In this month's edition...
Clinks state of the sector survey 2022
We have launched the 2022 State of the sector survey. This is your chance to tell us about the challenges your organisation has faced over the last year and help us influence key decision makers on your behalf and ensure that our support meets your needs. We regularly meet with HM Prison and Probation Service and the Ministry of Justice to speak up on behalf of voluntary organisations and to capitalise on opportunities for the sector. But we need up-to-date evidence to do this effectively. That is why we are asking you to complete the survey. Your anonymised responses will contribute to a report highlighting the changes and challenges the voluntary sector, and its service users, are experiencing and how organisations are adapting.
Clinks Policy Work
Jess Mullen, Clinks Director of Influence and Communications, attended a meeting of the Women in the Criminal Justice System Expert Group with Victoria Atkins, Minister of State for Prisons and Probation, to discuss the Female Offender Strategy and implementation of the Concordat on women in or at risk of contact with the criminal justice system. Jess raised the importance of sustainable funding for women’s centres, and that the Ministry of Justice must ensure other government departments do not think that the funding available through probation contracts is currently sufficient to meet the full needs of women in contact with the criminal justice system (CJS). Jess also highlighted that there is a need to develop a delivery plan for tackling race inequality alongside the delivery plan for the Female Offender Strategy.
Prisons Strategy White Paper – response to consultation questions
The response confirms that the eight commitments to improve prison safety set out in The Prisons Strategy White Paper will be delivered over the next three years. Disappointingly, the response reaffirms the Ministry of Justice’s commitment to prison expansion and does not include specific proposals to tackle racial disparity in prisons. Read more here. Enhanced support and an innovations taskforce to tackle violence and self-harm are positive and the voluntary sector will be keen to support the development of these. Plans to legislate for ending Friday release, investment in drug treatment, the development of the new national regime model, and the presumption that people in prison will be offered employment in custody, will be welcomed by the voluntary sector.
The Ministry of Justice to end Friday releases for vulnerable people in prison
The Ministry of Justice has committed to reducing the number of individuals, especially vulnerable people, from leaving prison on Friday. This has long been a priority of the voluntary sector as Friday releases lead to increased pressure on prison staff due to increased numbers of release, as well as reduced services in the community due to the weekend. Currently, there are limited details as to how the scheme will operate as the government needs to introduce legislation to make this legal but it is clear that this will also apply to those being released on a bank holiday. Read more here
Queen’s Speech
On Tuesday 10 May the government set out its legislative agenda for the next year in the Queen’s Speech. Announcing 38 different Bills, plans include a Public Order Bill, introducing new offences related to certain types of protest, such as “locking on”, and a draft Mental Health Act Reform Bill which, amongst other things, aims to improve the support for people with convictions with acute mental health needs and provide faster transfers from prison to hospital. The government also recommitted to introducing a Bill of Rights to reform the Human Rights Act, with the aim of ending “the abuse of the human rights framework”. Read more here
The voice of lived experience
A new report by the Young Justice Advisors – a team of young adults aged 18-30 with lived experience of the criminal justice and care systems – explores a number of key themes with the purpose of advocating for change. The research, based on peer interviews and surveys, focuses on: race and racism, the care system, mental health and the criminal justice system, and life after prison. The report concludes with a number of key recommendations including: extending care orders to last until someone is 25 years old; increased mental health provision in prisons; and for every probation region to have a specific reoffending plan for young adults in their area. Read more here
ADHD in prison
One in four prisoners in Britain are believed to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a new report. The figure is five to ten times higher than its prevalence of 2% to 4% in the general population. The report as conducted by the ADHD Foundation and the company Takeda, has determined that the prevalence of those with ADHD is five to ten times higher then in the general population, leading to patient groups and doctors calling for those entering the prison estate to be screened for ADHD when they enter prison. Understanding the needs of those with ADHD when they enter prison will allow NHS and HMPPS staff to better work with neurodivergent individuals in the prison estate. Read more here
Monkeypox: prisons and places of detention
The UK Health and Security Agency has released information regarding the recent spread of Monkeypox, and the specific effect that it may potentially have on people within the detained estate. Treatment for monkeypox is mainly supportive. The illness is usually mild and most of those infected will recover within a few weeks without treatment. Further information about the clinical features of monkeypox is available. Recent cases are predominantly in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) aged 20 to 59 years. These groups are being advised to be alert to any unusual rashes or lesions on any part of their body, especially their genitalia, and to contact a sexual health service if they have concerns. Read more here
Call for evidence for new 10-year plan to improve mental health
The Department of Health and Social Care is calling for the public with lived experience of mental ill-health, and health and care professionals, to share their views on how mental health support and services should adapt for the future. Responses will inform a new 10-year mental health plan which aims to put mental and physical health on an equal footing. The new plan will build on current progress, assessing how local services can work together to prevent mental ill health, especially in light of the effect that the pandemic has had on the mental health of general public, with record numbers of people seeking to access treatment. Responses requested by the 5 July. Read more here
Large increase in sentence lengths
In May, the Ministry of Justice and the Office for National Statistics published their Criminal Justice Statistics bulletin for 2021. The headline figure described the fact that the average custodial sentence length for indictable offences was 24.9 months in 2021, up from 21.1 months in 2020. To compare, figures from a decade ago (2011) were 16.8 months indicating a significant increase in prison sentences. Part of the increase in prison sentences is attributable to the fact that there is a greater proportion of people convicted of serious crimes in prison now, but this certainly does not explain a rise of almost 50% (48.2%). Read more here
Prison education service – what should its future look like?
