New CEP member: Guernsey Probation Service

The Guernsey Probation Service operates across the Bailiwick of Guernsey, encompassing the islands of Guernsey, Herm, Alderney, and Sark. The Bailiwick has an approximate population of 67,000 people.

Guernsey, the largest island within the Bailiwick, covers 27 square miles and is situated off the coast of France as part of the Channel Islands. It forms part of the British Isles and is a Crown Dependency, but is not part of the United Kingdom and maintains its own distinct legal system.

Due to the size of the jurisdiction, a single Probation Office of 22 employees serves all islands and Courts across the Bailiwick. We operate an end-to-end model of Probation practice, ensuring continuity of supervision wherever possible. This means that individuals are supported by the same Probation Officer from the Court and pre-sentence report stage through to the completion of any post-custodial or community supervision. The service incorporates Court reporting, rehabilitative interventions, prison resettlement, community service, multi-agency public protection, victim liaison work and intends to develop restorative justice practices.

We maintain strong collaborative relationships with key Criminal Justice partners, particularly the Prison and the Police. Joint strategies and co-located units exist to enable more efficient communication and enhance the effectiveness of our work.

Why did your organization decide to join CEP?

Our organisation joined CEP to play an active part in improving Probation practice both locally and across Europe. Being a member gives us a useful platform to contribute to the development and recognition of the Probation profession, while also learning from the wide range of experience and expertise within the CEP network. It will help us stay up to date with new research, international policy trends, and innovative approaches that influence how Probation supervision is delivered in different countries.

Membership supports our commitment to continuous improvement. It gives us opportunities to collaborate with others, compare practice, and take part in cross-national projects that help strengthen both our service delivery and organisational development. What we learn through CEP will shape our local policies, models of practice, and strategic planning.

We also see it as important to contribute back to the wider Probation community. We are committed to sharing our own experience, developments, and evidence-based approaches with colleagues across Europe. Through this two-way exchange, we hope to support the growth of effective, ethical, and high-quality Probation services internationally, and to play a part in strengthening the profession’s future.

How would you like to contribute to the development of CEP, its project, actions and work programme?

The Guernsey Probation Service is committed to taking part in ongoing research and contributing to wider discussions about effective Probation practice. Our aim is to stay informed about approaches that have been shown to work well, while also keeping an eye on issues that are beginning to emerge within the Criminal Justice System.

We are keen to share our experience in providing individualised, strengths-based interventions, particularly for people who have committed sexual offences or offences of intimate partner abuse. Our focus is on tailoring support to each person’s specific needs and circumstances, recognising that rehabilitation is most effective when it reflects individual differences rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach. By engaging with CEP, we hope to contribute practical insights, learn from the experiences of others, and play a constructive role in helping our own service as well as Probation services across Europe, continue to develop and improve.

The small island community necessitates a flexible and tailored approach, and we have developed an integrated model for the execution of criminal sentences, with a combined strategy between the Probation Service and the Prison for rehabilitation and resettlement purposes. Through collaboration with forensic psychology specialists, we have also created a bespoke, strengths‑based programme for individuals involved in intimate partner abuse. We would welcome the opportunity to share the models, their benefits, and outcomes more widely.

What topics or priorities do you think CEP should focus on more, and how would you like to use your experience to help develop and support its work?

We would welcome CEP exploring further the ongoing developments in Probation work and the varied needs of the people we supervise. One key area is improving how Probation services work with mental health specialists. As mental health needs become more common among our clients, clearer processes and stronger cross-disciplinary collaboration would help ensure timely assessments, better informed risk management, and access to suitable support.

Another priority is the strengthening of evidence-based interventions for individuals diagnosed with personality disorders or exhibiting significant personality disorder-related traits within forensic settings. These cases frequently present additional complexities, and Probation practitioners would benefit from greater opportunities to share learning, engage with research, build skills, and draw on others’ experiences of working within multi-disciplinary frameworks.

We also recognise the need for continued attention to how technology influences offending behaviour, both in shaping it and in facilitating the commission of offences, as well as its potential role in monitoring and rehabilitation. As technology continues to evolve, Probation services need to stay up to date and confident in responding to these developments.

Finally, we believe there is value in exploring how restorative justice can be used more consistently within Probation practice. We would welcome the chance to learn and contribute to developments for victims of crime, as well as support approaches that promote accountability, meaningful reparation, and positive outcomes for people on Probation.

Why do you think it is so important to promote alternative sanctions and measures and what is the state of play in your country in this regard?

Providing community sanctions offers a constructive and proportionate response to crime that promotes rehabilitation while protecting the public. They allow individuals to remain connected to stabilising factors such as family, work, and housing, which can reduce the likelihood of reoffending. Community-based sentences create opportunities to address the underlying causes of offending through targeted interventions, without individuals losing their connection to the community. By requiring individuals to complete structured activities, such as unpaid work or behaviour-change programmes, community sanctions hold people accountable in a practical and meaningful way. They are flexible enough to be tailored to an individual’s risks and needs, often making them more effective and less disruptive than custody, while also offering a more cost-efficient use of public resources.

Guernsey has a comparatively high rate of imprisonment per capita in relation to other European jurisdictions. In response to this, the island operates an integrated Prison and Probation strategy designed to provide a cohesive approach to offender management. This model ensures that rehabilitation and risk management are planned and delivered consistently throughout an individual’s sentence, supporting a smooth transition from custody to the community. As part of this approach, community Probation officers work directly within the local Prison, leading sentence-planning processes and delivering offending-behaviour interventions. This allows Officers to take responsibility for the rehabilitative elements of a person’s sentence from the outset through to their return to the community, ensuring continuity, accountability, and a more coordinated approach to reducing reoffending.