Crime cutting courts to target prolific offending hotspots

• Tough Texas-style courts to be rolled out across the country
• Less serious offenders to be strictly monitored by judges or risk returning to prison
• New sites to target communities tormented by prolific offending and make streets safer, as part of Plan for Change

Communities blighted by prolific offenders will be better protected as part of an expansion of revolutionary new courts aimed at cutting less serious crime.   

The expansion of the Intensive Supervision Courts – which are based on tough Texas-style punishment – builds on Plans for Change aims to tackle the root causes of criminal behaviour and slash reoffending.  

This will see offenders found guilty of committing crimes such as theft while facing issues like addiction or trauma attend necessary treatments and regularly appear before the same judge who can track their behaviour. Those who fail to attend will face tough consequences including time in prison.

This crime-cutting model, will target communities tormented by prolific offending and will combine strict judicial oversight with tailored support, led by the Probation Service.    

These tough community sentences have seen positive results in reducing reoffending across the world, with countries using this model seeing further arrests cut by a third compared to people on a standard sentence. 

The announcement follows the Lord Chancellor's record £700m investment in the Probation Service and is the first measure to be rolled out by the Government in response to David Gauke's Independent Sentencing Review, which recommended further use of the crime cutting courts.  

The Lord Chancellor and former Justice Secretary David Gauke visited Texas in February to see first-hand how its expansion of problem-solving courts had helped drive a significant reduction in the prison estate and a 25% drop in drug charges over a 15-year period. 

Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending Minister, Lord Timpson said:  

“Drug and alcohol addiction fuels much of the crime we see, and we won't cut crime until repeat offenders face up to their behaviour.   

“Intensive Supervision Courts demand more than a short prison stay; they demand real work. As part of our Plan for Change, we are increasing the number of these courts, which will see prolific offenders doing the hard work to turn their lives around under vigorous supervision and held accountable for their actions.” 

The expansion builds on the success of four existing pilots, in Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool and Teesside which have seen more than 200 offenders receive tough supervision in a bid to help them leave behind a life of crime.  

A recent evaluation of the pilot scheme showed offenders with significant addiction issues received a clean drug test two-thirds of the time and were only sanctioned for bad behaviour less than a quarter of the time, clear evidence that the model is working.  

Additionally, probation staff, the judiciary and local services like drug treatment providers have reported that offenders' drug and alcohol use has reduced and those requiring help with their mental health were now receiving the right support to help cut their offending.    

Commenting on the expansion, Pavan Dhaliwal, Chief Executive of Revolving Doors said:    

“Intensive Supervision Courts offer the opportunity to tackle the unmet health and social needs that trap people in the revolving door of reoffending and instead divert people into the support they need.  

“There is promising evidence of such success in the existing pilot areas, so a further expansion of ISCs is a welcome step towards the wraparound support which is key to tackling the root causes of offending and breaking the cycle of crisis and crime.”  

Revolving Doors is a national charity dedicated to breaking the cycle of crime, they contributed to the evaluation report on Intensive Supervision Courts. 

The £700 million pledge for the Probation Service, an almost 45% increase in funding, will support the expansion of these courts and see tens of thousands more offenders can be tagged and monitored in the community.    

ENDS 

NOTES TO EDITORS 

• In the 1990s and early 2000s, Texas faced similar challenges to the UK, with a soaring prison population. 
• In 2007, Problem Solving Courts were introduced as part of a $2 billion (£1.6 billion) package of reforms to the tackle the state's prison overcrowding crisis.  
• These courts provide enhanced community sentences, with different specialities including drug courts, mental health courts, domestic violence courts and veteran courts.  
• Prior to the reforms, the prison population was at 153,000. However, Texas' rollout out of justice measures saw the population fall to around 130,000, and saw crime fall by 29%, the lowest level since 1968.  
• Additionally, reincarceration rates fell to 20.3% within three years of release, a fraction of those in the rest of the United States (68%). 
• A US study confirmed that drug charges were down 25% and nationwide evidence showed 72% of offenders did not reoffend within two years of release. 
• These courts are now an essential component of Texas' justice system and currently has 3,000 drug courts in use.  
• Further international evidence points to the success of the problem-solving courts approach, noting it led to an overall 33% reduction in arrests.