Clinks Members’ Policy Briefing | August 2015
In this month's edition...[[{"fid":"2087","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"Policy News","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":"Policy News"},"type":"media","link_text":null,"attributes":{"alt":"Policy News","title":"Policy News","height":"51","width":"600","class":"media-element file-default"}}]]
HM Inspectorate of Prisons Annual Report 2014/15 Nick Hardwick has published his fifth and final annual report as HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales. It highlights that outcomes in prisons reported on by the Inspectorate declined across all areas in 2014-15 and were the worst for ten years. The Inspectorate identify three broad themes in the report: “First, the increased vulnerability of those held across the range of establishments we inspect and the challenge establishments have in meeting these individuals’ needs... Second, there is a real need to match the demand for custodial services to the resources available. Detention is one of the public services where demand can be managed...Third, the case for the independent inspection of custody remains as strong as ever and that independence needs to be preserved.”
Inquiry into young adults in the Criminal Justice System The House of Commons Justice Select Committee has announced a major inquiry on young adults in the Criminal Justice System. In response, the Transition to Adulthood (T2A) Alliance, of which Clinks is a member, said: "This is a once in a generation opportunity for the young adult agenda to progress towards a systematic implementation. It comes at a critical time for the future of the T2A agenda with the convergence of several major recent developments including: The Harris Review on deaths of young adults in custody that called for young adults to be a distinct group and for the concept of maturity to be enshrined in law (and a forthcoming government response); The HM Inspectorate of Prisons annual report that called for a distinct approach to young adults; and the government's requirement to reduce costs and utilise evidence of what works." The deadline for submissions to the inquiry is the 30th September 2015.
An independent review into the impact on employment outcomes of drug or alcohol addiction, obesity: call for evidence Professor Dame Carol Black is undertaking an independent review into how best to support people claiming benefits who have ‘potentially treatable conditions’ including obesity or problematic substance use back into work. The review has called for evidence and the deadline is the 11th September 2015.
Criminal justice statistics
Bromley Briefings Prison Factfile - Summer 2015 Published by the Prison Reform Trust, the briefing details statistical information relating to the Criminal Justice System, drawn largely from government sources. The data includes trends in the prison population and sentencing, health and wellbeing, and social and economic disadvantage.
Public confidence in the Criminal Justice System - findings from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (2013/14) Published by the Ministry of Justice, this report provides an overview of levels of confidence in the Criminal Justice System (CJS) and the extent to which perceptions and experiences of crime, disorder and local policing are related to confidence in the CJS.
Payment by Results
Payment by results pilot: cohort 2 HMP Doncaster results This statistical bulletin published by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) gives the final outcome for cohort 2 of the Payment by Results (PbR) pilot at HMP Doncaster. Overall, the pilot achieved a re-conviction rate that was 3.3 percentage points lower than the 2009 baseline. However, the provider was aiming to achieve a 5.0 percentage point reduction, meaning the result did not meet the PbR threshold set by the MoJ. The Criminal Justice Alliance have put together a short briefing summarising the main findings of the report.
HMP Doncaster Payment by Results pilot: process evaluation report This evaluation report, published by the Ministry of Justice, presents findings of research into the implementation of the Payment by Results (PbR) pilot at HMP Doncaster. The research explored how the introduction PbR changed service delivery; stakeholder views on the strengths and weaknesses of the model; and areas of innovation and efficiency. Findings are based on qualitative interviews conducted between November 2011 and September 2014 with senior stakeholders, delivery staff, partner agencies, volunteers, and offenders.Women
Effective intervention for Women offenders: A Rapid Evidence Assessment Published by the Ministry of Justice, this review found that successful interventions to reduce women’s reoffending are: strengths based; gender-responsive; use cognitive-behavioural methods; provide post-programme support into the community; and enable women to gain skills. The review also found that interventions that use motivational, solution-focused techniques, encouraging women to seek their own meaningful ‘hooks’ for lifestyle change and could promote desistance from crime.
Report on the Inquiry into Preventing Unnecessary Criminalisation of Women The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Women in the Penal System began an inquiry into the unnecessary criminalisation of women in November 2014 and have recently published their findings. The inquiry focused on policy and practice that diverts women away from the Criminal Justice System (CJS) and following a call for evidence concluded that: too many women are brought into the CJS unnecessarily; gender-informed policing of women is key to preventing unnecessary criminalisation; and services and support for women are needed but the CJS must not be a gateway to access these services.
Young adults
What works in reducing reoffending in young adults? Published by the Ministry of Justice, this rapid evidence assessment examined 10 relevant and ‘sufficiently rigorous’ studies relating to what works in reducing reoffending of young adults – those between 18 and 25. These studies included restorative justice schemes, structured offence-focused programmes and those offering treatment for mental health problems.
