National Probation Service

Magistrates Survey

Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire, designed by the National
Probation Directorate and MORI. All the information collected in this survey will be kept in the
strictest confidence by MORI, the independent research company, and used for research
purposes only. It will not be possible to identify any particular individual in the results. Please
complete the questionnaire, answering as many questions as you can. While it is ideal for us
to have all the questions answered, your response is still useful to us even if you feel unable to
answer some of the questions.
Please use the reply paid envelope to return your completed questionnaire. If you have any
queries, please call Nicola Hall at MORI (020 7347 3000) or email her (nicola.hall@mori.com).

The National Probation Service is constantly working to improve its service to the community
and the courts. This questionnaire is part of a number of measures that will help us to improve
this relationship. It is the first national survey of this type. I am confident that this survey will
give us a better and useful picture of your needs and views and I would encourage you to
spend a little of your time to complete it.
If we have sufficient responses each probation area will receive high quality, aggregated data.
This will give you information to compare and contrast with other parts of the country and
save the effort and expense of similar local surveys.
Many thanks for your time

Eithne Wallis
Director General, National Probation Service for England and Wales
 A - GENERAL

Q1 Please indicate what effect you think each of the following public service organisations has on
reducing the level of crime in an area. PLEASE TICK ONE BOX FOR EACH

No A large Don’t
effect effect know
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

a) The Police
b) Schools
c) Prisons
d) The Probation Service
e) The Courts
f) Social Services
g) Youth Groups
h) Neighbourhood Watch
i) Local Community Groups

Q2 How effective do you think the Probation Service is at each of the following?
PLEASE TICK ONE BOX FOR EACH
Not at all Not very Quite Very Don’t
effective effective effective effective know

a) The rehabilitation of offenders

b) Protecting the public
c) Reducing re-offending
d) Keeping victims of crime
informed when serious
offenders are released
e) Enforcing community sentences
f) The punishment of offenders
g) Supervising people on release
from prison
h) Supervising offenders to do
unpaid work in the community
i) Working with offenders whose
crime is drug-related
j) Assessment of risk of re-
offending and harm to the public

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Q3 To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?
PLEASE TICK ONE BOX FOR EACH
Strongly Tend to Tend to Strongly Don’t
agree agree Neither disagree disagree know
a) The Probation Service provides
a consistently good service
b) I trust the probation service to
help protect the community
c) I trust the Probation Service
to deal effectively with offenders
d) I always speak highly of the
Probation Service
e) The community sentences
currently offered are just what I need
as a sentencer
f) The service provided by Probation
is flexible to meet my needs
g) The Probation Service
understands what I, as a sentencer, need
h) I would like to see probation
developing new sentences
i) Relations between my court and the
Probation Service are very positive
j) I am prepared to put in a lot of
effort to ensure good relations
with the Probation Service
k) Probation and the courts
ultimately share the same goals
l) The Probation Service actively
ensures the fair and equal treatment
of offenders, regardless of their gender,
ethnic background, sexual orientation or
any other potentially discriminating factor

B - SERVICES: reports

Q4 How would you rate the pre-sentence reports that you receive from the Probation Service on
each of the following criteria? PLEASE TICK ONE BOX FOR EACH
Very Fairly Fairly Very Don’t
good good Mixed poor poor know
a) The quality and detail of the information
included in pre-sentence reports about
available sentencing options
b) The appropriateness of proposals
for sentence in pre-sentence reports
c) Analysis of offence/s
d) Analysis of relevant background
information
e) Information about offenders' financial
situation and accommodation
f) The overall usefulness of pre-sentencing
reports in reaching a sentencing decision
g) The overall quality of pre-sentencing
reports
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Q5 How frequently would you say each of the following statements are true of the pre-sentence
reports that you see?
PLEASE TICK ONE BOX FOR EACH
Always Sometimes Rarely Never Don’t know

a) The format and layout are good

b) The written style is clear
c) Reports are objective
d) A definite assessment of risk
is presented
e) It is clear what sources of
information have been used
f) Reports are ready on time
g) Proposals for sentencing are
realistic

Q6 Please indicate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements?
PLEASE TICK ONE BOX FOR EACH
Strongly Tend to Tend to Strongly Don’t
agree agree Neither disagree disagree know
a) The 15 day turnaround time for pre-
sentence reports is appropriate for
my needs
b) I know when to ask for a specific
sentence report instead of a pre-sentence
report
c) Specific sentence reports I have
requested have been helpful and met
my expectations
d) I am confident using specific sentence
reports in appropriate cases
e) Specific sentence reports are easily
available
f) Specific sentence reports are ready
on time
g) It would be useful to have a report which
filled the gap between PSR and SSR

Q7 Which aspects of pre-sentence and specific sentence reports, if any, would you most like to see
changed?
PLEASE WRITE IN

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B - SERVICES: Sentencing and Supervision

Q8 Please indicate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements about
community sentences?
PLEASE TICK ONE BOX FOR EACH
Strongly Tend to Tend to Strongly Don’t
agree agree Neither disagree disagree know
Community sentences. . .
a) ... are a punishment for offenders
b) ... help to rehabilitate offenders
c) ... enable offenders to pay something
back to the community
d) ... help to protect the public
e ... ensure that offenders consider the
impact of their offence on victims
f) ... deter crime
g) ... take offenders’ circumstances into
account
h) ... balance between needs of society
and offenders
i) ... have long term positive impact on
society
j) ... ensure the fair treatment of all
offenders
k) ... are soft options
l) ... reduce re-offending
m) ... are suitable for offenders whose
crime is drug-related
n) ... ensure appropriate assessment of risk

Q9 How frequently do you take each of the following factors into consideration when making a
sentencing decision?
PLEASE TICK ONE BOX FOR EACH
Always Sometimes Rarely Never Don’t know
a) Formal guidance provided through
magistrates' training, formal
sentencing guidelines and other
guidance (eg Lord Chancellor's
Department etc)
b) Information from probation reports
c) External information/influences
(including media coverage, views of
police, religious groups,
pressure groups etc)
d) Personal experience and
perception of effectiveness
e) Evidence of effectiveness
f) Awareness of prison overcrowding
g) Level of risk posed by an
an offender to the community

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Q10 Recognising that each case needs to be looked at on an individual basis, to what extent do you
agree or disagree with the following statements?
PLEASE TICK ONE BOX FOR EACH
Strongly Tend to Tend to Strongly Don’t
agree agree Neither disagree disagree know
a) Custodial sentences are generally more
effective for persistent offenders
b) Custodial sentences are generally more
effective for dangerous offenders
c) Community sentences are generally
more effective for offenders of acquisitive
crime due to drug use
d) Community sentences have benefits
over custodial sentences
e) I am more likely to use community
sentences now purely because of the
prison overcrowding situation
f) I am more likely to opt for a custodial
sentence if I do not have access to a
Pre Sentence Report
g) Custodial sentences are the best option
to stop spiraling crime

Q11 How well would you say that offenders' compliance with the following are managed?
PLEASE TICK ONE BOX FOR EACH
Very Fairly Not very Not at Don’t know/
well well well all well no experience
a) Community rehabilitation orders
(including those with additional
requirements)
b) Community punishment orders
c) Community punishment and
rehabilitation orders
d) Drug treatment and testing
orders (DTTOs)
e) Drug abstinence orders
f) Licences (supervision of offenders
while on licence)
g) Fines
h) Curfew orders (tagging)

Q12 Given that not all offenders will comply with their orders, in your view, what improvements could
be made by Probation or other criminal justice partners to improve the breach enforcement
process?
PLEASE WRITE IN

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 C - COMMUNICATION AND CONSULTATION

Q13 Please indicate to what extent you agree or disagree with the following statements.
PLEASE TICK ONE BOX FOR EACH
Strongly Tend to Tend to Strongly Don’t
agree agree Neither disagree disagree know
a) The Probation Service keeps me
very well informed about its role
within the criminal justice system
b) The Probation Service makes sure
that I know about new policies and
developments that are of interest
to me
c) The Probation Service consults me
on probation policies and strategy
d) The Probation Service listens to my
opinions about the service they
provide
e) The Probation Service explains
how it works with other services
(eg social services, health,
voluntary sector, etc)
f) I understand how the Probation
Service works with courts
g) I understand how the Probation
Service works with victims
h) I understand how the Probation
Service works with offenders

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Q14 Q14
a How helpful do you find each of the following b Looking again at the same
sources of information relating to Probation for your list, which of these sources
sentencing work? of information would you
PLEASE TICK ONE BOX FOR EACH like to have access to
(more often)?
PLEASE TICK AS MANY AS
Very Fairly Not very Not at Don’t know/
APPROPRIATE
helpful helpful helpful all helpful Don’t use
a Information on sentences and
programmes run by the National
Probation Service
b) Locally produced newsletter
for sentencers
c) Sentencers' information held
on your bench or in retiring room
d) Information on statistics or
other evidence of outcomes of
orders
e) Other Probation Service
information leaflets & material
f) Knowledgeable probation
staff
g) Help in promoting orders to
the local community
(eg case studies)
h) Adequate information on the
background of offenders and
how they can be dealt with
effectively
i) Minutes from a regular formal
bench probation committee
(similar to the old probation
liaison committees)
j) Attendance at a regular formal
bench probation committee
meeting (similar to the old
probation liaison committees)
k) Open days and visits to
probation projects or premises
l) Court newsletter
m)Training about probation
n) Personal contact with
probation staff
o) Information from the central
National Probation Directorate
p) Information from the
Magistrates' Association
q) Information from colleagues
on the bench
r) Information from court clerks
s) Information from probation
boards

