Welcome to the March 2025 edition of the Clinks Policy Briefing. Let us know your thoughts about this newsletter, or any of the things it has covered by emailing the Policy team.
This month:
- Our Policy Work: our work in preparing responses to a number of parliamentary committee inquiries, the review into the handling of prison capacity, and the upcoming Reducing Reoffending Third Sector Advisory Group (RR3) meeting.
- Latest Justice News: including the first report from the Independent Sentencing Review, announcements to changes to Probation delivery, managing girls in youth custody, Risk Assessed Recall Reviews, and an analysis of the Average Custodial Sentence Length.
- Parliamentary News: including a number of previous and upcoming oral evidence sessions from the Justice Committee as part of its inquiries into rehabilitation and resettlement and tackling drugs in prisons, the Justice and Home Affairs Committee as part of its prison culture inquiry, the Second Reading Debate of the Crime and Policing Bill, and an upcoming Westminster Hall debate on the prevention of drug deaths.
- Sector Insights: covering a number of HM Inspectorate of Probation and HM Inspectorate of Prisons reports, the Ministry of Justice's Offender Employment and Accommodation Outcome Statistics, several publications relating to youth justice, including findings from Susannah Hancock’s independent review into placements and care for girls in youth custody, and a report on racial disproportionality in violence affecting children and young people.
- Get Involved: featuring calls for evidence from the Ministry of Justice, the Welsh Affairs Committee, HM Inspectorate of Probation and Prison and Probation Ombudsman, plus other upcoming Clinks events.
This month, Clinks held a roundtable with members on the Welsh Affairs Committee’s inquiry ‘Prisons, probation and rehabilitation in Wales’. This session will inform our response to the Committee, due at the end of month. We have also now submitted our response to the Justice Select Committee’s inquiry ‘Tackling drugs in prisons’ and will publish both responses in due course.
Following the announcement of a review into the handling of prison capacity, led by Dame Anne Owers, we have been working with the review team on voluntary sector engagement. We will be holding a series of roundtables, across March and April, that will explore the impact of prison capacity restraints on the ability of prisons to deliver rehabilitative regimes, and the impact on voluntary organisations in delivering services. The sessions have been split into the following areas: remand and reception; people serving long sentences; and resettlement. There will also be a session on the review at March’s quarterly Reducing Reoffending Third Sector Advisory Group (RR3) meeting.
At March’s RR3 meeting, seat holders heard presentations from officials on a range of topics, covering: the Spending Review, the Sentencing Review, the review of the Youth Justice Board, and the Women’s Justice Board. The minutes from this meeting will be published on our website. The RR3 Special Interest Group (SIG) on Community Provision will be publishing its first report – looking at the provision of mental health services for people in contact with the criminal justice system – in the coming weeks. This will be shared across our digital channels.
The Independent Sentencing Review First Report
The Independent Sentencing Review has published its first report, setting out some of the data around the prison population challenges, and giving an explanation of why and how these challenges arrived, while advocating for an alternative approach to 'penal populism' based in all statutory principles of sentencing and public service reform.
Clinks Head of Influence and Communications, Sam Julius, published a blog summarising the key points from this report and highlights that this initial report 'seemingly lays the groundwork for proposing an approach that moves away from penal populism towards an approach focussed on rehabilitation, crime reduction, and alternatives to custody'. The final report and recommendations from the Sentencing Review team are expected in the Spring. You can read the submission Clinks made to the Review on our website.
Analysis of the Average Custodial Sentence Length
The Ministry of Justice published an ad hoc report on the Average Custodial Sentence Length (ACSL) in England and Wales, providing analysis from between 2010 and 2023. It shows that the ACSL has sharply increased over the last decade, rising from 13.7 months in 2010 to 20.9 months in 2023, driven largely by longer sentences for serious offences. The report explores trends by offence type, age group, and gender, showing disparities in sentencing outcomes. It also discusses the factors influencing these changes, including legislative reforms and shifts in judicial practices.
