The National Probation Service (Hertfordshire) works closely with Her Majesty's Court Service.  Our courts charter sets out how the two organisations work together in Hertfordshire.

We provide reports to assist in sentencing and complete over 1,500 pre sentence reports each year.

There are three different types of report:

• Standard pre sentence reports (PSR) - to be completed within the timescale set by the court
  
  
• Fast Delivery Report (FDR) - the probation service has up to five days to complete this report. In practice it is often completed in the same day
  
  
• Oral report - if the court requires very basic information before sentencing the magistrates may ask the probation representative in court to give a short verbal report. This will generally be in cases of low seriousness.

Our Court Duty Officers attend court hearings and will arrange for the offender to be interviewed on the day or at a later date. They will require an indication of seriousness and the purpose of sentencing from the bench. The Court Duty Officer can also produce general information about programmes.

We will monitor the offender once they are under our supervision and return to court any offender that does not abide by the terms of their sentence.

Performance Information

This performance information section gives further detail about how we perform against the targets set for us nationally. These targets include report compilation standards and timescales and the completion of orders and requirements.
View our performance information

There are meetings between our senior probation service staff and representatives of Her Majesty's Court Service. These meetings, known as forums, take place quarterly in each magistrates' bench area. Separate meeting take place with the Crown Court sentencers.

An annual probation stakeholders' conference takes place in Hertfordshire. Sentencers are represented at these events by the bench chairs, probation forum chairs and the Resident Judge and probation liaison judge (Crown Court).