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Q15 For each of the following items which do you feel you know enough about and which would you
like to know more about?
PLEASE TICK ALL THAT APPLY
I have sufficient I would like
information to know more
a) The Home Office national standards governing probation work
b) Community rehabilitation orders (previously probation orders)
c) Community punishment orders (previously community service orders)
d) Community punishment and rehabilitation orders
(previously combination orders)
e) Independently accredited programmes that reduce reconviction
(eg Reasoning and Rehabilitation, Think First,
sex offender treatment programmes etc)
f) Drug treatment and testing orders
g) Curfew orders
h) The Probation Service's supervision of prisoners released on licence
i) The rules of residence and night-time curfews imposed by
approved premises
j) How to make a condition of residence at approved premises
k) Work to improve offenders' basic skills and employment prospects
l) Individual offenders' progress

Q16 To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?
PLEASE TICK ONE BOX FOR EACH
Strongly Tend to Tend to Strongly Don’t
agree agree Neither disagree disagree know
a) The content of training I receive about
probation is appropriate for my needs
b) I would like more training events
on the work of the Probation Service

Q17 If the Probation Service held an annual event in your region to keep sentencers up to date with
developments, realistically, how likely or unlikely would you be to attend?
PLEASE TICK ONE BOX
a) Certain not to attend
b) Not very likely to attend
c) Fairly likely to attend
d) Very likely to attend
e) Certain to attend
f) Don't know

Q18 If you may be unlikely to attend, please state your reasons why:

PLEASE WRITE IN

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Q19 The Probation Service is keen to improve the way it keeps you informed about new
developments, new sentencing options, etc. Through which of the following methods would you
most prefer to receive information?
PLEASE TICK ONE BOX
a) Newsletters
b) Events
c) Letters
d) Articles in The Magistrate
e) Articles in other publications (please specify)
_________________________________________
f) Leaflets/Brochures
g) A website
h) Other (PLEASE SPECIFY)
_________________________________________

i) None, don't want information

j) Don't know

Q20 Finally, what in your view would be the three key actions that would help to make the Probation
Service more effective in protecting the public and reducing crime?
PLEASE WRITE IN

1 ...

2 ...

3 ...

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 D - SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT YOU
(These questions are for analysis only - your views will remain anonymous)

Q21 For how long have you been involved with sentencing offenders?
PLEASE TICK ONE BOX

a) 0-5 years
b) 6-10 years
c) More than ten years

Q22 In which of the following areas do you sit as a magistrate? PLEASE TICK ONE BOX
Avon and Somerset
Bedfordshire
Cambridgeshire
Cheshire
Cumbria
Derbyshire
Devon & Cornwall
Dorset
Durham
Dyfed & Powys
Essex
Gloucestershire
Greater Manchester
Gwent
Hampshire
Hertfordshire
Humberside
Kent
Lancashire
Leicestershire & Rutland
Lincolnshire
London
Merseyside
Norfolk
Northamptonshire
Northumbria
North Wales
North Yorkshire
Nottinghamshire
South Wales
South Yorkshire
Staffordshire
Suffolk
Surrey
Sussex
Teesside
Thames Valley
Warwickshire
West Mercia
West Midlands
West Yorkshire
Wiltshire

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Q23 Please indicate whether you are: Q26 Which of the following describes your age?
PLEASE TICK ONE BOX PLEASE TICK ONE BOX

a) A lay magistrate a) 18-34

b) A district judge b) 35-45
c) Other: Please specify
c) 46-55
___________________________
d) 56-65
e) 65+
Q24 Are you
PLEASE TICK ONE BOX

a) Male Thank you for taking the time to complete this

b) Female questionnaire. Now please return it in the pre-
paid envelope provided to: MORI, FREEPOST
WC3163, London, SE1 1BS

Q25 Which of the following best describes your

ethnic background?
PLEASE TICK ONE BOX

White
a) British
b) Irish
c) Other White background

Black or Black British

d) Caribbean
e) African
f) Other Black background

Mixed
g) White and Black African
h) White and Black Caribbean
i) White and Asian
j) Other mixed background

Asian or Asian British

k) Indian
l) Pakistani
m) Bangladeshi
n) Other Asian background

Chinese or Chinese British

or other ethnic group
o) Chinese
p) Other ethnic group

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