Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the contents or findings of a Serious Further Offence review involving probation services in England and Wales are (a) given to or (b) discussed with the victim or victim's family; and if she will make a statement.

In any case where an offender is convicted of a serious further offence (SFO), it is vital that the victim of that SFO is assured that the agencies involved in supervising the offender are committed to identifying whether there are any lessons to be learned for the supervision of other offenders. Further, a Victim Summary Report (VSR) is produced in any mandatory SFO review, to be shared, upon conviction with the victim(s) of the SFO and/or their family. The VSR is a summary of the full SFO review, in narrative form and presents to the victims of the SFO(s) in an accessible format an account of the supervising agency’s work with an offender. The main findings of the SFO review, including any lessons learnt, are pulled together and written in a report specifically with victims in mind, including with clear explanations.

A senior representative of the supervising agency (NPS or CRC) will also meet the victim, which allows the victim to ask questions and provides the basis for the supervising agency to account for its actions and, where there were shortcomings, to explain how it intends to improve its practice.