A joint inspection led by HM Inspectorate of Probation, with HM
Inspectorate of Prisons, has found Offender Management in Custody
(OMiC) is falling well short of expected standards –
calling for the model to be overhauled.
OMiC was introduced by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS),
in 2018, to improve the support offered prisoners as they leave
custody and are reintegrated back into the local community, so as
to reduce their risk of reoffending.
But the inspection found root-to-branch issues with the
model: it is too complex and inflexible, there is a lack of
understanding and implementation, ineffective communication, and
poor outcomes for prisoners.
Chief Inspector of Probation Justin Russell said: “The
Offender Management in Custody model was an ambitious idea to
better support prisoners back into the community. But however
admirable its intentions, it is simply not working.
We found staffing levels at crisis point in some prisons
and probation regions, and levels of pre-release contact with
prisoners that was sufficient to reduce re-offending in only a
third of the cases we inspected. The model must
be reviewed, and overhauled, at the earliest
opportunity.
“Some individuals are leaving custody with no plans for where
they will live, no identification documents and no access to
financial support. Without access to these necessities, which we
all take for granted, prison leavers are at risk of returning to
crime and that is a threat to their local communities, the wider
public, and a drain on resources.”
The main finding from this inspection was that OMiC is a lengthy
and complex process, which neither prison nor probation officers
or prisoners themselves fully understand how to implement.
Furthermore, it is a fixed model that cannot be changed to adapt
to different types of prisons, and this is especially difficult
for local establishments where they have a high turnover of
prisoners.
On a more positive note, the inspection did find that the
transfer of Senior Probation Officers into prisons has helped to
boost communication and develop rehabilitative cultures. However,
regular meetings between keyworkers and prisoners took place in
only 34 per cent of the cases we inspected, with only a slightly
higher number (36 per cent) deemed to be supervised effectively
by their prison-based probation officer. Communication between
prison and probation staff was adequate in just 13 per cent of
cases.
Mr Russell continued: “We spoke to prison and probation staff,
and many told us they are trying to make OMiC work, but it is
over-engineered and not fit for purpose. It is a model that may
have worked in theory but is proving almost impossible to put
into practice. It is understandable that there are tensions
between services, and no surprise they are struggling to
communicate with each other, and prisoners, and that the basics
of the model are not being delivered. It is down to HMPPS to put
this right.”
Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, said: “This extremely
concerning reports shows the extent that OMiC is failing to
achieve the aims for which it was designed. Services for
prisoners remain fractured and sentence progression is often
hampered by a lack of staff in Offender Management Units while
the key work scheme, that was meant to be an integral part of
OMiC, is not providing anything like the support that was
envisaged, with officers being diverted to more general wing
work.”
“The removal of Covid-19 restrictions provides an opportunity to
look at this again and strengthen the way prisons and probation
work together to help individuals to transform their lives and to
better protect the public. We have made several recommendations,
including a fundamental review of the role of probation Prison
Offender Managers, that, if followed, I hope will help both
prisons and probation to better achieve this aim.”
A summary of the findings from this inspection are as follows:
- We found shortfalls in public protection work, information
sharing, and relationship building between prison staff,
probation workers and prisoners.
- There is a distinct culture of two organisations, one prison
and one probation, and joint working at a strategic and
operational level is hampered by prison groups and probation
regions being based in different geographical areas.
- Some keyworkers are providing valuable support, but the needs
of prisoners in different types of establishment are not always
catered for, and this causes problems on their release from
prison.
- Some prisoners were being released without resettlement
services being in place, made worse by probation unification and
Covid-19.
- Successful implementation of OMiC requires a ‘rehabilitative
culture’ in prisons, where there is space on prison wings for
one-to-one interventions with prisoners to promote their
rehabilitation, and this is not commonplace.
- Staff shortages are high in some regions, and this undermines
the delivery of a high-quality service and keywork does not join
up with offender management often enough.
