In this month's edition...
Clinks launches impact of Covid-19 report
Voluntary organisations provide vital support to people in the criminal justice system, but they are facing significant pressure as a result of the pandemic. Our report, The impact of Covid-19 on the voluntary sector in criminal justice, shows the difficult choices they are having to make. It is the result of information collected during the pandemic from hundreds of voluntary organisations working in the criminal justice system. A full and equal partnership between these organisations and prisons, probation services and central government is critical to creating a fairer and more effective post-pandemic criminal justice system, significantly improving the outcomes of people in the system and the communities they are a part of. Read the report here
Spending review 2020
Her Majesty’s Treasury has announced its 2020 Spending Review which determines how much money will be spent on public services. It announced funding for initiatives that will impact the criminal justice system and people in contact with it, including funding to support prison leavers at risk of homelessness into private rental tenancies and £87 million of capital funding for long-term accommodation for rough sleepers. There will also be funding to support cross-departmental working including a £46 million joint outcomes fund to establish multi-agency partnerships for testing interventions for people affected by multiple disadvantages and a further £20 million to support cross-departmental approaches to improve social inclusion for prison leavers. In addition to these there is funding for 18,000 new prison places and £500k for the ‘grand avenues’ pilot programme aimed at addressing intergenerational offending. Read more here
Prisons visits in England
From 2nd December 2020, local restriction tiers are in place in England. In tier 1 and tier 2 areas, prisons will be opening for visits when it is safe to do so. This means that it’s important to check local guidance regularly as the situation in individual prisons may change. Prison visits will continue to be suspended in tier 3 areas, except on compassionate grounds which should be agreed in advance with the prison. In tier 3 areas, visits to children will continue. Official/legal visits will continue as necessary but will be done remotely where possible. Additionally, if you live in a tier 3 local restriction area you should not travel to visit a prison in another area – unless the visit has been agreed in advance by the prison on compassionate grounds. Prisons in Wales will continue to operate their existing regime model which has been in place since 9th November, when firebreak restrictions formally ended. Government guidance is available here. Read more in our blog here
Weekly Covid-19 tests in prisons
The government has announced that weekly Covid-19 tests will soon be made available to all staff in prisons. Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has further confirmed with Clinks that anyone who ‘regularly’ attends a prison in a ‘prisoner facing role’ is eligible for the weekly test, including people employed by voluntary sector providers. If eligible, voluntary sector staff should contact the prison governor about accessing weekly testing. HMPPS is currently exploring whether it can secure additional testing capacity that would enable all people who come to work in the prison to access weekly tests. Find the initial announcement made by the Prime Minister here. Read more in our blog here
Pregnancy and maternity in the community
There is still time to complete the Clinks and Birth Companions survey for vital research about the health needs of pregnant women, new mothers and babies in the community affected by the criminal justice system. The survey is open until the end of the year, and we are particularly looking for responses from volunteers and staff at voluntary organisations supporting women in the community. This work is being conducted as part of Clinks role in the VCSE Health and Wellbeing Alliance, a partnership between the Department of Health, NHS England and Public Health England and 21 national voluntary sector organisations and consortia. You can take the survey here
Renewed calls to release pregnant women and mothers of under twos from prison
As restrictions tighten again in English prisons, including the suspension of social visits, Birth Companions, academics and 22 other charities have publicly written to the Secretary of State for Justice Robert Buckland calling on the government to make a renewed commitment to an effective programme of early release for eligible pregnant women, mothers and babies on Mother and Baby Units. The letter calls for the extension of this early release scheme to include eligible mothers of children under the age of two in the community across the estate. It highlights the urgent need to engage in an open discussion with voluntary sector specialists on the needs of pregnant women and mothers of young infants currently in the prison system. Read the full letter here
Why are pregnant women in prison?
Rona Epstein and Geraldine Brown, researchers from Coventry University, are carrying out new research to understand why pregnant women are in custody – on remand, on sentence, or on recall. An estimated 600 pregnant women are held in prisons in England and Wales each year, and about 100 babies are born in prison. They are seeking to establish the reasons behind the decisions that lead to imprisonment and are asking women who have been pregnant in prison to fill in a confidential online survey. To find out more, email LawResearcher23@gmail.com. Women wishing to complete the survey can access participant information and take part here
Health and Justice network meeting
Clinks is holding a health and justice network meeting [13th January, online, free]. These meetings discuss both the impact of Covid-19 on health and justice services and service users, as well as the day-to-day health issues their service users face and how their services address them. This meeting is for organisations that deliver health services to people in contact with the criminal justice system, including mental and physical health services, substance misuse services, pregnancy and maternity services, services for older people, and services relating to learning disabilities. Register for the event here
Royal College of General Practitioners’ 8th Health and Justice Summit
The Royal College of General Practitioners’ Secure Environments Group, in partnership with Convenzis, is preparing to hold its 8th health and justice summit [24th and 25th March, Newcastle, £43]. Themes will include: continuity of care, recovery, and through the gate; long-term condition management; end of life care; safety in medicines management; multi-disciplinary teams; and social prescribing in secure settings. The organisers look forward to receiving content on these themes. The event will be held in partnership with a range of sector-leading strategic partners. To request to speak at the event or submit a poster, please email info@convenzis.co.uk. Find out more here
Ageing prison population: Government response to the Justice Committee’s report
