[[{"fid":"4214","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"type":"media","link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":"150","width":"600","class":"media-element file-default"}}]]
Clinks Members’ Policy Briefing | July 2016
In this month's edition...
[[{"fid":"4215","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"type":"media","link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":"75","width":"600","class":"media-element file-default"}}]]
This month we launched our ‘Valuing volunteers in prison: a review of volunteer involvement in prisons’ report at an event attended by members from the voluntary sector and Andrew Selous, minister for Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation. Andrew Selous said that all seven of Clinks’ recommendations were sensible, and we will now be taking these forward with the Ministry of Justice. The policy team also submitted the recommendations of our Change and Challenge report, which explored the voluntary sector’s role in Transforming Rehabilitation, to the Public Accounts Committee for their inquiry into the reforms.
Continuing our work to develop voluntary sector engagement with prison reform, Clinks’ CEO Anne Fox has begun meetings with the new Executive Governors of the ‘early adopter’ prisons, to discuss how the voluntary sector can be engaged on both a strategic and delivery level in achieving positive outcomes for the early adopter prisons.
On 23rd June, Clinks, in partnership with Women’s Breakout, Women’s Resource Centre and Agenda, held the first of a series of networking forums for voluntary sector organisations working with women in the Criminal Justice System. The meeting provided an update on policy developments, and an opportunity for supportive discussion of key issues in the women’s sector. The forums will allow Clinks to represent women’s organisations to government and other key stakeholders.
Last week, the policy team submitted Clinks’ response to the Lammy review of racial bias and disproportionality in the Criminal Justice System. The response reviews the driving forces behind disproportionality in the Criminal Justice System and emphasises the need for proactive engagement with the Black, Asian and minority ethnic voluntary sector to address these issues. This will be published on the Clinks website shortly.
[[{"fid":"4216","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"type":"media","link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":"75","width":"600","class":"media-element file-default"}}]]
Crime, policing and fire news update: May 2016 The Home Office has published an update on policy developments relating to crime, policing and the fire service. The update discusses: the Policing and Crime Bill; the police transformation fund; a new fund to provide safe places for people in a mental health crisis; and the Psychoactive Substances Act.
[[{"fid":"4218","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"type":"media","link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":"75","width":"600","class":"media-element file-default"}}]]
Clinks publications
Valuing volunteers in prison: a review of volunteer involvement in prisons This report, commissioned at the request of Andrew Selous MP, explores how we can increase the amount and scope of prison volunteering across England and Wales. It explores the benefits of prison volunteering to a number of stakeholders, as well as the current barriers to successful volunteering. The report makes seven recommendations, including: clear roles should be identified for volunteers, and their work should be strategically integrated; prisons and their partners should proactively recruit volunteers from as diverse a base as possible; and volunteering should receive a consistent level of coordination and support.
Event report – Supporting positive relationships between prisoners and their families In February 2016, the Ministry of Justice organised a roundtable to explore the impact of prison reform on the families of prisoners. The event was attended by Secretary of State for Justice, Michael Gove and Minister for Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation, Andrew Selous, and was chaired by Clinks CEO, Anne Fox. There were contributions from specialist family organisations, academics, prison staff and families supported by Pact. This briefing offers a more detailed response to the questions asked at the roundtable, exploring issues such as Release on Temporary Licence, family contact and visits, and the inconsistent quality of family services attached to prisons.
Criminal Justice System
Service user involvement toolkits Revolving Doors Agency has published two toolkits for practitioners to develop service user involvement in prisons and probation. They explore what service user involvement is and the benefits it has for both services and service users, as well as some of the existing barriers to developing it. The toolkits provide a step-by-step guide to developing and embedding service user involvement in services, including example activities for each step.
Running a peer research project with offenders in the community This Revolving Doors Agency toolkit is designed for probation staff and those involved with probation, to be able to run a research project with a group of service users. It provides a list of considerations for embarking on a peer research project, as well as introductions to each stage of designing and implementing a research project, including: literature reviews, ethics, research methods and data analysis.