Changes to Probation Delivery
The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Shabana Mahmood, made a written ministerial statement announcing changes to the approach to probation delivery. These include a prioritisation of probation resources towards individuals with a higher risk of harm and reoffending. Plans include:
- Focusing on the completion of Accredited Programmes and interventions for those who have the higher risk
- Increasing staff numbers, with a promise to onboard further 1,300 trainee probation officers next financial year, alongside their existing commitment of bringing on 1,000 by March of this year
- Improving digital tools to reduce the administrative burden on probation officers
- Ensuring probation officers spend more time with an individual immediately after their sentencing or release from prison.
This comes alongside a speech the Lord Chancellor made. Lord Timpson made the same statement to the Lords. Alongside this, the MoJ also issued a press release.
Changes to Risk Assessed Recall Reviews
Clinks published a document summarising the recent changes to Risk Assessed Recall Reviews (RARR), introduced by HMPPS on 17 February 2025. The update aims to ease prison capacity and reduce delays for re-release. A new "Presumptive RARR" policy means eligible recalled prisoners serving standard determinate sentences will be presumed suitable for re-release unless they fail the statutory test.
Changes to Managing Girls in Youth Custody
The Government issued a press release announcing that the practice of placing girls in Youth Offender Institutes (YOIs) will be ended immediately. The Youth Custody Service can place girls in different settings across the youth custody estate including in Secure Children’s Homes, the new secure school, and Oakhill Secure Training Centre.
The permanent barring of the use of YOIs to detain girls sentenced to custody was a key recommendation from Sarah Hancock's independent review into placements and care for girls in youth custody. The findings of the review, commissioned by the Minister for Youth Justice, were published on the same day. Delivering the Best for Girls in Custody highlights key areas such as the suitability of placements, the need for improved support systems, and challenges in managing the specific needs of girls in custody. The report also emphasises the importance of creating safe and supportive environments for young girls, including better integration of gender-specific services and tailored interventions.
Deportation of Foreign Nationals in Prisons
The MoJ issued a press release announcing a £5 million investment in prisons across England and Wales to accelerate the deportation of foreign national offenders (FNOs). The money will fund the deployment of specialist staff in 80 prisons, working with the Home Office to identify and process cases faster. The 82 staff hired through this initiative will be fully operational by 1 April 2025.
HMPPS Annual Digest 2023-24
The HMPPS Annual Digest 2023–24 shows key trends in prisons and probation for the 12-months to March 2024. Prison crowding rose to 23.6%, up from 22.9% in the previous 12-month period, whilst drug, weapon, and phone finds also increased. Protesting behaviours surged, with significant rises in concerted indiscipline and incidents at height. CAS-2 referrals went up 15.7%, with a total of 3,666 referrals, compared with 3,168 referrals made the previous year.
Latest Criminal Justice System Statistics
The latest Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly show a 4% rise in individuals formally dealt with, reaching 1.51 million, for the 12-month period of September 2023 to September 2024. Out of court disposals (OOCDs) increased slightly (1%), with community resolutions rising by 6%, although all other OCCDs continued to fall. Prosecutions and convictions grew by 5% and 4%, with indictable offence prosecutions up 18%. More defendants were remanded in custody, and the average custodial sentence length dropped slightly to 20.1 months, mainly driven by an increase in the shorter custodial sentences for theft offences.
Recent Business
Over the last month, committees have held a number of oral evidence sessions as part of the justice-related inquiries they have been running. On Tuesday 4 February, the Justice and Home Affairs Committee heard oral evidence as part of its inquiry into prison culture. In this session, the Committee heard from a panel of academics, where they discussed the research around the purpose of prisons, international comparisons, and the experiences of people in prison, amongst other things.
The following week, on Tuesday 11 February, the Justice and Home Affairs Committee held another evidence session, as part of the same inquiry. In this session, the Committee heard from officials in HMPPS, including Michelle Jarman-Howe, Chief Operating Officer of Prisons. In this session, questions focussed on topics including the recruitment for prison leadership and officer roles, and learning and appraisals processes for prison staff.
