiency Scrutiny, substantial changes to both the structure and working methods of the Inspectorate were made, reflecting the changes in the Probation Service and the wider Criminal Justice System.
One of the major changes was the transfer of the training function of HMI Probation to educational establishments, principally universities and polytechnics, allowing the Inspectorate to concentrate solely on assessing the effectiveness of probation areas through inspection. With regional offices now no longer required, the decision was taken to conduct Inspectorate business from two offices, London and Manchester.
1991
Under the Criminal Justice Act, the Inspectorate was given a statutory basis for the first time, placing it on a comparable footing to other central government inspectorates.
2000
The Criminal Justice and Court Services Act renamed the Inspectorate 'Her Majesty's Inspectorate of the National Probation Service for England and Wales'. Under clauses 6 and 7 of the Act, the Secretary of State was provided with the power to appoint inspectors and in turn to provide them with the powers to inspect and report to him.
