Probation inspection – Glossary of terms
V1.2 - updated June 2025
The following glossary includes terms that may be used in our probation inspection reports.
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Accredited programme
A programme of work delivered to offenders in groups or individually through a requirement in a community order or a suspended sentence order, or as part of a custodial sentence or a condition in a prison licence. HMPPS accredit programmes as being effective in reducing the likelihood of reoffending.
Alcohol treatment requirement
A requirement that a court may attach to a community or suspended sentence order aimed at tackling alcohol abuse.
Approved premises
Hostels approved under Section 13 of the Offender Management Act 2007, managed either by the National Probation Service or by independent organisations. Approved premises are used as a short-term residence for an offender considered a higher risk of serious harm, who requires close monitoring and supervision, and support to begin to integrate back into the community.
ARMS
Active Risk Management System: a system used by probation and police, providing an approved framework for assessing and managing sexual offenders who are subject to statutory supervision.
Assessment
The process for assessing an individual to determine: the likelihood, seriousness and imminence of further offending; the factors in his/her life that may make reoffending more likely; and the factors that may help them not to offend or cause harm.
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Barriers
The things that make it difficult for an individual to change.
Breach (of an order or licence)
Where an offender fails to comply with the conditions of a court order or licence. Enforcement action may be taken to return the offender to court for additional action or recall them to prison.
Building Choices
A cognitive-behavioural intervention designed to help individuals develop skills for managing emotions, relationships and decision-making.
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Child protection
Work to make sure that all reasonable action has been taken to keep to a minimum the risk of a child coming to harm.
Child safeguarding
The ability to demonstrate that a child or young person’s wellbeing has been ‘safeguarded’. This includes – but can be broader than – child protection. The term ‘safeguarding’ is also used in relation to vulnerable adults.
CRC
Community Rehabilitation Company: CRCs were set up in June 2014, to manage most offenders who present low or medium risk of serious harm, and were combined with the National Probation Service as part of unification in 2021.
Criminal justice system
Involves any or all of the agencies involved in upholding and implementing the law – police, courts, crown prosecution service, youth justice services, probation and prisons.
CRISSA
A standardised method for structuring and recording an interview with an individual: Check-in, Review, Implement, Summarise, Set tasks, set next Appointment.
CRS
Community Rehabilitative Services: Providers who deliver a service or input commissioned by and provided under contract to the Probation Service.
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Desistance
The cessation of offending or other antisocial behaviour.
Diversity
The extent to which people within an organisation recognise, appreciate and utilise the characteristics that make an organisation and its service users unique. Diversity includes, but is broader than, the protected characteristics of disability, age, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, and sex.
DRR
Drug Rehabilitation Requirement: a requirement that a court may attach to a community order or a suspended sentence order aimed at tackling drugs misuse.
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Enforcement
Action taken by a probation practitioner in response to an individual’s non-compliance with a community sentence or licence.
Equality
Ensuring that everyone is treated with dignity and respect, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, and sex. It also means recognising that diverse groups have different needs, and ensuring that they have equal and fair access to appropriate opportunities.
EQuiP
Excellence and Quality in Process: a Probation Service web-based national resource providing consistent information about the processes to be followed in all aspects of work. The process mapping is underpinned by quality assurance measures.
ETE
Education, training and employment: work to improve an individual’s learning, and to increase their employment prospects.
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HMP/YOI
Her Majesty’s Prison/Young Offender Institution.
HMPPS
Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service: from 01 April 2017, HMPPS became the single agency responsible for delivering prison and probation services across England and Wales. At the same time, the Ministry of Justice took on responsibility for overall policy direction, setting standards, scrutinising prison performance and commissioning services.
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ICT
Information and communications technology.
Impact
The targeting of work for people on probation, subject to meeting specific criteria, who present a lower risk of harm and offending. This encompasses a maximum of seven targeted desistance-based sessions within the initial 16 weeks of supervision, after which contact with the probation practitioner is suspended. Introduced in April 2025.
Intervention
Work with an individual that is designed to change their offending behaviour and/or to support public protection. A constructive intervention is where the primary purpose is to reduce likelihood of reoffending. A restrictive intervention is where the primary purpose is to keep to a minimum the individual’s risk of harm to others. With a sexual offender, for example, a constructive intervention might be to put them through an accredited sex offender treatment programme; a restrictive intervention (to minimise their risk of harm to others) might be to monitor regularly and meticulously their accommodation, their employment and the places they frequent, imposing and enforcing clear restrictions as appropriate to each case. Both types of intervention are important.
IOM
Integrated offender management: a cross-agency response to local crime and reoffending priorities. The most persistent and problematic offenders are identified and managed jointly by partner agencies working together, particularly police and probation.
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Lammy review
The Lammy Review, chaired by David Lammy MP, is an independent review of the treatment of, and outcomes for, black, Asian and minority ethnic individuals in the criminal justice system.
Licence
This is a period of supervision immediately following release from custody, and is typically implemented after an offender has served half of their sentence. Any breaches to the conditions of the licence can lead to a recall to prison where the offender could remain in custody for the duration of their original sentence.
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MAPPA
Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements: where probation, police, prison and other agencies work together locally to manage offenders who pose a higher risk of harm to others. Level 1 is ordinary agency management where the risks posed by the offender can be managed by the agency responsible for the supervision or case management of the offender. This compares with Levels 2 and 3, which require active multi-agency management.
Mentoring
The advice and guidance offered by a more experienced person to develop an individual’s potential.
MoJ
Ministry of Justice: the government department with responsibility for the criminal justice system in the United Kingdom.
Multi-agency safeguarding hub (MASH)
The first point of contact for new safeguarding concerns or enquiries. They usually include representatives from the local authority (children and adult social care services), the police, health bodies, probation and other agencies.
