Approved Premises
In the United Kingdom, Approved Premises (AP), formerly known as probation or bail hostels, are residential units which house ex-offenders in the community. They are recognised under the Offender Management Act 2007. There are one hundred such hostels in England and Wales, and a further six in Northern Ireland. Fourteen of the APs in England and Wales were banned from housing child sex offenders in 2006 following a media campaign, which has led to some criticism. Description Formerly known as either probation or bail hostels, the properties became known as Approved Premises once recognised under section 13 of the Offender Management Act 2007. They are still commonly called bail hostels in the media, although they house few offenders actually on bail with the majority of residents made up of those on release from prison on licence. There are one hundred Approved Premises in England and Wales, providing over two thousand residential bed spaces for offenders in the community, with a normal hostel holding between twelve and thirty offenders. They are run by either voluntary organisations or the National Probation Service, and may house high risk offenders. In 2006, fourteen of the hundred hostels were banned by the Ministry of Justice