The Offender Warning System

Introduction

Every offender being released from prison, or reporting for the first time at a service centre on any type of community-based sentence/order, is to be assessed for inclusion on the OWS.

The assessment is to be completed by a service manager before the allocation process commences. The offender is not put on the register until they are released or allocated.

Screening offenders

On some occasions the offenders may also be screened using OWS criteria as part of the parole or presentation process.

Forms

All forms for the offender warning system are available on Corrnet.

Service manager responsibility

Service managers are responsible for:

• ensuring that the sentences/orders placed on the register are managed in accordance with operations manual instructions by:
• • assessing all offenders for inclusion on the OWR in IOMS
  • checking all offenders’ IOMS case notes are maintained.

Area manager responsibility

Area managers are responsible for:

• ensuring that the OWR is maintained and accurately reflects the current offender population on strength at CPPS service centres
• approving an application by a service manager to reduce the frequency of OWS checks for life parolees
• deciding to increase the frequency of OWS checks if the offender exhibits high levels of risk and non-compliance.

Quality Assurance

Regional quality improvement advisors will routinely review the operation of the OWS in their regions, as part of quality assurance processes.

Multiple sentences/orders

If an offender is subject to multiple sentences or orders, and is identified for inclusion on the OWR for one sentence or order, then the OWS must be applied across all other sentences or orders.

Offenders sentenced to community work/community detention

Many of the sentence management requirements in OWS are not fully applicable to community work/community detention. Nevertheless, every offender is to be assessed for risk and placed on the register if the criteria are met.

Community work offenders who qualify

For offenders on community work, the probation officer must carry out an initial assessment against the OWS criteria during the induction and assessment process. This is then subsequently reviewed by the service manager.

Where a community work offender qualifies for inclusion on the OWR, the probation officer conducting the assessment must:

• complete an Assessment Criteria (Form OWS2)
• complete the Offender Warning Assessment (Form OWS3)
• notify the service manager at the first opportunity
• deliver the completed assessment form to the service manager.

The service manager:

• reviews the assessment
• creates the record in the OWR in IOMS
• supplies the probation officer with the appropriate management and enforcement instructions to manage the offender (Form OWS4).

The service manager has the discretion to decide which of the instructions or other appropriate activities should be applied to OWR offenders on community work. The service manager records the chosen activities in the notes section of the Offender Warning Assessment Form (OWS3).

Offenders on the police witness protection programme

All witness protection programme (WiPP) offenders qualify for inclusion on the OWS and must be managed as OWS offenders for the length of their sentence or order, even though they cannot currently be managed through IOMS or be included on the OWR for security and safety reasons.

The supervising probation officer and service manager are responsible for all aspects of managing WiPP offenders, including OWS administration and filing.

See also: The guide given to all CPPS staff managing WiPP offenders.