'Probation officers are the forgotten part of the criminal justice system'
It's a job that you don't often see in police dramas and documentaries. Sam Gildersleeve wants to show you what it's like being a probation officer in Chelmsford, Essex.
Sam manages both medium- and high-risk offenders, helping them with issues like accommodation and job-hunting, while monitoring their risk level to the community.
Probation services in England and Wales recently returned to public control, seven years after Chris Grayling's changes. The government has promised greater investment to tackle reoffending rates and staff shortages in the service.
Filmed by Larissa Kennelly and Sam Everett
Edited by Larissa Kennelly
