Academic appointed as Her Majesty’s Deputy Chief Inspector of Probation
The University of Salford’s director of the Centre for Social Research has been appointed to the newly created role of Her Majesty’s Deputy Chief Inspector of Probation for England and Wales.
During his two-year secondment, Professor Neal Hazel, who lectures in criminology, will be responsible for overall strategy, data and dissemination at HM Inspectorate of Probation. He is also responsible for ensuring that inspections of probation and youth offending services are informed by the latest research and promising practice. He will ensure greater impact for the Inspectorate in helping criminal justice providers to improve public protection.
The appointment follows on from work Professor Hazel has undertaken with the Inspectorate to redesign its inspection methodology. The reforms see inspections from next October judge the quality of probation services on an impact evaluation of offender outcomes for public protection, rather than auditing practitioner processes.
Professor Hazel says: “I’m delighted to have the opportunity of bringing knowledge and skills from academia to the Inspectorate. My research has always been about achieving positive impact by informing policymakers and this appointment takes that engagement one step further. It’s a very direct way of trying to fulfil the University of Salford’s mission of ‘transforming lives’.
“Everyone at the Inspectorate has committed their career to improving public safety by testing the effectiveness of criminal justice services. It’s a great privilege to join the team.”
