Clinks Members’ Policy Briefing | January 2016
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"}}]]
Review of care and management of transgender offenders The Secretary of State for Justice, Michael Gove, has commissioned a review to ensure that the care and management of transgender offenders is fit for purpose, provides an appropriate balance between the needs of the individual, and the responsibility to manage risk and safeguard the wellbeing of all prisoners. The Review will develop recommendations for a revised approach to cover the future shape of prison and probation services for transgender prisoners and offenders in the community. It will also consider the approach for transgender offenders in the youth justice system.
Government response to the Harris Review into self-inflicted deaths in National Offender Management Service custody of 18-24 year olds On 17th December 2015, the Government published their response to the review led by Lord Harris of Haringey into self-inflicted deaths in custody of 18-24 year olds. The review made a number of recommendations, covering an extensive range of issues. Clinks will publish a briefing about the response in the coming weeks, but in the meantime Jess Mullen, Policy Manager at Clinks, has written a blog summarising the key points from the response that you can access here.
Just and affordable rehabilitation: what does good look like? We have compiled a Storify of the social media activity from the Clinks winter conference held on 1st December. The event explored some of the ways to improve the lives of people affected by crime, shining a light on how the voluntary sector can and does contribute. The Storify includes tweets with questions from our members to the Minister for Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation, Andrew Selous and his answers, as well as his thoughts more broadly about issues including Transforming Rehabilitation, youth justice and the prison estate. It also includes highlights from Clinks’ outgoing Director Clive Martin's valedictory speech.
Arts and criminal justice in an international context The National Alliance for Arts in Criminal Justice has compiled a Storify of the social media activity during the recent Anne Peaker lecture, which focused on the UK arts and criminal justice sector in an international context, with speeches from Selina Busby, Senior Lecturer and Course Leader at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and Sara Lee, Artistic Director of the Irene Taylor Trust.
Publications
Substance misuse
Changing patterns of substance misuse in adult prisons and service responses This report, published by HM Inspectorate of Prisons, looks at a thematic inspection which aimed to examine changing patterns of substance misuse in adult prisons, assess the effectiveness of current policy and operational responses, and suggest how they might be improved. When work on this inspection began, there had been a recognised shift away from the use of opiates and Class A drugs towards the misuse of medication in prisons. During the course of this work, patterns of substance misuse in prison changed again and the use of new psychoactive substances, in particular synthetic cannabis, was highlighted as a ‘major problem’.
Criminal Justice System
Bromley Briefings Prison Factfile Autumn 2015 Published by the Prison Reform Trust, this report gives up to date statistics from a range of sources about the Criminal Justice System, and the needs of those in contact with it. Key trends outlined in the report include: the prison system has been overcrowded every year since 1994; at the end of September 2015, 70 of the 117 prisons in England and Wales were overcrowded; and use of community sentences has nearly halved (46%) since 2006.
Crime and policing news update: December 2015 Published by the Home Office, this news update includes information about: new measures announced to protect the victims of stalking, domestic abuse and violence; an announcement by the Welsh Government of the crisis care concordat between the police and the NHS; and a consultation on proposals to reform the structure and governance of the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
Deep custody: segregation units and close supervision centres in England and Wales Published by the Prison Reform Trust, this research report found that segregation units [in prison] and close supervision centres (CSCs) entail social isolation, inactivity, and increased control of prisoners—a combination proven to harm mental health and wellbeing. Over one-third (19) of the 50 prisoners interviewed for the research who were held in segregation units had deliberately engineered a move into segregation to escape violence and indiscipline on prison wings or to raise concerns regarding their treatment and conditions. This, the report says, is an important barometer of conditions on normal location and the prison service should target efforts to improve treatment of all prisoners accordingly.
Devolution revolution- would it help reduce prison numbers? This report by Rob Allen, published by Transform Justice, looks at justice reinvestment in the USA, which is described in the report as aiming ‘to shift resources away from the unnecessary use of criminal prosecution and imprisonment into more local, productive and cost effective ways of preventing crime and reducing reoffending.’ The report explores which factors relating to justice reinvestment, that have brought about change in the USA, are most applicable in the UK context.
Young people
Supporting young people with neurodevelopmental impairment This report published by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies discusses the over-representation of young people with clinical disorders in the youth justice system. It draws on a range of research and aims to explore the factors that contribute to the criminalisation of young people with neurodevelopmental impairments. Its key recommendation is that preventive practice in educational and family settings should be prioritised to prevent youth justice interventions.
Resettlement of young people leaving custody: lessons from the literature update Beyond Youth Custody’s review outlines the latest lessons from research, policy and practice in the resettlement of young people since the last update in July 2015. The review considers custody population trends for children and young adults, noting differences relating to gender and ethnicity, and explores the implications of such trends for resettlement of children and young people. The report explores recent developments in the custodial estate such as increased violence within establishments, the introduction of 30 hours of mandatory education a week for those under 18, and the announcement of the review into the youth justice system; as well as the findings of several recently published research studies that highlight the particular vulnerabilities and safety of young people in custody.