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nDelius
National Delius: the approved case management system used by the Probation Service.
NPS
National Probation Service: a single national service that came into being in June 2014. Its role was to deliver services to courts and to manage specific groups of offenders, including those presenting a high or very high risk of serious harm. This service was merged with Community Rehabilitation Companies as part of unification in 2021.
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OASys
Offender Assessment System: currently used by the Probation Service to measure the risks and needs of offenders under supervision.
Offender management
A core principle of offender management is that a single practitioner takes responsibility for managing an offender throughout their sentence, whether in custody or the community.
OMiC
This refers to the offender management structures and processes for sentenced prisoners, implemented in 2019.
Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014
Implemented in February 2015, applying to offences committed on or after that date, the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 is the Act of Parliament that accompanies the Transforming Rehabilitation programme.
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PAR
Performance, Assurance and Risk Group: This is an internal HMPPS team that audits operational delivery and reports to the HMPPS executive committee and the Ministry of Justice.
Partners
Partners include statutory and non-statutory organisations, working with the service user through a partnership agreement with the Probation Service.
PCC
Police and Crime Commissioner.
PO
Probation officer: this is the term for a probation practitioner who has completed a higher-education-based professional qualification. The name of the qualification and content of the training varies depending on when it was undertaken. They manage more complex and high risk of serious harm cases.
Post-sentence supervision
Introduced by the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014, this is a period of supervision following the end of a licence for those subject to a custodial sentence of 12 months or less. Breaches are enforced by the magistrates’ court.
PQiP
Professional Qualification in Probation.
Pre-sentence report
This refers to any report prepared for a court, whether delivered orally or in a written format.
Prioritising Probation Framework
A post-pandemic tool to help regions adapt how they deliver probation services locally according to numbers of available staff.
Probation delivery unit (PDU)
An operational unit comprising a probation office or offices, often coterminous with police basic command units and local authority structures.
Probation practitioner
The term used for the officer (previously entitled ‘responsible officer) who holds lead responsibility for managing a case. The probation practitioner may be either a PO or PSO.
PSO
Probation services officer: this is the term for a responsible officer who was originally recruited with no professional qualification. They may access locally determined training to qualify as a probation services officer or to build on this to qualify as a probation officer. They may manage all but the most complex cases depending on their level of training and experience. Some PSOs work within the court setting, where their duties include writing pre-sentence reports.
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QDO
Quality development officers: a specialist role within the NPS. QDOs work closely with local managers, practice tutors and operational staff to promote and improve the quality of work with offenders and victims. Similar roles exist in many CRCs.
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RAR
Rehabilitation Activity Requirement: from February 2015, when the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 was implemented, courts can specify a number of RAR days within an order; it is for probation services to decide on the precise work to be done during the RAR days awarded.
Recidivism
An individual’s relapse into offending after being given or undergoing an intervention to stop offending.
Reset
National policy implemented in July 2024 to allow the supervision of a person on probation, who is eligible according to certain criteria, to be suspended at the two-thirds point of their sentence.
Risk of serious harm
Risk of Serious Harm: a term used in OASys. All cases are classified as presenting a low/medium/high/very high risk of serious harm to others. HMI Probation uses this term when referring to the classification system, but uses the broader term ‘risk of harm’ when referring to the analysis which must take place in order to determine the classification level. This helps to clarify the distinction between the probability of an event occurring and the impact/severity of the event. The term Risk of Serious Harm only incorporates ‘serious’ impact, whereas using ‘risk of harm’ requires the necessary attention to be given to those service users for whom lower impact/severity harmful behaviour is probable.
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SDS 40
Standard Determinate Sentences 40 per cent: Introduced in September 2024. Allows certain people in custody, serving a standard determinate sentence, to be released at the 40 per cent point of their sentence, subject to eligibility criteria.
SEEDS
Skills for Effective Engagement Development and Supervision: a skills-based practice framework for enhancing offender engagement.
SPO
Senior probation officer: first line manager within the Probation Service.
SFO
Serious Further Offence: where an individual subject to (or recently subject to) probation commits one of a number of serious offences (such as murder, manslaughter or rape). The Probation Service must notify HMPPS of any such individual charged with one of these offences. A review is then conducted with a view to identifying lessons to be learned.
SSO
Suspended sentence order: a custodial sentence that is suspended and carried out in the community.
Stakeholder
A person, group or organisation that has a direct or indirect stake or interest in the organisation because it can either affect the organisation, or be affected by it. Examples of external stakeholders are owners (shareholders), customers, suppliers, partners, government agencies and representatives of the community. Examples of internal stakeholders are people or groups of people within the organisation.
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Third sector
The third sector includes voluntary and community organisations (both registered charities and other organisations such as associations, self-help groups and community groups, social enterprises, mutual and co-operatives).
Transforming Rehabilitation
A government programme, introduced in June 2014, whereby individual offenders were managed by either the National Probation Service or by a Community Rehabilitation Company. This ended with unification in 2021.
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Unpaid work
A court can include an unpaid work requirement as part of a community order. Offenders can be required to work for up to 300 hours on community projects under supervision.
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ViSOR
ViSOR is a national confidential database that supports MAPPA. It facilitates the effective exchange of information and intelligence on violent and sexual offenders between the three MAPPA Responsible Authority agencies (police, probation and prisons). ViSOR is no longer an acronym but is the formal name of the database.
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Women’s centre
A centre dedicated to services for women. This may include education, training and interventions to help with confidence and self-esteem.
Workload measurement tool (WMT)
A tool to calculate the overall workload of an individual responsible officer. It takes into account numbers and types of cases.
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YJS
Youth justice service: a local authority partnership service working with children up to the age of 18 to prevent and address offending. They work with children subject to out of court disposals, serving community sentences and in custody.