The government has responded to the Justice Committee’s report on the ageing prison population. Clinks welcomes the government’s commitment to a national strategy for older people in prison in this response, which Clinks, in partnership with Recoop, called for in our response to the Justice Committee’s inquiry. The government has stated that development for this strategy has commenced and will focus on ensuring older people in prison are held in the most appropriate environments, can access a purposeful regime within prison, can access health and care services equivalent to those within the community, and are prepared for their release and resettled effectively. Read the response here
Statistics on women and the criminal justice system 2019
The Ministry of Justice and the Office for National Statistics have published a report on women and the criminal justice system for 2019. The report finds that in 2018/19, 21% of the 85,900 adults who engaged with liaison and diversion services were women. Women in contact with the services were often more likely than men to have suspected alcohol misuse, financial needs, were victims of abuse and had mental health needs. In 2019, the number of individuals who self-harmed per 1,000 prisoners was 335 for females and 148 for males. Self-harm per individual was more than twice as high for women at 9.3 instances, compared to 4.4 for men. Read more here
Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service Equalities Annual Report
Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service has published the annual report on equalities for people in contact with the criminal justice system, focusing on protected characteristics as outlined in the Equality Act 2010. The report finds that prisoners from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds made up 27% of all prisoners, with proportions having remained similar since 2013. The report specifically looks at Mother and Baby Units (MBUs), finding women from white ethnic backgrounds comprised 38 (83%) of the 46 total number of approved applications for admissions into MBUs in the latest year; while applications from women from BAME backgrounds made up 17% (8) of the total number of approved applications. Read more here
The final report of the Commission for Equality in Mental Health
The Centre for Mental Health’s Commission for Equality in Mental Health has published its final report. The Commission was set up in 2018 to explore what causes mental health inequalities, what perpetuates them, and how to address these inequalities. This report draws on evidence received during the last two years. A key recommendation of the report is that comprehensive mental health support must be on offer in and around the criminal justice system. Building on the success of the NHS Liaison and Diversion programme, mental health and social care support must be accessible for people diverted from custody, inside prisons and for those leaving custody, including rights to social care support. Read more here
Covid-19 guidance for voluntary sector organisations
NCVO has redesigned its Knowhow coronavirus guidance making it easier to navigate. There are several new sections including delivering services and activities, safeguarding in voluntary organisations and fundraising and Covid-19. NCVO has also updated a number of sections in line with current restrictions such as working safely, supporting staff wellbeing and retaining and engaging volunteers. Find it here
Covid-19 winter support grants
Voluntary organisations working in the criminal justice system with an annual income under £250,000 can apply now for grant funding to support their vital work through the winter. The deadline for applications is 9am on Monday 4th January 2021, although early applications are encouraged. After working closely with Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to advocate for the voluntary sector, we are pleased to be able to distribute a further £143,500 on behalf of HMPPS and MoJ to support small and specialist organisations as the pandemic continues. We are also distributing an additional £20,000 on behalf of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. There's a particular focus on small organisations and those that are black, Asian and minority ethnic led and focussed, and those supporting people with protected characteristics. Read more about this round of the programme and how to apply in our blog here
AB Charitable Trust
AB Charitable Trust is offering programme grants to organisations working on criminal justice and penal reform. They are looking to fund charities who deliver services to improve outcomes for individuals and their families who are in the criminal justice system (at any stage, from contact with police to courts and prison); who support effective rehabilitation in the community; work to influence policy and to reform the criminal justice system; and strengthen the sector and support charities delivering work in this area. Eligible charities will usually have an annual income between £150k and £1.5m. The funds available typically range from £10,000 to £20,000. The deadline to apply is the 31st January 2021. Find out more here
Leading radical change
In this blog, Clinks CEO Anne Fox speaks to Pat McArdle, CEO of Mayday Trust, about her experience of leading a ‘radical change’ in Mayday Trust. This was to make sure Mayday was person-led and that the focus of the work recognised that the problem was the system, not the people. It was reflected in not just in how they delivered support, but in how the entire organisation thought, acted and responded. As an organisation, Mayday has undergone a transformation from being a conventional service provider in the social care sector to a pioneer in challenging the systems available to people experiencing tough times. Pat spoke at our Annual Conference in June 2020. Watch her contribution and read her conversation with Anne here
National strategy for older people in prison
The Ministry of Justice announced that a national strategy would be developed for older people in prison earlier this November. In this guest blog, Chief Officer of RECOOP, Paul Grainge, talks about the ageing prison population, RECOOP’s work with older people in contact with the criminal justice system, and the many years of advocacy that finally led to this national strategy being announced. Read more here
Alcohol dependence and mental health
Public Health England (PHE) has published a blog on alcohol dependence and mental health. There are an estimated 589,000 people who are dependent on alcohol in England and about a quarter of them are likely to be receiving mental health medication. Between 2007 and 2017 there were 5,963 suicides in mental health patients with a history of alcohol misuse, an average of 542 deaths by suicide per year – about 10% of all deaths by suicide in England. NHS Trusts have reduced rates of suicide of patients by 25% by putting in place a policy on the management of patients with co-morbid alcohol and drug misuse. PHE guidance states that commissioners and providers of mental health and alcohol and substance misuse services have a joint responsibility to meet the needs of individuals with co-occurring conditions by working together to reach shared solutions. Read more here
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This regular bulletin provides Clinks members with the latest news for voluntary organisations involved in the health and care of people in the criminal justice system. It currently has 2,428 subscribers.
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