Clinks is holding an event [2pm, 6 July, online, free] where we will be joined by Abigail Farley, the Prison Education Service Programme Director at HMPPS. This will be an opportunity to find out more about the programme and for voluntary organisations to contribute thoughts on what the future prison education service should look like. Book your place here. Clinks Director of Support and Development, Christopher Stacey, has written a blog to summarise the developments of the future prison education service. Read it here
Multiple disadvantage – Making Every Adult Matter
The Making Every Adult Matter (MEAM) Coalition have published a report following their annual conference. The report, titled: Reflections from the MEAM Approach: Transforming services and systems for people facing multiple disadvantage, explores what the MEAM approach areas and team see as essential to successful work and considers what is needed next for the future. MEAM is a coalition of national charities – Clinks, Homeless Link, Mind and associate member Collective Voice. MEAM has supported 50 local authority areas since 2010 to transform services and systems for people facing multiple disadvantage.
ACMD Review of the UK Naloxone Implementation for prison leavers
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs self-commissioned report had made recommendations on the provision of Naloxone for prison leavers. Currently, the practice of providing prison leavers with Naloxone is fragmented across the country with many opioid addicted individuals leaving the estate without it. The report recommends that there should be complete coverage across the country for those leaving prison and ensure that all prison leavers who suffer from opioid addiction should be supplied with the drug to ensure that they have access to the life-saving drug. Read more here
Covid-19 National Framework - HM Prison and Probation Service
Following the exit of the Covid-19 National Framework by HM Prison and Probation Service and a meeting of the RR3 Covid-19 Special Interest Group to discuss this, Jess Mullen has written a blog summarising the key developments the sector needs to know about how prisons are currently being managed. She details the key areas of concern that Clinks have, which we are continuing to raise on behalf of the sector. This blog includes information on Covid-19 management, testing, regime delivery, and communication and engagement with voluntary organisations. Read the blog here
Under-staffing and siloed working hamper drug treatment
A review of the government's £80 million investment in treatment for drug users has shown that "non-existent staff and fragmented clinical services" are a major barrier to implementing improved practices for some of the most marginalised patients. The research found that the significant loss of trained professionals, alongside the fragmentation of services, due to the budget cuts that came with the 2012 Health and Social Care Act, lead to staff exits and the loss of shared resources to support individuals facing multiple disadvantage and/or complex needs. However, there were some benefits that resulted from the funding, including a renewed focus on harm and crime reduction. Read more here
Electronic monitoring
Following the publication of a National Audit Office (NAO) report on electronic monitoring, Russell Webster has written a blog summarising the key points. He highlights the finding that; “Evidence on the effectiveness of tagging remains weak, particularly on reducing reoffending and diverting offenders from prison”. Russell notes that HM Prison and Probation service (HMPPS) has failed to modernise the system, and the monitoring system is not doing what it promised. Furthermore, HMPPS’ ability to carry out analysis and evaluation is severely constrained by the poor quality and availability of data. Therefore, they have not analysed reoffending and “offenders’” diversion from prison as planned. Read more here
About Clinks Health and Justice bulletin
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 1,165 subscribers. To submit content, or have comments or ideas about how this ebulletin could be improved, please email spencer.bundschuh@clinks.org
Get involved Become a Member | Follow Clinks on Twitter
Contact us www.clinks.org | info@clinks.org | 020 4502 6774
Click here to manage your subscriptions. For assistance, email info@clinks.org
Registered office: 82A James Carter Road, Mildenhall, Suffolk, IP28 7DE
Registered charity: 1074546 | Company limited by guarantee in England & Wales: 3562176
© Clinks, 2022