Needs and characteristics of young adults in custody: Results from the Surveying Prisoner Crime Reduction (SPCR) survey Published by the Ministry of Justice, this report summarises the needs and characteristics of young adults (18-20 years old) on reception to custody. Data for this report comes from Surveying Prisoner Crime Reduction, a longitudinal cohort study of 1,435 adult prisoners sentenced to between one month and four years in prison in 2005 and 2006, and the Police National Computer. The report compares the characteristics and needs of young adults in custody with prisoners aged 21 years and over.Gang involved young people
Running the Risks: The links between gang-involvement and young people going missing Published by Catch 22 in partnership with Missing People, this report explores the link between gang-involvement and going missing, highlighting a group of young people who are rarely reported and often misunderstood. It examines the extent to which the experiences and needs of this group are distinct and present specific challenges for the provision of support. This new report also provides a framework for understanding some of the key links between gang-involvement and running away from home, focusing on issues such as the illegal drugs market, child sexual exploitation and the care system.
Prison
Prison Service Journal Published by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, this latest edition of the journal features articles including: ‘the role of hope in preparation for release from prison’; ‘public identification during community sentence - good or bad?; and ‘a catalogue of losses: implications for the care and reintegration of young men in custody.’
Birmingham prison: 3 year study This report by the Ministry of Justice presents findings from a three year quality of life study conducted at HMP Birmingham following its transfer from the public sector to G4S in 2011. Detailed surveys of staff and prisoners’ perceptions of their quality of life, interviews and observations were conducted in 2011, 2012 and 2013 in order to evaluate the impact of the transition. The findings include: prisoners’ overall ‘quality of life’ score improved each year of the study, but it remained low compared to other local prisons; staff quality of life improved significantly from 2012 to 2013; and in 2012 there were ten significant differences between dimension mean scores for White and Black/Minority Ethnic (BME) prisoners, where BME prisoners reported lower scores, primarily concentrated in the ‘harmony’ and ‘professionalism’ categories, suggesting perceived discrimination.
Experience of prison officers delivering Five Minute Interventions at HMP/YOI Portland This research involved interviewing prison officers who had received special training in how to hold rehabilitative conversations with prisoners. The officers were interviewed at three points in time, and the analysis of the interviews reports how their conversations and relationships with prisoners changed following the training. Published by the Ministry of Justice, the research showed that the officers involved in the study reported improved job satisfaction and could observe benefits in the prisoners they worked with.
Policing
Crime and policing news update: July 2015 Published monthly by the Home Office, this newsletter gives the latest news and information regarding policing issues. Articles this month include: information about the launch of the new Troubled Families programme; details of the new prison sentence for offenders who repeatedly carry knives; and details of the new provisions that came into force on 31st July under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
Local justice reinvestment pilot
Local justice reinvestment pilot: process evaluation report Published by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) this process evaluation report examines the implementation of the justice reinvestment pilot. Its overall aim was to test the impact of local justice reinvestment on reducing the ‘cost of demand.’ There were 6 pilot areas across London and Greater Manchester. The research explored what actions were taken by the sites; their effect on the individual Criminal Justice System metrics, and overall cost of demand; perceived strengths and weaknesses of the approaches; and implications for policy and practice.
The Offender Assesment System (OASyS)
Research and analysis on the Offender Assessment System Published by the Ministry of Justice and the National Offender Management Service, this report presents a collection of research and analysis on the Offender Assessment System (OASys) studies completed between 2009 and 2013. Chapters include: prison and probation assessors’ views and experiences; the prediction of reoffending by age, gender and ethnicity; and criminogenic need measurements.
A new direction for prison policy? In this blog Jess Mullen, Clinks’ senior policy officer, gives details of a speech Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Justice, gave to the Prisoner Learning Alliance in July. Jess says that “since his appointment in May, the Secretary of State has been taking time to learn about his new brief and listening to a range of organisations and stakeholders. As a result, this speech has been hotly anticipated and it was a welcome opportunity to hear what the minister described as his observations so far which are guiding the shape of policies to come.” Although no firm plans were laid out, it indicated the direction of future policy, including: closing ageing and ineffective inner city prisons; earned release and privileges attached to education; increased autonomy for prison governors; and widening the range of providers to reinforce a culture of innovation and excellence.
The non-contracted voluntary sector and probation services (part 1) In this guest blog, Christopher Stacey from Clinks member Unlock shares his thoughts on the challenges that are emerging from the changing relationship between the voluntary sector and probation service. Christopher says: "Rather than recognising the ‘added-value’ that charities can provide, the embedding of charities as ‘core’ providers of services is having a knock-on effect for those that aren’t ‘providers’ in the same way. The idea of probation services ‘referring’ clients to voluntary sector agencies, when there’s no formal arrangement in place, raises a number of questions. How can charities like Unlock work with probation providers given the current direction of travel? How can probation providers work with charities like Unlock?"
Does school prepare men for prison? In this blog, published by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, Dr Karen Graham says “research (and perhaps common sense) tells us that a large percentage of inmates in UK prisons have below average levels of educational qualifications. They may also lack the communication skills, social networks and confidence that increase the chances of gaining and maintaining regular employment. They are therefore more likely to earn money through the alternative economies of illegal activity, which in turn increases the likelihood that they will spend time in prison.” She goes on to ask “but… what if this high rate of recidivism is part of the complex failure of prison as a deterrent, and what if this failure is in some part born in the prisoners’ own schooling?”
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