A short film focusing on the impact probation officers make on the lives of people who have committed crime, but trying to break the cycle of offending has been unveiled.
The video takes viewers on a journey into the daily lives of probation officers and individuals who have benefited from community sentencing.
It also highlights real stories of transformation, providing a look at the realities faced by those on probation.
The short film, Changing Lives: The Inside Story of the Probation Service, was produced by the Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI) to explain the work of its staff and raise awareness and confidence in community sentences.
PBNI chief executive Amanda Stewart said: “Probation is a public service which works to protect the public and reduce reoffending by supervising people who have offended in the community while overseeing their rehabilitation and resettlement.
“Sometimes it can be difficult to articulate to the public exactly what probation does.
“The best way of describing it, is that we help people to change their lives.
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“This video shows in a simple way the work that probation officer’s carry out and the impact they can make on people’s lives.”
Che, who has benefited from the help of probation staff and is featured in the film, speaks of the changes he has made to his life.
“I don’t know where I’d be without probation,” he said.
“I currently live in a temporary homeless shelter and my probation officer has been amazing and has helped me with my mental health and accessing housing.
“This is a second chance, and you can show to your family and the rest of the world that you’re not a bad person you’ve made mistakes but now you’re doing well.”
We are ready for the launch of ‘Changing Lives: The Inside Story of the Probation Service’. The room is dressed and we can’t wait to welcome all of our guests! @UlsterUni @Justice_NI pic.twitter.com/xGTm1Q0glF
— Probation Board for Northern Ireland (@PBNINews) June 26, 2024
Explaining the benefit of community sentencing, criminologist Dr Brian Payne from Ulster University said it is “an opportunity to promote people’s rehabilitation back into the community”.
“Probation officers have extensive powers to ensure that a court order is upheld,” he said.
“They can go into people’s families and their houses, speak to their employers and make decisions that can be fed back to the courts.
“Whilst it can be difficult to directly compare sentences, research shows that people on community sentences are less likely to reoffend than those serving short prison sentences.”
Speaking at the event ‘Blue Lights’ co-creator Declan Lawn told of how “storytelling as a powerful tool for change and the importance of telling the story of those working in the front line within the justice system”.
He said that through personal narratives, “the inside story of the probation service illustrates what happens after the ‘blue lights’ of policing are switched off and how through the work of people can be rehabilitated and change their lives to make communities in NI safer”.
