APPROVED PREMISES

A structured approach to accommodation

Approved Premises provide residential places for men and women who have been ordered to live at a specified address that introduces structure and supervision into their lifestyles.

Residents may be defendants on bail, awaiting trial, or be completing a Community Order or on a licence following their release from prison. The decision to send individuals to an Approved Premises, also known as Probation Hostels, is taken by the courts, prison authorities or the Parole Board.

The Leicestershire and Rutland Probation Area (LRPA) has two Approved Premises in Leicester that provide residential accommodation and are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The two premises are located in very different areas of the City, and these differences are reflected in the risks posed by the offenders who are accommodated within them.

Howard House, which is located in a largely commercial area, is used strategically to accommodate those who are thought to present the highest risk and the greatest need of intensive oversight. With only eleven beds, it is one of the smallest facilities of its kind in the country but, in recognition of its caseload, it has a much higher staff-offender ratio than its sister facility Kirk Lodge.

Kirk Lodge is located on a main city road in Leicester, and is a thirty-two-bed facility. The Approved Premise includes separate provision for female offenders, and is used to accommodate those offenders who are thought less likely to pose a danger to the surrounding public or each other. Kirk Lodge also has a high staff-offender ratio and is the base for the managers and administrative staff who serve the needs of both facilities.

Trained Probation staff rigorously enforce the regulations, and if an individual breaks the rules at an Approved Premises or their order or licence conditions, they are returned to court or directly to prison.

Conditions may be attached to the residency that specify certain controls e.g. a curfew or that the offender has to attend specific programmes that will target their offending behaviour.

During their stay supervised offenders are also encouraged to take part in the special training programmes that are run on site to improve their life skills, and numeracy and literacy levels, to boost their chances of finding work. Research shows that getting someone into paid employment reduces the risk of re-offending.

This residential provision is an essential part of the Criminal Justice System that enables the National Probation Service and other agencies to work together to protect the public.