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Clinks Members' Policy Briefing | February 2018
- Policy work at Clinks
- Government announcements
- Publications
- Blogs
- Extra information
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We have launched our most recent state of the sector survey and want to hear from you. Our state of the sector research gathers the evidence we need to support voluntary organisations and lobby on your behalf so it’s vital that as many of you respond to our survey as possible. Last year we gathered the most detailed information we have ever had about voluntary organisations working in the criminal justice system and we want to make sure that we gather as much information as possible this year. As well as continuing to focus on the needs of your clients, your experiences of partnership working and service delivery we are also exploring how you are working to identify and meet the needs of your clients with protected characteristics. The survey closes on the 14th March.
Since the cabinet reshuffle in January, Clinks has met with the new Minister for Prisons and Probation, Rory Stewart MP and has written to the Secretary of State, David Gauke MP, who has also responded with an invitation to meet. The National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance has written to Michael Ellis MP, Minister for Arts at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and have also received an invitation to meet. Our meeting with the Prison and Probation Minister, Rory Stewart MP, focused on tangible actions that would lead to clean and decent prisons. We will be meeting with him again over the coming weeks to further discuss how the knowledge and experience of the voluntary sector can support his departments work.
Clinks has also facilitated meetings over the last month between Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Justice, Phillip Lee, and representatives from organisations working with black, Asian and minority ethnic women in the criminal justice system to discuss the forthcoming Ministry of Justice female offenders’ strategy, as well as the government's response to the Lammy Review and the Race Disparity Audit.
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Urgent Notification: HMP Nottingham The Chief Inspector of Prisons, Peter Clarke, has issued an urgent notification to the Secretary of State for Justice, David Gauke, due to poor safety. Eight prisoners were believed to have taken their own lives in HMP Nottingham between 2016 and 2018, over two-thirds of men said they had felt unsafe in the prison at some time and more than a third felt unsafe at the time of the January 2018 inspection. The urgent notification protocol was introduced in November 2017 and requires the Secretary of State to publish a response to the Chief Inspector’s concerns detailing the action to be taken. The Secretary of State will publish his response and a plan of action by 14 February.
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Clinks publications
Clinks submission to the Justice Committee inquiry into the prison population Clinks has submitted evidence to the Justice Committee on the prison population. We highlight concerns about how many people end up in prison as a result of failures in other public services and note that the prison population at its current level provides little or no flexibility for the system to prioritise rehabilitation. We also discuss the impact of voluntary organisations being unable to access prisons and people in prison, which limits their potential to achieve positive outcomes for service users and puts their funding at risk. We recommend that the Ministry of Justice involves the voluntary sector in its reforms and gives greater consideration to diverting people away from the justice system.
Clinks and the Young Review joint submission to the Women and Equalities Committee inquiry into the race disparity audit Clinks and the Young Review have submitted joint evidence to the Women and Equalities Committee on the race disparity audit. Given that the audit only includes data from government departments we recommend that it should also link to pertinent data produced by other official and trusted sources. The data should be disaggregated as far as possible. We suggest that action on existing disparities (such as implementing the recommendations of the Lammy Review and Young Review) is needed, rather than further research into the range of drivers for disparities. We recommend that a governance group is established for overseeing the implementation of the Lammy Review recommendations and that the voluntary sector is involved in this.
Criminal justice system
Mental Health and Deaths in Prison: Interim Report: Government Response to the Committee’s Seventh Report of Session 2016–17. The government has responded to a report by the Joint Committee on Human Rights on mental health and deaths in prison. The government rejected the recommendation of a legal maximum length of time prisoners are kept in their cells. Where the government have accepted the recommendation, it will explore the use of non-statutory levers rather than primary legislation to deliver change. For example, instead of introducing a statutory ratio of prison officers to prisoners or a legal obligation for prisoners with mental health problems to have a key worker, the government will introduce a key worker model for all prisoners in the closed adult male estate through administrative means.
Oral evidence: HM Inspectorate of Prisons report on HMP Liverpool The Justice Select Committee held a one-off evidence session to consider how the government and Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) have responded to HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ report on HMP Liverpool. Witnesses included Michael Spurr, Chief Executive of HMPPS and Rory Stewart MP, Minister of State for the Ministry of Justice. The Minister emphasised the importance of clear lines of accountability said he would consider giving HM Inspectorate of Prisons a team to follow up on their recommendations.
Youth criminal records: government response to the Justice Committee report The government has responded to the Justice Select Committee’s report on the disclosure of youth criminal records. The government has maintained its position that the current filtering system strikes the right balance between protecting the public and individuals’ right to privacy. It rejected the recommendation of presumption against disclosure of police intelligence information relating to under 18s but is supportive of the committee’s recommendation to promote the ‘Ban the Box’ initiative to all public sector vacancies and states that the government will publish an Employment and Education Plan in early 2018, which will promote the initiative.
Complaints about discrimination From analysis of its investigations over the past five and a half years, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has published four main lessons learned to help improve the way prisons prioritise and investigate complaints about discrimination. It recommends prisons: allocate sufficient resources to the investigation of complaints about discrimination; ensure the staff responsible for investigating complaints are properly trained; ensure allegations of discrimination are addressed directly; and routinely collect equalities data.