Later in the month, on Tuesday 25 February, the Justice Committee held an oral evidence session as part of its inquiry into tackling drugs in prisons. In this session, the Committee heard from witnesses including HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, Dame Carol Black, who carried out the independent review of drugs for the previous government, Elisabeth Davies, National Chair at Independent Monitoring Boards, and governors from three prisons in England.
In the House of Lords, on Monday 24 February, consideration of the Mental Health Bill continued at Committee Stage, where peers scrutinise the Bill line by line. Amongst other things, this Bill seeks to remove prisons and police stations as places of safety under the Mental Health Act.
Yesterday, on Monday 10 March, the House of Commons debated the new Crime and Policing Bill at Second Reading. All the information and documents relating to this Bill, including the full text, can be found on the Bill page of the UK Parliament website. At this stage, MPs were able to debate the general principles of the Bill, before it moves to be considered line-by-line by the Public Bill Committee. More details about the provisions of this Bill can be found in the briefing prepared by the House of Commons Library, or a summary of key provisions in this letter from the Minister, Alex Davies Jones, to the Chair of the Justice Committee, Andy Slaughter.
Upcoming Business
This morning, Tuesday 11 March, sees Justice Questions take place in the House of Commons. This give an opportunity for backbench MPs, and opposition spokespeople to hold the Lord Chancellor and other Ministers in the MoJ to account by asking questions about their work. Questions will focus on resettlement support for people leaving prison, the use of illegal drugs in prisons, support for women with convictions, increasing prison capacity, and support for probation officers, amongst others.
Also this morning, the Justice and Home Affairs Committee will be hearing oral evidence from voluntary sector organisations as part of its prison culture inquiry. The witnesses for this session will be Helen Berresford, Director of External Engagement at Nacro, and Andrew Neilson, Campaigns Director at The Howard League for Penal Reform.
This afternoon (also on Tuesday 11 March), the Justice Committee will take further oral evidence as part of its inquiry into rehabilitation and resettlement. This session will focus on prison education, with witnesses including Jon Collins, Chief Executive of the Prisoners' Education Trust, Annick Platt, National Operations Director at Novus, and Lee Owston, National Director for Education at Ofsted.
Next week, on Tuesday 18 March, the Justice and Home Affairs Committee will holding another oral evidence session for its prison culture inquiry. Witnesses for this session include Kate Fraser, Head of Practice at Women in Prison.
On Thursday 27 March, Jim Shannon (DUP; Strangford) will lead a debate in Westminster Hall that considers the prevention of drug deaths. This will include a response from a relevant minister. The debate is anticipated to begin at about 1.30pm and conclude at about 3pm.
Probation
HM Inspectorate of Probation published its response to the consultation it held into its proposed thematic inspection and research programmes for 2025-26. This saw the Inspectorate confirm that its thematic inspections for the next year would focus on the following topics:
- safeguarding vulnerable adults known to the Probation Service;
- local strategic partnerships (adults); and
- youth justice services strategic arrangements.
The Inspectorate also announced that, in addition to the three research projects continuing into 2025-26, it will also progress the most positively supported project into partnership working in the Probation Service.
Clinks responded to the Inspectorate’s consultation, and suggested that thematic inspections into local strategic partnerships, and youth justice services strategic arrangements should be priorities. Clinks also identified the research project into partnership working in the Probation Service as a priority from the list provided by the Inspectorate.
HMI Probation published the latest paper in its Academic Insights series, Key components of high-quality child-centred casework in youth justice. The report examines how the most effective youth justice practitioners successfully engage children through building positive relationships, tailoring interventions to individual needs, and focusing on rehabilitation. It outlines that effective casework should consider the child's background, strengths, and challenges, ensuring that the approach is informed by an understanding of their emotional, developmental, and social needs.