Prostitution The Home Affairs Committee has published an interim report from its inquiry into prostitution. The report investigates the current size and characteristics of the UK sex industry and looks at legislative approaches in different countries. It recommends that the Home Office change existing legislation so that soliciting is no longer a crime and brothel-keeping laws allow sex workers to share premises, without losing the ability to prosecute those who use brothels to control or exploit sex workers. The report emphasises the importance of zero tolerance in relation to the organised criminal exploitation of sex workers. It also highlights the impact of criminal records on future employment prospects, recommending that the Home Office legislate for the deletion of previous convictions and cautions for prostitution.
Arts
The Art of Commissioning: How commissioners can release the potential of the arts and cultural sector This report, published by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) as part of their Cultural Commissioning Programme, looks at what the arts and cultural sector can offer commissioners of public services. It discusses case studies where the arts have been used to achieve health outcomes, and makes recommendations for improving commissioning and procurement processes to enable better engagement by the arts and cultural sector.Youth justice
The Carlile Inquiry 10 years on: The use of restraint, solitary confinement and strip-searching on children This report examines the progress made in the youth justice system since the Howard League for Penal Reform's 2006 independent inquiry, led by Lord carlile of Berriew QC, into the use of restraint, solitary confinement and strip-searching in penal institutions holding children. It finds that, despite a decrease in the number of children in custody, the rate of restraint has more than doubled in the last five years, and that force that causes the infliction of pain on children account for over a third of all approved ‘techniques’ that can be used. It reiterates the findings of the Carlile Inquiry that small, local units have a record of success in providing the best care and rehabilitation for the few children who require a period in a secure environment. Sentencing Youths – Overarching Principles and Offence-Specific Guidelines for Sexual Offences and Robbery Consultation The Sentencing Council has laiunched a consultation on a new definitive guideline on the sentencing of youths seeking the views of people interested in the sentencing of young offenders. The guidelines document outlines the overarching principles for sentencing young people such as regard to the welfare of the individual, promoting re-integration into society, and consideration of the impact of penal interventions. It also looks at the different sentences available and how these should be used by sentencers. The consultation is open until 3rd August 2016.Black, Asian and minority ethnic people
Foreign National prisoners: best practice and resettlement This report, written by Lucy Slade and published by the Winston Churchill Memorial Foundation, makes recommendations for the approach to foreign national prisoners in England and Wales, based on the findings from visits to four other European countries: Norway; the Netherlands; Sweden; and Spain. It details a number of examples of ‘promising practice’ across prisons in these countries, including a picture dictionary ‘pointing book’ for those with language difficulties, volunteer support for foreign national prisoners, and use of Skype and video-conferencing to enable prisoners to communicate with their families. The report suggests that a coherent strategy for foreign national prisoners is needed in England and Wales and recommends that the National Offender Management Service put forward an agreed vision for this.
Women
The Birth Charter for Women in Prisons in England and Wales 'The Birth Charter', published by Birth Companions, is a set of recommendations for the care of pregnant women and new mothers in prison. It was developed in consultation with service users and with guidance from the Royal College of Midwives and UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative. The charter outlines the fundamental standards of care and services pregnant women should have access to while in prison including: having access to the same standard of antenatal care as women in the community, being able to access counselling when needed, and being entitled to additional family visits. Naomi Delap, Director of Birth Companions, has written about the birth charter in a guest blog for Clinks.
Time after Time: A study of women's transitions from custody This study, published by the Griffins Society explores the transition of women from prison into the community through the women’s own accounts. The research took place in Northern Ireland and tests the view that, if women can sustain periods in the community following release beyond 12 weeks, the likelihood of successful re-integration is improved. The research highlights that women find imprisonment traumatic and that the impact of institutionalisation is a significant event for those experiencing short sentences, and that custody impacts on employment, family relations and mental health after release. The report's recommendations include ensuring long-term funding for community initiatives to support women after release, better partnership work between government departments, and arrangements for women to ensure timely access to benefits on release.
Prison as a place of safety for women with complex mental health needs This Griffins Society study examines whether prison is being used as a ‘place of safety’ for women who have complex mental health needs and deemed in need of ‘protection’ from themselves. The findings suggest prison is currently being used as a place of safety for women with complex heath needs, and that this use of custody is unworkable, flawed and potentially dangerous and not in the best interests of the women offenders and prison staff. The paper recommends that the Ministry of Justice conduct an honest assessment of the implementation of the recommendations contained in reports by Lord Bradley and Baroness Corston; that each woman entering custody should have a full mental health assessment; and that the National Offender Management Service should provide mandatory mental health training for staff working in prisons.
