Jersey’s probation service remains without a modern electronic case-management system after a replacement project collapsed at the “last minute” when a supplier withdrew from the contract.
The Jersey Probation and After-Care Service’s 2025 Annual Report revealed that the current ageing system has become “inefficient”, causing unnecessary delays in recording and retrieving information vital to courts, police and prisons.
Probation Board chair Jurat Robert Christensen said the failure to secure new software had become a “key issue of concern” over the past two years.
He said that the board supported the decision to work with the probation service in Guernsey to identify a supplier for both islands, but noted that this “inevitably adds a further layer of complexity to the negotiations”.
“The board remains hopeful that a contract will soon be signed for the replacement software and that the new system will be operational by the end of 2026,” he added.
Meanwhile, the service is also battling recruitment problems, particularly among community service supervisors.
Community service orders surged by 22% last year – the highest figure in five years – but the report highlighted staff shortages as one of the probation service’s “key risks”.
”It has become increasingly difficult to recruit community service staff due to the rates of pay, working hours and the challenging clientele,” according to the report.
”Without adequate staffing the scheme will experience delays which is likely to have an adverse effect on client compliance and the confidence of the courts.
”As community service is a direct alternative to custody, there is a risk that an ineffective service will lead to increased numbers of offenders going to prison.”
The department is working with human resources to review the role and improve pay and working conditions, whilst an assistant officer role has been reassigned to focus mainly on community service work to help ease pressure on the service.
Chief probation officer Mike Cutland said: “One area of ongoing concern has been our difficulty in recruiting community service supervisors and, at the time of writing, discussions are ongoing with human resources about reviewing terms and conditions.
“The demands on the scheme continue to rise and the department requires consistent staffing to ensure we can manage the service effectively.”
Mr Cutland also noted that the service hoped to increase the capacity of the community service scheme to “offer a direct alternative to custody at a time when the prison is experiencing a particularly high population”.
Despite pressures, the probation service exceeded its annual performance targets, with 80.9% of probation orders and 85% of community service orders completed successfully.
More than 98% of children supervised through Parish Hall inquiries avoided reoffending and court prosecution altogether.
In total, offenders carried out 15,180 hours of unpaid work – equivalent to more than £195,000 in labour for charities and community organisations.