Safeguarding Report April 2013 - March 2015 Published by the Youth Justice Board (YJB), this report draws together information about lessons learnt from a variety of safeguarding incidents, including deaths of young people in custody, and aims to provide practitioners and managers with sources of information to support practice improvement and stronger arrangements for the safeguarding of children. The report also provides information on the steps the YJB has taken to meet their ‘Commitment to Safeguard’.
Young adults in court: developing a tailored approach Published by the Centre for Justice Innovation this report examines whether there could be better court process for the young adult population. It gives a number of adaptations to standard court practice for young adults including: the use of simplified language to aid participants’ understanding; taking steps to ensure the process is understood; encouraging family participation; and adapting the courtroom environment to make it more conducive to engagement.
Stop treating brain injury as a crime problem Published by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, this report outlines that serious head injuries prior to imprisonment are four times as common among young people in custody as among young people in the general population. The report calls for ‘health, education and family based interventions and an end to brain injuries and impairments among young people being treated as a crime problem.’
Women and girls
Violence against women and girls newsletter, winter 2015 Published by the Home Office, this newsletter includes information relating to: the Home Office Female Genital Mutilation unit; learning tools around domestic violence; and the national stalking helpline.
Women in the justice maze The FrameWorks Institute has produced a short film about women in the Criminal Justice System (CJS) for the One Small Thing project. The film introduces some of the reasons women enter the CJS, routes out of it, and potential barriers to resettlement and rehabilitation and how the system can be ‘remodelled’ to overcome these barriers.
Enhancing care for childbearing women and their babies in prison This report from Action for Prisoners’ and Offenders’ Families (APOF), and the Hallam Centre for Community Justice, highlights how mothers and babies in prison can often benefit from residing in a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU). However, for reasons revealed in the report, places are not always available or taken up. The report draws attention to the often relentless and complex struggles of mothers in prison which are compounded by the high levels of mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse, self-harm and domestic abuse amongst this group.
Statutory guidance framework: controlling or coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship Published by the Home Office, this statutory guidance provides information about: identifying domestic violence, domestic abuse and controlling or coercive behaviour; circumstances in which the new offence might apply; the types of evidence for the offence; and the defence.
Ex-armed services personnel
Update on progress in addressing the needs of ex-armed services personnel in the criminal justice system In December 2014 the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) published a report conducted on their behalf by Stephen Phillips QC MP entitled ‘Former members of the armed forces and the criminal justice system.’ The MoJ simultaneously published the government’s response to the report and have now provided an update on the progress made in addressing the rehabilitation needs of ex-service personnel in the Criminal Justice System, as agreed by the MoJ in the government’s response.
Police and crime commissioners
PCC spotlight: earlier intervention and prevention Published by Revolving Doors Agency, this is the latest briefing in their ‘PCC Spotlight’ series promoting promising work they have identified among police and crime commissioners (PCCs). This is the fourth briefing in the series and focuses on early intervention and prevention, highlighting areas where PCCs are working with local partners to get 'upstream' to reduce crime and wider demand on their police force.
Be the change you want to see in the world Clinks CEO Anne Fox has written a short blog about collaboration and change. Anne says: "Change is sometimes hard - both facilitating it and dealing with it when it happens around us. We are in “the business” of change. And we’re in a constant cycle of change - the needs of those we work for change, the policies and services affecting them change, the money we have to support them and the levels of help and of hindrance we experience in doing so change."
Improving outcomes for young black and Muslim men in the Criminal Justice System, one year on In this blog, Jess Mullen, Policy Manager at Clinks, explores the progress made since the publication of the Young Review in December 2014 and asks "what's next to move this agenda forward?"
Four steps anyone can take if they are concerned about the health or wellbeing of an offender In this second blog of a two-part guest blog series, Linda Bryant, Director of Criminal Justice Services at Together for Mental Wellbeing proposes four steps anyone can take if they are concerned about the health or wellbeing of an offender. Her first blog explored mental health and wellbeing in the Criminal Justice System and can be accessed here.
‘Your handprint picture on my wall’- supporting the families of prisoners In this blog, Patrice Lawrence, Clinks’ Development Officer, who leads on our work with organisations supporting the families of prisoners, explores how to achieve a better recognition and support for families' needs.
Women’s desistance from crime: recovery and building resilience In this Clinks guest blog, Rebecca Gomm considers how building resilience to support recovery can inform trauma-informed care and makes suggestions which the voluntary sector may wish to engage with.
Fear and recovery in Morecambe In this blog, Joe Gardham, Communications Manager at Clinks, tells us about his attendance at the opening event of a new community hub at The Well - a drug and alcohol abstinence and recovery service in the Lancashire town of Morecambe.
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