Termination of the contract for careers advice in prisons On 17th January the chair of the Prisoner Learning Alliance wrote to Minister of State for the Ministry of Justice, Rory Stewart MP regarding the lack of a replacement service for the contracts to provide careers advice for prisoners. From April 2018 the prison-based element of National Careers Service contracts will be terminated and replacement services will not be put in place until autumn 2018. The letter emphasises the importance of the careers service for prisoners and asks for clarification on any support that will be put in place for prisoners once the contracts have been terminated.
Criminal justice statistics
Payment by results statistics The government has published a series of statistics which set out proven reoffending statistics for adults being managed in the community by Community Rehabilitation Companies under payment by results arrangements, and by the National Probation Service, for the cohorts from October 2015 to March 2017. Final one-year reoffending results have been published for the 2015/16 annual cohort. These show that two out of the 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies will receive payment for meeting their frequency targets.
Detention Population Data Mapping Project The National Preventive Mechanism, the network of independent statutory bodies that have responsibility for preventing ill-treatment in detention, has undertaken a project to collate detention population data. Using data collected from April 2015 to March 2016, it says that the number of people detained are: 80,080 in adult prisons in England and Wales; 5,755 in secure settings for children and young adults in England and Wales; more than 1,220,391 in police custody in the UK over a 12 month period; and 63,622 under mental health legislation in England over a 12 month period.
Youth justice
Youth Justice annual statistics: 2016 to 2017 The Ministry of Justice has published statistics on the youth justice system in England and Wales covering the year ending March 2017. In the last year, the number of first time entrants has fallen by 11% and the number of children and young people who received a caution or sentence has fallen by 14%. The number of children and young people sentenced to immediate custody has increased by 7% in the last year. In the year ending March 2017, 27% of self harm incidents resulted in injuries which required medical treatment (Supplementary Table 8.12). This is the highest proportion there has been since the year ending March 2012.
Youth Justice Resettlement Consortia: A Process evaluation Between 2014 and 2017 the Youth Justice Board funded four resettlement consortia as part of the government’s Transforming Youth Custody Programme. The aim of the resettlement consortia was to pilot an enhanced service to children and young people leaving custody with the aims of improving their life chances and reducing reoffending. The evaluation identified the following successes: strong leadership; strong mapping of existing provision; and a holistic partnership approach. It went on to conclude that support for children and young people should be holistic; strategic steering groups should direct improvement of resettlement outcomes; resettlement plans should be tailored to each individual; and there should be greater focus on early resettlement planning and local housing solutions.
Spotlight on Young Adults: Emerging good practice across PCC areas on Young Adults (18 -25) in contact with criminal justice services Revolving Doors Agency and the Transition to Adulthood Alliance have published a report which highlights case studies where Police and Crime Commissioners have used a distinct approach for Young Adults aged 18 to 25. This demographic have the highest reconviction rates and contact with the police but are the age group most likely to ‘grow out of crime’ when the right interventions are in place. The case studies include: diverting people from the criminal justice system; targeted support throughout the transition to adulthood; extending existing youth services; and engaging with young adults to harness the power of lived experience.
Substance misuse
Substance misuse treatment in secure settings: statistics 2016 to 2017 Public Health England and the Department of Health and Social Care have published the second annual report on alcohol and drug misuse treatment in prisons and other secure settings, covering the year 2016 to 2017. Out of the adults in secure settings using substances: 50% used opiate substances; 17% used only non-opiate substances; 20% used non-opiate substances and alcohol; and 13% used only alcohol. Of the young people in treatment in secure settings, 67% were in Young Offender Institutions, 18% were in secure children’s homes, 9% were in secure training centres and 7% were in welfare only homes.
Women
Responding to the needs of women in the criminal justice system: Evaluation of the training delivered to criminal justice professionals The Prison Reform Trust commissioned training on the specific needs of women in contact with the criminal justice system (CJS) for professionals in the CJS, delivered by Together for Mental Wellbeing. The Prison Reform Trust has now published a report which provides an overview of the training and makes 15 recommendations for how future training is delivered. The recommendations include: women with direct experience of the CJS should be included in the development and delivery of training; the development of training should take place in conjunction with local liaison and diversion services; and police guidance and training should include a focus on the links between domestic abuse and some women’s offending.
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Charities must act now to prepare for changes to the rules on criminal records This Clinks guest blog by Christopher Stacey, Co-Director of Unlock and Clinks Trustee, gives details about how charities should act to prepare for changes to rules on criminal records. From 1st August 2018 changes to the ‘automatic disqualification’ rules mean that there will be more restrictions on who can run a charity which will particularly affect trustees and certain senior managers, such as CEOs and Chief Finance Officers. People that will be disqualified from August can apply for a waiver in order to continue in their role. Unlock has published guidance that will help charities to update their recruitment processes and will support those applying for waivers.
The women's sector - who's in the room? This Clinks guest blog is by Laura Seebohm from Changing Lives who was recently recruited onto the Reducing Reoffending Third Sector (RR3) group. The RR3 is a voluntary sector advisory group to the Ministry of Justice, chaired by Clinks. Laura’s specialism is women in the criminal justice system. In her blog Laura gives details about her background and information about Women’s Networking Forums that will support and inform her role on the RR3.
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