Clinks Members’ Policy Briefing | March 2015
In this month's edition...Policy news
National Alliance for Arts in Criminal Justice (NAACJ) Annual Review 2014-15 This latest annual review details the key achievements and activities the NAACJ have been undertaking in relation to their four main strands of work: commissioning research to highlight the impact of arts in the Criminal Justice System; acting as a conduit between members and local and national policy makers; continuing to raise the profile of arts in criminal justice settings; and encouraging and promoting good practice within the sector.
Justice speech by Nick Clegg Delivered on Monday 23rd February 2015 at an event hosted by PACT, the speech set out a number of Liberal Democrat policy proposals including: the expansion of liaison and diversion schemes; the extension of the Youth Justice Board to everyone aged under 21; and the establishment of a Women’s Justice Board that will use the same principles of the Youth Justice Board and apply them to reduce the number of women in prison.
Announcement about the new prison in Wrexham Andrew Selous, Minister for Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation has announced that the new prison in Wrexham, due to open in 2017, will be operated by Her Majesty’s Prison Service (HMPS) with 34% of service provision being outsourced. The prison will provide 2,100 Category C places for male offenders from North Wales and North West England and have a small remand function serving courts in North Wales.
Preventing deaths in detention of Adults with Mental Health Conditions This is the final report published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission as part of their inquiry into non-natural deaths of adults with mental health conditions in detention in England and Wales. The inquiry focused on prisons, police custody and psychiatric hospitals where every year hundreds of deaths occur that are later deemed to have been preventable. The inquiry sought to establish the extent to which there has been compliance with Article 2 (the right to life) together with Article 14 (the right to non-discrimination) of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Criminal Justice System
‘Like a holiday camp’ mapping the gaps in criminal justice reform in England and Wales This report gives the findings from the first phase of the reframing crime and justice programme by Transforming Justice, the Standing Committee for Youth Justice and Criminal Justice Alliance. Through carrying out in depth interviews, the research explored not only what people think about criminal justice issues, but why they think it. The report outlines the gaps between how the public thinks and how the voluntary sector working in criminal justice would like them to think.
Free articles from Criminal Justice Matters The Centre for Crime and Justice Studies has provided free access to the ten most popular articles from their Criminal Justice Matters magazine. Titles include: 'The hall of mirrors: criminal justice myths uncovered', ‘The theory and politics of criminalisation', and ‘Getting real about gangs’.
Offence pathways of sexual homicide perpetrators Published by NOMS, this report explores whether the offending pathways for those with a previous conviction for rape or attempted rape are different from those who did not have these convictions.
Criminal justice statistics
Focus on violent crime and sexual offences, 2013/14 This report is based on interviews carried out by the Crime Survey in England and Wales (CSEW) in the year to March 2014 and crimes recorded by the police in the same period. Published by the Office for National Statistics and the Home Office, some of the key findings from the report include: the CSEW continues to show a steady decline in violent crime over the last 20 years; homicide has shown a general downward trend since 2002/03; and the number of sexual offences recorded in 2013/14 was the highest recorded by the police since 2002/03.
Desistance
Prospects for a Desistance Agenda Drawing on interviews with over twenty policymakers, and analysis of official publications, this report considers where desistance theories stand at present, the barriers that may limit their further progress and the opportunities and risks afforded by current developments. Published by Criminal Justice Alliance, the findings suggest that desistance theories have made their way directly and indirectly into UK policy and practice and it would appear that their influence is growing.
Multiple and complex needs
Comprehensive services for complex needs: A summary of evidence This report assesses the evidence for three programmes designed to work directly with people facing multiple and complex needs: Multisystemic Therapy; wraparound; and the link worker model. People with multiple needs face a combination of issues at once, including poor mental health, substance misuse, contact with the Criminal Justice System and homelessness. The report, published by Revolving Doors Agency and Centre for Mental Health, outlines both the cost-benefit and effectiveness of these programmes as well as demonstrating that these programmes can improve client’s wellbeing.
A good life: exploring what matters to people facing multiple and complex needs This report demonstrates what people facing multiple and complex needs identify as important for a ‘good life.’ The research encouraged a group of people with experience of multiple problems to focus on their goals and aspirations and found people prioritised symbols of stability such as secure housing and mental wellbeing, and found strength in helpful relationships and support networks. The report, published by Revolving Doors Agency also highlights important considerations for commissioners and local services, reflecting on the outcomes that are most important to service users themselves.
Resettlement
Custody to community: how young people cope with release This research report, published by Beyond Youth Custody, found that young people do not feel prepared for release from prison and lack the support they need to cope with the transition back into the community. Recommendations include; planning for release as soon as the custodial period starts; wider use of Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL); and increased focus on maintaining family relationships and interactions. A video released to complement the report shows young people from the ADAPT project in Salford and the Howard League’s U R BOSS project describing their experience of the transition from custody into the community. You can watch the video here or read two blogs from the participants here.
Developing a gender-sensitive approach to resettlement This briefing paper by Beyond Youth Custody brings together the key themes from a roundtable, where participants explored some of the challenges relating to policy, practice and rhetoric that act as a barrier to effectively meeting the resettlement needs of girls and young women.
Drug and alcohol misuse
Drugscope State of the Sector survey 2014-15 This report gives the results from an online survey of adult community and residential drug and alcohol treatment services from across England, along with in-depth interviews with service managers and chief executives. For the first time the report was extended to the prison service. The key findings from the report, published by Drugscope on behalf of the Recovery Partnership include: 53% of respondents report a reduction of frontline staff and a 40% reduction in back office staff and managers; 47% report an increase in the use of volunteers; and respondents reported that funding changes had a negative effect on service delivery overall.
Drug strategy annual review, 2014-15 This report gives the findings of the third review of the 2010 Drug Strategy and updates on the progress made under the three strands of the strategy: reducing demand; restricting supply; and building recovery. The report, published by HM Government, also details the priorities for the year ahead.
Five facts about alcohol related violence Published by the Office for National Statistics, this report examines violent incidents where the victim perceived the offender to be under the influence of alcohol and is taken from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, 2013/14.
Volunteering
Justice Involving Volunteers in Europe (JIVE) project newsletter This latest newsletter from the Clinks JIVE project highlights examples of good practice from organisations working with volunteers in Italy and Hungary, the experiences of ex-offenders in Portugal, a mentoring programme in the UK, volunteers working with sex offenders in The Netherlands, and a brief update on progress of the project.
Foreign National Prisoners
A toolkit for the resettlement of foreign national prisoners ‘Tracks’ is an electronic toolkit, commissioned by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and written by Praxis Community Projects. It provides useful resettlement information for foreign national prisoners and staff working with them.
Blogs
Can restorative justice cut prison numbers? In this blog, William R Wood discusses whether restorative practices operate as an alternative to incarceration and reduce prison rates.
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