Jonathan Ledger is on leave at present and here's our first blog entry of 2013.

The Government's announcement on the Probation Service is dominating all our thoughts at present. Napo will, of course, be providing a full response to the consultation document and is working closely with other stakeholders who believe in a public, professional and accountable Probation Service. The proposals, in their current form, risk public safety and we have seen that privatization and payment by results leads to poor performance, low morale for staff and fractured services. Click here to view our campaign blog for more information.

Meanwhile, we are dismayed at the manner in which the prison closures have been announced. That some of the old prisons need closing or rebuilding is a no-brainer but the timetable for this suggests little thought has been given to the impact on the prisoners or staff working there. Napo will have members in those prisons, please contact us if you are going to be directly affected. The prospect of a titan jail raises its head once more. This is simply the wrong direction for criminal justice. Smaller, local prisons offering continued community and family ties are the most conducive to rehabilitation and reducing reoffending- another no-brainer, will the Government listen?

Tom Rendon, National Co-Chair

Did you notive?

Probation privatisation one day
Prison closure the next = no debate in the media on probation
MPs want 32% wage increase = no debate in the media on prison closures
Jimmy Saville revelations = no debate about the MPs wages

If I was a cynic....