HMI Probation published an effective practice guide that highlights successful strategies for recruiting, training, and retaining frontline practitioners. The guide shares examples of best practices, such as providing continuous professional development opportunities and fostering positive team retention. These practices are aimed at improving workforce stability and effectiveness in probation services.
The MoJ published the process evaluation findings of the Electronic Monitoring Licence Variation Project, examining how electronic monitoring (EM) is used to support early release and better manage people in the community. The evaluation looked at how the policy was implemented, its impact on prison capacity, and how it balances public protection with reducing unnecessary incarceration. The project was found to help reduce pressure on prison capacity, although reported inconsistent use of risk management tools and communication gaps between agencies which affected case management.
The MoJ published 2 reports providing findings of the process evaluations for the 12 month+ and 3 to 12 month cohorts of the Acquisitive Crime Project. The projects showed promise in supporting offender management, helping with compliance and deterring reoffending. There were concerns about the practicalities of implementation, including technical issues, limited resources for probation staff, and inconsistent use of data to manage risks effectively.
HMPPS has responded to the HMI Probation thematic inspection of the recruitment, training, and retention of frontline probation staff. The response outlines actions to address staffing shortages, including improvements in recruitment processes, enhanced training programs, and better support for staff retention.
Justice Spending
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) published a report on justice spending in England and Wales in the last 20 years, highlighting that while the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) budget is set to rise to £13.5 billion by 2025–26, this follows severe cuts in the 2010s. Real-terms day-to-day spending will still be 14% lower than in 2007–08. The report warns of potential future cuts, with ‘unprotected’ budgets like justice facing real-terms reductions after 2025.
Accommodation
The Ministry of Justice published the Offender Accommodation Outcomes update to March 2024, showing that 73.5% of people leaving prison were in settled accommodation at 3 months post release from custody, a decrease of 2.1 percentage points from 75.6% in the 2022/23 performance year. Settled accommodation outcomes at 3 months post release are at the lowest level in 2023/24 since the start of the time series in 2020/21. Across all accommodation measures people aged between 30-39 and 40-49 had higher rates of homelessness or rough sleeping. The data also shows a relationship between sentence length and accommodation rates, with individuals on shorter sentences having worse accommodation outcomes.
The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee concluded its short inquiry publishing a letter that sets out its findings and recommendations. It found gaps in support for individuals leaving prisons and hospitals, particularly those at risk of rough sleeping. It recommended collaboration with outreach charities to improve follow-up support and fund interventions. The Committee also called for a review of the rough sleeping annual snapshot, suggesting improvements to capture hidden homelessness and demographic data, particularly regarding recent hospital and prison leavers.
Homeless Link published their submission to the Comprehensive Spending Review 2025, calling for a “reset” in tackling homelessness. They emphasise investing in long-term solutions such as increasing housing supply, funding prevention services, and supporting people with complex needs. The submission highlights the need for cross-government collaboration and sustainable funding to move from short-term crisis responses to proactive, person-centred support.
Employment
The MoJ published the latest Offender Employment Outcomes update, covering data up to March 2024. 19% of people were employed at 6 weeks post release from custody, an increase of 1.9 percentage points from the previous performance year. 31.1% of people were employed at 6 months post release from custody in the year to March 2024, compared with 25.9% in the previous year. The data also highlights ongoing disparities, with employment rates varying by region and offence type.
Women
The HM Inspectorate of Prisons published its thematic inspection report Time to Care: What Helps Women Cope in Prison, highlighting the need for better support for women's mental health and wellbeing in custody. The report reveals significant gaps in support for women, with many struggling with mental health issues, yet staff often lack the training or resources to respond effectively. Access to psychological services is inconsistent, with long waits for therapy or counselling. Despite the importance of family contact, some women face barriers to communication with loved ones. The report also highlights a lack of meaningful activities, leaving women without the structured support needed for rehabilitation.
Alongside this, HMI Prisons also issued a press release summarising some of their key findings, and HM Chief Inspector of Prisons wrote to the Chair of the Justice and Home Affairs Committee highlighting the report.
