Outstanding prison and probation officers recognised

8 Jul 2019 02:23 PM

Prison and probation officers from across the country have been commended for their outstanding work in annual award ceremonies this week.

Jo Brown, a Sunderland Probation Officer was named the Probation Champion of the year for her life-changing work with young offenders. Jo went beyond the requirements of her role for a young person in her care – fighting to get a diagnosis of a rare condition that had been overlooked from birth but was the root cause of his offending.

For the first time, a team of officers won this year’s Prison Officer of the Year award, which was handed out by Prisons and Probation Minister Robert Buckland on Thursday (4 July 2019) evening. The group of predominantly BAME officers at HMP Isis were recognised for their innovative work to develop a support group for young black offenders with a history of violence and childhood trauma.

Many officers used their personal experience as BAME men growing up in London, to inspire and help offenders to take paths away from gangs and violence.

Following a raft of inspiring nominations by HMPPS colleagues, 8 awards were given out on each evening, with the overall Probation Champion and Prison Officer awards chosen by HMPPS Chief Executive Jo Farrar. 

Jo Farrar, Chief Executive of HMPPS recently said:

These awards highlight the dedication and commitment of staff across our service and it has been a real pleasure to choose this year’s winners from a huge number of worthy nominations.

Our people are central to the Prison and Probation Service and the work they do every day helps offenders to turn their lives around, preventing future victims of crime.

Prison officers including Pete Bryan at HMP Huntercombe were honoured for their commitment to turning around the lives of offenders. Pete’s impressive work with an offender with a County Lines conviction has continued following the offender’s release. The pair now tour schools, teaching students, teachers and parents about the perils of County Lines drug dealing.

Prisons and Probation Minister Robert Buckland recently said:

Our hardworking Prison and Probation staff provide tremendous support in some of the most challenging environments.

I’m delighted to hear so many inspiring stories of staff going above and beyond their duty to make a real difference to offenders’ lives.

I congratulate all of this years’ winners and nominees for their outstanding work.

List of winners

The Probation Champion of the Year and Prison Officer of the Year awards took place near Bristol on Wednesday and Thursday evening. 

The annuals awards celebrate the vast talent among HMPPS staff, recognising achievements in areas such as diversity, reducing reoffending and public safety.

The full list of winners is below:

Probation awards:

Prison awards: