Recurring concern
Unreliable offender risk assessment and review
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Request correctionFirst reported 29 Mar 2017•Latest report 26 Jul 2024
What this concern includes
Includes failures in offender-specific risk-assessment and review processes, including OASys or equivalent assessments, timely completion, dynamic reassessment after material changes or trigger events, and revision of risk and needs assessments when evidence indicates changing risk.
Not included
- Excludes generic risk-assessment failures without an offender, probation or offender-management context.
- Excludes failures in recording or sharing offender information where the offender risk-assessment or review process itself is adequate.
- Excludes decisions about recall, release, accommodation or community supervision after an adequate offender risk assessment has been completed, unless the asserted deficiency is failure to update or review that assessment.
- Excludes generic staff training, staffing or documentation deficiencies that are not directly part of offender risk assessment and review.
- Excludes risk assessments belonging to a separately named hazard or service system when that named system supplies the more specific supported boundary.
- Reports
- 7
- Individual concerns
- 7
- Date range
- 2017–2024
- Stated actions
- 13
Distinct published reports
A report can raise multiple concerns
First to latest report issue date
Described in published responses
Reports over time
Reports over time
Reports about this concern issued each year.
* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.
Most frequent recipients
Most frequent recipients
Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.
Concerns and responses across reports
Only concerns grouped under this recurring concern are included. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.
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Concerns raised1
Failure to conduct timely risk assessments with complementary risk management plans
This report raised 24 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.4
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Action
Deliver revised risk-assessment training to new practitioners and introduce new training for experienced staff.
Stated by HM Prison and Probation Service -
Action
Deliver further risk-assessment training events for practitioners responsible for managing people in the community.
Stated by HM Prison and Probation Service -
Action
Develop, pilot and launch the Continuing Professional Development risk-learning product for experienced practitioners.
Stated by HM Prison and Probation Service
-
Action
Develop and roll out the ARNS digital assessment and sentence-planning service with supporting staff learning.
Stated by HM Prison and Probation Service
-
Concerns raised1
Failure to review offender records at critical risk-assessment points
This report raised 9 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.2
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Action
Develop and roll out a new assessment service presenting relevant risk information in an updateable, practitioner-focused interface.
Stated by HM Prison and Probation Service and Ministry of Justice -
Action
Add guidance for practitioners and court report writers on locating risk information in OASys and NDelius.
Stated by HM Prison and Probation Service and Ministry of Justice
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Concerns raised1
Failure to include restraining order breach information in OASys risk assessments and prison recall reports and reviews
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
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Action
Operate a single Probation Service to simplify information sharing between releasing prisons and receiving probation areas.
Stated by HM Prison and Probation Service -
Action
Establish a documented workflow for copying court documents, identifying risks, applying restrictions, updating custody warnings, and obtaining approval for monitoring requests.
Stated by Sodexo Government -
Action
Provide staff conducting public protection risk assessments with access to live probation and court information through digital casework systems.
Stated by Sodexo Government
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Concerns raised1
Failure to complete the full structured assessment before changing an OASys risk rating
This report raised 23 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.2
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Action
Continue working with partners and stakeholders to update offender-management guidance and products to reflect changes resulting from the report.
Stated by College of Policing -
Action
Issue staff instructions requiring formal risk assessment before recorded risk levels are reduced.
Stated by Ministry of Justice
-
Concerns raised1
Failure to update OASYS risk assessments
This report raised 14 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
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Action
Roll out the National Supervisory and Line Management Framework, including required supervision, practice observation, case review and recording oversight.
Stated by HM Prison and Probation Service and Ministry of Justice and Probation Service
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Concerns raised1
Failure to complete timely OASys risk and needs assessments
This report raised 8 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
-
Action
Operate Lifer Review Panels to provide senior oversight and scrutiny of risk assessments and progress for supervised life-sentence offenders.
Stated by HM Prison and Probation Service
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Concerns raised1
Failure to review and revise risk assessments dynamically
This report raised 6 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Data last updated 7 September 2026