Age is just a number? How can probation support and work with people in an ageing caseload? Hosted by Nichola Cadet at The Department of Law and Criminology, Sheffield Hallam University.

This event explores how the increase of older people on probation caseloads across community orders, suspended sentences and supervision on license, will affect probation practice, alongside an ageing staff population. ‘Older’ service users are defined by HMPPS as those aged 50 and over.

The increase in the ageing probation caseload is set against a backdrop of an ageing society which also includes probation staff. The increase is partly exacerbated increasing numbers of over 50s in the prison population, and changes to legislation under the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014.

Drawing on research, policy and practice from gerontology, this seminar: identifies links between criminological and gerontological perspectives, including lived experience and strengths based approaches facilitate debate about how ageist attitudes in society can lead to double discrimination of those on probation caseloads, like attitudes towards employment for older people looks at the suitability of reducing re-offending pathways, supporting individualised approaches to sentence planning and engagement, and national and local responses including training and support for probation staff.

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