The Chair of the Justice Committee, Andy Slaughter MP, wrote to Lord Timpson, Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, raising concerns about the treatment of pregnant women in the criminal justice system, particularly regarding their remand status and forced restraints during childbirth. They highlighted the high percentage of pregnant women on remand, with risks to their health and unborn children. The Committee also requested information on instances where women were restrained during medical appointments or childbirth, questioning the adherence to government guidelines and calling for penalties for non-compliance.
Youth Justice
The Youth Justice Board published a report outlining the result of an audit of the standards for children in the justice system. It looks specifically at standard 2: at court, which outlines the minimum expectations for agencies working with children at this stage. The report highlighted the importance of child-centred practices, effective communication, and support during court processes. Gaps were found in inconsistent representation, timely information sharing, and tailored interventions. It noted a very wide disparity in the numbers of children divert from the statutory justice system, even within regions and between services of a similar profile, both within the police and the youth justice services.
The Youth Endowment Fund published a report into racial disproportionality in violence affecting children and young people. It highlights how racially minoritised children often face harsher treatment, from arrest to sentencing, with fewer opportunities for diversion away from the justice system. The report calls for tailored interventions that reflect young people’s cultural backgrounds, more training for staff on anti-racism, and stronger community partnerships to rebuild trust.
The Youth Justice Board (YJB) has published its Knife Crime Insights Pack alongside its annual statistics, highlighting key risk factors for youth involvement in knife crime, such as adverse childhood experiences, social exclusion, and gang affiliation. The YJB recommends reducing knife availability, promoting tailored justice decisions, supporting local violence prevention strategies, and fostering agency collaboration. YJB CEO Stephanie Roberts-Bibby stressed the need for early intervention and support, acknowledging social media and the pandemic's impact on youth violence.
The MoJ published the Youth Remand Concordat, which outlines the roles and responsibilities of agencies involved in youth remand decisions, aiming to reduce unnecessary custodial remands and promote community-based alternatives. It emphasises collaboration between youth justice services, courts, and local authorities to prioritise the welfare of children.
The Children's Commissioner for England published a report on children charged in connection with the 2024 riots. It found many were involved spontaneously, often driven by curiosity, with widespread distrust of the police rooted in negative experiences. Rapid charging and sentencing led to missed opportunities for rehabilitation. The report highlighted disparities in youth justice responses, with limited collaboration between police, CPS, and Youth Justice Services to ensure a child-first approach. The children involved in the report called on the government to tackle poverty and create more opportunities, such as youth activities and jobs, to prevent exploitation and crime.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) updated its youth justice tracker, reviewing UK Government action. It found significant progress only in improving complaints mechanisms for children in detention. Some action was taken in three areas, while no action was found in five key areas — including the age of criminal responsibility, prosecuting children as adults, abuse claims training, remanding children in police custody, and solitary confinement
The Home Office published the Evaluation of the Early Intervention Youth Fund Impact Report, assessing efforts to prevent and reduce youth offending, particularly serous violence. The EIYF funded both universal interventions, like school assemblies, and targeted support for young people involved in criminal activity, including county lines. The report highlights positive outcomes, such as reductions in drug-related and public order offences in areas supported by the fund and better engagement with local services.
The Department for Education, in partnership with the Youth Endowment Foundation commissioned report on the role of key workers in supporting children and young people affected by serious youth violence. It highlights how key workers build trusting relationships, offering tailored support to address trauma, reduce offending, and improve well-being. The report stresses the importance of consistency, trauma-informed practices, and multi-agency collaboration. It also outlines challenges like high caseloads and funding gaps, calling for more investment to strengthen this crucial support system.
The Children’s Commissioner published a report looking at the educational journey of children in secure settings, highlighting the challenges they face, such as disrupted education and lack of tailored support. It calls for more consistent educational provisions and targeted interventions to help children in these settings achieve their academic potential.
