Tuesday, 24 October 2017

The Committee welcomes written evidence up to Friday 17 November.I would encourage government agencies and family to put questions to the committee that they want added to the inquiry.

What needs to be done to improve the probation system?

12 October 2017

Accepting written submissions; the deadline is Monday 4 December 2017

Form > http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/justice-committee/inquiries/parliament-2017/prison-population-2022-17-19/commons-written-submission-form/

The Justice Committee has launched an inquiry into the Government’s Transforming Rehabilitation Programme. This will focus on two key questions:

How effective are current Government measures in addressing the challenges facing the probation service?
What more needs to be done in the short term to improve the probation system?

The Committee welcomes written evidence up to Friday 17 November.

Background

The probation system is responsible for supervising, rehabilitating and, where necessary, resettling offenders after or instead of a custodial sentence. In 2014 the Ministry of Justice divided the system into two as part of its Transforming Rehabilitation programme:

the National Probation Service (NPS)—handle high risk offenders (the NPS is a public body); and
Community Rehabilitation Centres (CRCs)—of which there are 21 across England and Wales—handle low and medium risk offenders and services are delivered by private or third sector organisations (eight private organisations run the 21 CRCs).

The Government also introduced a provision in the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 which required that rehabilitation activity be provided to short-sentenced offenders (i.e. those receiving a custodial sentences of 12 months or less).
In 2015, Through-the-Gate was introduced and CRCs were given responsibility to support offenders in the 12 weeks before their release from prison and in the period after their release.

Stated aims

The Government's stated aims for Transforming Rehabilitation included:

Open up the market to diverse service providers in the private, voluntary and social sectors;
Increase innovation by paying providers for delivering reductions in re-offending;
Reduce re-offending for short sentenced prisoners by extending statutory rehabilitation to them;
Provide continuous support via Through-the-Gate.

Comments on Transforming Rehabilitation

Transforming Rehabilitation has attracted criticism since its implementation in reports by the National Audit Office, the Public Accounts Committee, and by HM Chief Inspectors of Probation and Prisons in reports on resettlement services for short term prisoners and for prisoners serving 12 months or more.
Statutory probation for short-sentence prisoners is placing additional strains on the justice system: recalls for licence breaches rose 28% in 2015 from the previous year.

Previous select committee work

The Justice Committee published a Report in January 2014 highlighting many potential problems with the proposed reforms.
It returned to the issue in 2017, with two formal evidence sessions to consider problems and solutions.
It took evidence from HM Inspector of Probation, CRCs, the Probation Institute, trade unions and a range of third sector organisations. This evidence will feed in to this Committee’s inquiry.
In the last Parliament other select committees have raised issues about the provision of support to offenders (see for example, the Report of the Communities and Local Government Committee on Homelessness and the Report of the Work and Pensions Committee on Support for ex-offenders).

Follow the inquiry

Follow the inquiry on Twitter using #TransformingRehabilitation.

Further information

Video

Justice Committee Wednesday 18 October 2017 Meeting started at 9.57am, ended 11.30am Subject:

Work of the Parole Board. Witnesses: Professor Nick Hardwick, Chair, and Martin Jones, Chief Executive Officer, ParolBoard for England and Wales.Witnesses: Sam Gyimah MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Prisons and Probabation, Ministry of Justice

http://parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/d68b1225-3ebe-48cf-aaeb-1c6ba2f0b1e3

Notes
Those writing to David Lidington there is a strict Parliamentary protocol, you may of got a reply saying Lidington is only able to take up cases on behalf of his own constituents. However With this in mind,
If you are not one of Mr Lidington's constituents MP, you can email in his capacity as Secretary of State for Justice & Lord Chancellor.

David's parliamentary office...
David Lidington MP, House of Commons, SW1A 0AA

david.lidington.mp@parliament.uk
020 7219 3432
www.davidlidington.co.uk | Follow David on Twitter @dlidington

Comments

Jamie

Three times I was sent to d cat by the parol board three three times I came back to closed then they released me anyway , pointless.

noen‏

IPP Was introduced for the Most Dangerous?Not young ppl making silly mistakes,As a last resort? Not first resort

marie

That’s correct and government know they was wrong CHANGE IT FOR ALL#

Cook

Just done BBC TV East Midlands on story that police finding men deliberately recalled to jail to take in drugs. Answer is to stop recalls.Resettlement is undoing the damage done by prison, let's follow Scotland & do away with short prison terms & invest in community action

Paul Typical socialist do gooder. They are only recalled if they break conditions of licence, your way we'd have Lawless society !

Lachey as a former prisoner it's disgusting

prison is full of people with disabilities/mental heath etc

https://www.theguardian.com/law/2017/oct/23/videolinks-in-court-trials-undermine-justice-system-says-report?CMP=share_btn_tw

http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/justice-committee/news-parliament-2017/transforming-rehabilitation-news/

IPP Prisoners Familys Campaign

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