Published date:
Research shows that short-term prison sentences are less effective in addressing offending behaviours than community-based disposals and that more than 50% of offenders sentenced to a short prison term will re-offend. The Lord Chief Justice therefore requested that the Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI), develop a demanding community sentence as an alternative to the high number (88% at May 2015) of prison sentences lasting less than 12 months.
Based on existing legislation and known as the Enhanced Combination Order (ECO), ECOs offered Judges a community option in a more intensive format. Piloted in the Ards and Armagh & South Down court divisions since 1st October 2015 and extended to the North West in October 2018, ECOs focussed on restorative practice, desistance and victims, with service users also required to complete unpaid work within their local communities.
Those with mental health issues were assessed by PBNI psychologists, with a treatment plan or referral to an appropriate health provider then forming part of the intervention. Where appropriate parenting/family support work and accredited programmes were also part of the order. ECOs used a multiagency, multidisciplinary, collaborative approach with contributions from PBNI and a range of organisations including Barnardos, Community Restorative Justice Ireland (CRJI) and NI Alternatives. As well as Probation Officers (POs), ECOs involved Probation Service Officers (PSOs), Community Service Officers (CSOs) and PBNI Psychologists providing greater flexibility and choice.
An initial evaluation of the ECO initiative was undertaken by the Human Resource Consultancy Services (HRCS) branch of the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) at the end of the first 18 months. Published in June 2017, it showed that while demanding for both staff and service users the initiative was successful in achieving its aims and was valued and embraced by the Judiciary. Additional funding was subsequently secured to continue the pilot in the Ards and Armagh/South Down court divisions and to extend to the North West from October 2018.
A second review which built on this initial evaluation was undertaken at the end of year three to examine how much had been done during the first three years, how well it had been done and the impact that it had on service users. This report provides an overview of these findings.