Historically, HMIP has inspected the work of the National Probation Service and from 2003 Youth Offending Teams, but since the Offender Management Act 2007 it has a brief to supervise more widely to reflect new arrangements by which probation services could be provided by other bodies.
Much of the work of the Inspectorate is concerned with the production of inspection reports of two sorts: inspections of individual probation providers; and thematic reports on the handling of aspects of probation work such as race equality, or drug treatment orders.
A Departmental Committee to examine to role of social services in courts of summary jurisdiction was set up in 1934.
In earlier years the inspectorate was greatly concerned with the development of probation services in the UK, including the training of suitable staff, the organisation of probation areas, the creation of supervisory posts, and the accreditation of holders of those posts.
The Inspectorate existed as a Home Office function until placed on a statutory footing by the Criminal Justice Act 1991.