Wider Criminal Justice Research
Administrative Data Research UK’s published a report on care-experienced individuals, using administrative data to uncover key insights. The report highlights the poorer life outcomes faced by those with care experience — including lower educational attainment, higher likelihood of contact with the criminal justice system, and worse health outcomes. The report stresses the need for better data sharing between care services and the justice system to identify early intervention opportunities, and calls for policy reforms focused on breaking the link between care experience and criminalisation.
The MoJ published four reports, as part of its Better Outcomes through Linked Data (BOLD) work, looking at homelessness, substance use, and health inequalities. The BOLD programme aims to improve criminal justice outcomes by securely linking and analysing data from across government sources.
Consultations, Inquiries, and Surveys
- The House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee is carrying out an inquiry into prisons, probation, and rehabilitation in Wales. As part of this, the Committee are holding a call for evidence with a deadline of Friday 21 March 2025. The details of the call for evidence and submission portal can be found on the Committee's webpage.
- The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) is running its General Stakeholder Survey for 2024-25. This is looking to gather views about the PPO's performance throughout the year, asking about people's experiences of dealings with the PPO over the last 12 months to help it understand whether or not it is improving. The survey is open until 31 March 2025.
- The Ministry of Justice have opened a consultation into the oversight and regulation of private prosecutions in the criminal justice system. This consultation will also consider aspects of the Single Justice Procedure. The Government has three objectives for this consultation: to establish consistent standards for private prosecutors and hold them accountable for their practices; to ensure sufficient safeguards to justice in the SJP; and to increase confidence in the criminal justice system by improving transparency of private prosecutions. The deadline for responses is Thursday 8 May 2025. The full details of the consultation can be found online, and a summary of some of the key proposals in the accompanying press release.
- HM Inspectorate of Probation are holding a consultation as part of the research they are conducting into how probation services can better learn from those cases where serious further offences have been committed by people under probation supervision or by those who were very recently under probation supervision. The Inspectorate are keen to learn from colleagues in other sectors about their approach to learning from serious incidents, and so have posed some questions they are particularly looking to investigate. Full details about the consultation are on the Inspectorate's website, and the deadline for responses is Friday 30 May 2025.
- The UK Government has launched a consultation on the regulation of supported housing, aiming to strengthen oversight and improve standards for individuals in supported housing (this includes hostels for people experiencing homelessness, and refuges for victims of domestic abuse). The consultation seeks views on plans to introduce a locally led licensing regime for supported housing across England, new National Supported Housing Standards, and changes to Housing Benefit Regulations. The deadline for responses is Thursday 15 May 2025. Full details about the consultation can be found here.
Clinks Events
- Clinks is holding its Art of the Matter in-person event on Wednesday 19 March 2025, at Rich Mix in central London. This sees Clinks Family Network join forces with the National Criminal Justice Arts Alliance Anne Peaker Lecture for an event spotlighting hos organisations offer a creative approach to supporting children and families affected by the criminal justice system. We are delighted that Lord Farmer will deliver our keynote address and we have a fantastic range of panellists that will consider how to inspire action for change. This event has been co-produced by All Things Considered Theatre who will be showcasing their performance '8 Hours There and Back' as part of the event, which examines how a system set up by adults is failing the children, inspired by stories from children themselves. Remaining tickets for this event are available at a cost of £100.
- The next Women's Network Forum takes place online on Wednesday 26 March, from 10:00 to 12:00. It will provide updates following the first meeting of the Women's Justice Board and the publication of the first report form the Independent Sentencing Review. It will also hear about the recently launched Prisons Capacity Review. These quarterly forums are open voluntary organisations who already provide a specific service or project for women in contact with the criminal justice system who are current Clinks members and part the Clinks Women's Network. Please see the event page for full details of the eligibility criteria for attending this event.
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This month's edition was written by...
Clinks Policy and Communications Officer, Bronte Jack, and Specialist Policy Officer, Franklin Barrington
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