Losing my voice: A study of the barriers and facilitators to disclosure for sex-working women in residential drug treatment The Griffins Society has published this research paper, detailing the findings from their study of the impact of disclosure of sex work on drug treatment. The paper finds that the needs of sex workers in drug treatment settings are not met as many drug treatment services do not ask about sex-working upon assessment, or treat sex work as a distinct need. It makes a number of recommendations to improve both understandings of sex work in drug treatment and the experiences of sex workers in drug treatment settings, including documenting sex work as an individual need, and gender-responsive provisions to combat unwanted sexual attention and stereotyping from men in mixed services.
Voluntary sector
Brexit: Implications for the voluntary sector This National Council for Voluntary Organisations briefing explores the implications of the result of the EU referendum for charities and community groups. It covers the political landscape, funding and finance, social implications, regulatory change and the role of civil society, and predicts that the short-term impact of Brexit will be over-estimated while the long-term impact may be more significant.
Police and Crime Commissioners
Where next for Police and Crime Commissioners? This summary, written by the Oxford Policing Policy Forum and published by the Police Foundation, considers how far Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) have met the objectives set out for them, what their future role might be, and the implications of the devolution agenda. Participants at the event felt that there had been a greater level of innovation and professional commitment that would not have been possible under a police authority, and that PCCs had generally improved victim services. It was thought that there was potential for a more integrated Criminal Justice System, through PCCs taking on responsibility for other areas of work such as youth justice services.
[[{"fid":"4219","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"type":"media","link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":"75","width":"600","class":"media-element file-default"}}]]
To truly create places of positivity and reform, prisons must engage with the voluntary sector This blog, by Clinks’ Prison Engagement Development Officer Louise Clark, outlines the five areas of Clinks’ recent work surrounding the prison reform agenda: an invitation to the new reform prisons; amplifying the voice of the sector; the voluntary sector co-ordination prison pilot; a new guide for prisons on voluntary sector engagement; and the Valuing volunteering in the Criminal Justice System project. The blog says, 'Clinks is working to ensure the engagement between prisons and the sector continues and is built on to ensure [voluntary sector] organisations are a key contributor to the government’s latest vision.'
How do you join services seamlessly together? In this guest blog, Simon Bowkett, Chief Executive of Exeter CVS & CoLab, discusses the creation of an exciting multi-agency space called CoLab. CoLab is a hub bringing together a range of services from the community sector in criminal justice, health and social care, and housing pathways, alongside the core business of Exeter CVS. The blog explores the ongoing challenge of joining 25 different service cultures and practices together, as well as the benefits that this partnership working has provided for service users.
A new vision for the voluntary sector in health and care? This blog, written by Hazel Alcraft, Clinks’ Development Officer for Health and Justice, summarises the themes of the final report from the VCSE Review, a joint review by the Department of Health, NHS England and Public Health England into partnerships and investment in voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations in the health and care sector, published last month.
Youth justice: relationship, relationship, relationship... In this blog, Clinks Policy Team's Lesley Frazer discusses the evidence around what works in youth desistance, following the recent publication of Clinks’ response to the Taylor review of youth justice. Drawing on findings from the Ministry of Justice’s summary of international evidence, and the probation inspectorate’s thematic inspection on desistance and young people, as well as the messages from young people at recent consultation events, the blog emphasises the importance of relationships as key to supporting the desistance process.
[[{"fid":"4220","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":"","field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":""},"type":"media","link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":"75","width":"600","class":"media-element file-default"}}]]
- This edition of Clinks Policy Briefing has been sent to the inbox of all Clinks Members. Who are they?
- If you have any comments about the update or ideas about how it could be improved, please email Oonagh Ryder
- To unsubscribe, email Oonagh Ryder
- Please note that the third-party information, gathered and presented within this update, may not represent the views of Clinks or the author. [Terms of Use]
Get involved Become a Member | Follow Clinks | Join Mailing List
Contact Us www.clinks.org | info@clinks.org | 020 7383 0966
Written monthly by...
Oonagh Ryder
Clinks
© Clinks, 2016
Registered office: Clinks, Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9NA
Registered charity: 1074546 | Company limited by guarantee in England & Wales: 3562176