Probation Service and the Irish Criminal Justice System

The work of the Probation Service mostly takes place:

• before sentencing, i.e between the trial and sanction phases to produce pre-sanction reports, at the request of the courts, to assist the judge in deciding on an appropriate sanction;
• managing and supervising the offender while the offender is on probation as part of their sanction. If the court decides on a community-based sanction, the service is responsible for managing the sanction and supervising the offender.
• while the individual is on probation after their release from custody.

Sometimes however, it can be involved in the Criminal Justice Process between the prosecution and trial phase, for example, when a court requires a Probation Officer to hold a Family Conference. The Probation Service is an agency of the Department of Justice.

The service works closely with the other agencies of the Criminal Justice System, as illustrated in the diagram below, to reduce crime and make communities safer.

The Probation Service works closely with a wide range of other partner departments and agencies, including those in the statutory, voluntary and community sectors and also co-operates with criminal justice agencies in other jurisdictions, especially in cases where offenders move between countries.