The Statistics and Research Branch of Probation has a complement of two statisticians who are on secondment from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. The key aim of the branch is to provide Probation with statistics and research services to inform and improve its own practice.
In this section you can find statistical information on the Probation Caseload, which is published on this website on a regular basis, as well as stakeholder survey reports.
If any additional information is required, requests can be made by contacting us and will be considered on a case by case basis. We welcome feedback on our statistics. If you would like to comment on any of our statistics, receive notification of new publications or be kept informed of developments, then please forward your contact details to statistics&research@probation-ni.gov.uk and we will add you to our email list.
Official Statistics
The Probation Board for Northern Ireland is listed in The Official Statistics Order (Northern Ireland) 2012 as a producer of official statistics and is therefore subject to the Statistics & Registration Service Act 2007.
All statistics produced by Probation are designated as ‘Official Statistics’. The Statistics & Registration Service Act 2007 was introduced on 1st April 2008 with the aim of enhancing levels of public confidence in official statistics. As a result the UK Statistics Authority was formed as an independent, non-ministerial government department directly accountable to Parliament. Its statutory objective is to promote and safeguard the production and publication of official statistics that serve the public good.
Legislation
The UK Statistics Authority publishes the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. Statisticians from the Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency (NISRA) are seconded to PBNI and are responsible for ensuring that the statistics they produce comply with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.
Relevant information relating to the production and release of official statistics are detailed in the following documents:
- Revisions Policy
- Statement of administrative sources
- Office for Statistics Regulation exemption letter for Probation statistical releases
- Pre-Release Access List
Methodology
Probation's methodology provides analysis of the probation population for the entire quarter and year as a whole. The new method analyses the flow of people in and out of probation during the quarter or year as well as the reports completed for court and victim registrations during the time period. Please see the publishing schedule below for issue dates.
Annual Caseload Statistics
The report provides statistics on Probation caseload at 31st March in each financial year with analysis of the most recent year.
Users should contact Statistics and Research Branch if historical data prior to March 2020 is required.
For previous reports please view the Caseload Section in Publications
Quarterly Provisional Caseload Statistics
The report provides statistics on Probation caseload on a quarterly basis during the financial quarter and includes comparators to previous quarters.
For previous reports please view the Caseload Section in Publications
Publishing schedule
Probation Caseload Statistics reports will be produced by Probation Statistics & Research Branch as follows:
| Report Title | Release date |
|---|---|
| Probation Caseload Statistics: 2024/25 Quarter 1 | 28 August 2024 |
| Probation Caseload Statistics: 2024/25 Quarter 2 | November 2024 |
| Probation Caseload Statistics: 2024/25 Quarter 3 | February 2025 |
The 2023/24 Annual Caseload Statistics and all subsequent publications will also be available on the gov.uk site.