51.Section 1 makes general provision for the existence of the service and defines its purposes in terms of assisting courts in sentencing decisions and providing for the supervision and rehabilitation of persons charged with or convicted of offences. Section 2 sets out the aims of the service, which are to protect the public, to reduce reoffending, to provide for the proper punishment of offenders, to ensure that offenders are aware of the effects of their crimes on their victims and on the public and to rehabilitate offenders.
Commentary on Sections Part I: The New Services Chapter I: National Probation Service for England and Wales Sections 1 and 2: The New Service