Scotland doesn’t really have a “Probation Service” like England & Wales does. Instead, supervising people in the community, and supporting people leaving prison, is handled locally through criminal justice social work, with Community Justice Scotland helping join it all up at a national level.
Criminal justice social work. Every local council in Scotland has justice social workers. They write reports for the courts, supervise community sentences, and support people on licence after they’re released from prison. It’s a social-work-led way of doing things, rather than one big separate probation organisation.
Community Justice Scotland. Set up under the Community Justice (Scotland) Act 2016, this is the national body that helps raise standards and coordinate community justice work across the country – though it doesn’t supervise people directly itself. That part happens locally, through each council’s justice social work service, working alongside Police Scotland, the NHS, and voluntary organisations.
Community Payback Orders (CPOs). This is Scotland’s main community sentence, introduced in 2011. A CPO can combine up to nine different requirements, chosen by the court to suit the person and the offence – things like unpaid work (20–300 hours, benefiting the local community), supervision by a justice social worker, compensation to a victim, a conduct requirement, a restricted movement requirement (an electronically monitored curfew, for up to 12 months), a programme addressing offending behaviour, or treatment requirements for mental health, drugs or alcohol. Courts will usually ask for a criminal justice social work report before deciding on one.
Throughcare. Anyone leaving prison in Scotland is entitled to statutory throughcare support from criminal justice social work, especially if they’re subject to supervision conditions after release (there’s more on this on our Sentencing, Release and Parole (Scotland) page). This support can help with accommodation, benefits, and carrying on any treatment that started in custody.
England & Wales has a dedicated Probation Service, with its own probation officers, probation centres and requirements. See our Probation section for how that system works.