Has privatised probation failed?

As the government prepares to scrap its contracts in this sector, questions over the viability of the system have arisen

Electronic tag, monitor, prison, crime
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The government plans to abandon its private probation contracts two years early at a cost of £170 million, a decision that acknowledges failures in reforms carried out by former justice secretary Chris Grayling.

Agreements with eight private firms that run 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) to manage low-risk offenders in England and Wales will now end in 2020 rather than 2022, after accusations the arrangements had put public safety at risk, says The Independent.

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