Probation staff work in every prison and Young Offenders Institute. They are there to offer prisoners help during their sentence and as they prepare for release.
The first contact a prisoner will have on arrival is likely to be with a prison officer, who should be able to them with any immediate and day-to-day problems. However, they should meet a member of the prison probation staff soon after arrival. In adult prisons, probation staff may work from an office on the wing or from an office elsewhere in the prison.
Probation staff may be able to help prisoners with other problems, including those that may have led them to commit a crime in the first place. They will also often be able to help by giving advice on how to maintain contact with their family and their community and help prepare for their release. Probation staff will probably also be involved in risk assessment as part of the sentence planning process.
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