Asked by
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to
prevent criminals who have been released under the prisoner early
release scheme from reoffending.
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice () (Lab)
After inheriting a prison system on the brink of collapse, we had
no choice but to introduce emergency measures, releasing some
prisoners a few weeks or months early. Unlike the end of custody
supervised licence scheme, or ECSL, introduced by the last
Government, SDS40 had an implementation period that allowed
prison and probation staff properly to prepare for release,
helping us to reduce the risk of reoffending. Planning for
release includes having temporary accommodation for those at risk
of homelessness; access to employment; and continuity of mental
health and substance misuse provision. Those released under SDS40
will also be subject to strict licence conditions. If offenders
break those conditions or commit further crimes, they will be
punished and could be immediately recalled to prison.
(Con)
I thank the Minister for his Answer and welcome him to Question
Time. More than 3,000 prisoners serving terms of more than four
years for serious offences are due to be released this week,
starting from tomorrow. Martin Jones, the Chief Inspector of
Probation, told the BBC that it was a certainty that around
one-third would reoffend. Of those released in the first batch in
September, how many have been recalled to date in connection with
a subsequent suspected offence of violence?
(Lab)
We do not yet have all the exact figures but, when they are
verified, we will publish them in the normal way. However, the
noble Lord is correct that we have inherited a system that is
very difficult, in which far too many people are recalled. For
the second SDS40 stage, we are as ready as we can be. Victim
contact data is very reassuring but, as in a lot of areas that we
are dealing with in respect of full prisons, it is not as
straightforward as I would like.
(CB)
My Lords, given the number of prisoners who become dependent on
drugs before, during or after leaving prison, what steps will the
Government take to ensure that better treatment, and
psychological treatment in particular, is available to them,
whether they are released early or at the normal time?
(Lab)
I thank the noble Lord for the question. Some 49% of prisoners
have drug misuse problems. It is clear that those who go into
prison drug free sometimes come out addicted to drugs. Drug-free
wings and other NHS and support services are vital; they work—but
they also need to work when people leave prison too. With the
SDS40, we have had more time to plan these releases. While eight
weeks is not perfect, it is far better than the previous early
release scheme—so we are confident that these links are there and
are working. One thing that I am confident of, having been around
prisons for so long, is that, when you have prisons that are so
full, it is difficult to make everything work as well as it
should do.
(Lab)
My Lords, does the Minister agree that under the last Government,
we saw the decimation of the Probation Service, putting the
public at risk? How long does he think it will take to repair the
damage done by the last Government?
(Lab)
The noble Lord is correct that probation is under a lot of
pressure and our probation colleagues do an amazing job in these
difficult situations. I have been fortunate to spend a lot of
time since I have taken on this role visiting probation staff
around the country, and although we are recruiting an extra 1,000
probation staff by March next year—that is on track and going
well—it takes time to train people and for them to gain
experience, because much of their role is about relationship
building and understanding the challenges that offenders
face.
(LD)
My Lords, one way in which the prison population could be reduced
would be to deal with prisoners on remand, who are one in five of
all prisoners at the moment. They do not have any access to
meaningful activity, and we need to move the process along by
which they have their cases heard. Can the Minister tell the
House what steps have been taken to reduce the remand population
and when we are likely to see that reduction taking effect?
(Lab)
I am afraid I would not want to put a date on when things are
going to change, but I assure the noble Lord that the remand
population of 17,000 is far too high. He is right that a number
of prisoners who are on remand do not engage as well as they
should in all the opportunities they have to turn their lives
around—for example, education and purposeful activity. Changing
magistrates' sentencing powers to 12 months will free up Crown
Court time to reduce the backlog, and this will reduce time spent
on remand.
(Con)
My Lords, what help is being offered to families who experience
difficulties when a prisoner returns home earlier than expected?
Is the Minister familiar with the prison-based family hub that
Spurgeons is running in HMP Winchester? This connects families
with a full range of support local to their homes and works with
them in full respect and recognition that they are often the most
effective front-line rehabilitation asset in released and serving
prisoners' lives.
(Lab)
I thank the noble Lord, , for his question and for the
incredible work he has done over many years in this area. One of
the benefits of SDS40 is that it provides an opportunity to plan
for release, compared to the previous ECSL scheme. Strengthening
family ties remains a focus of the Ministry of Justice and HMPPS,
and we are working with our partners to deliver a service that
helps families and loved ones build and maintain positive
relationships, including those released earlier than they would
previously have been. For example, our family support workers
help to re-establish family ties where appropriate and,
critically, help to facilitate visits from prisoners' children. I
am hugely grateful for the work of Spurgeons and of the many
charities and volunteers whose dedication helps prison leavers
resettle into society, supporting them and their families at such
critical times. The hub it runs at HMP Winchester is an excellent
example of this.
(Lab)
My Lords, I declare my interests as in the register. Does the
Minister agree that to help address reoffending, wherever
possible prisoners should have access to the excellent NHS
Reconnect service in advance of release? This tries to address
continuity of care for people with mental health and related
conditions as they return from prison into the community.
(Lab)
I thank my noble friend for that question. He is completely right
that continuation of care through NHS Reconnect is so important.
In my office about two hours ago, we were having a meeting on
this exact subject. I was fortunate to spend two days working in
HMP Preston, following the officers around, and it was very clear
to me that there were a lot of men in that prison who were very
ill and that what they needed was the care of our fantastic NHS
colleagues.
(CB)
My Lords, does the Minister agree that the Probation Service
needs all the help it can get to focus entirely on preventing
further criminal acts by people who have been discharged from
prison? Somehow the Probation Service seems to have lost some of
its sharp focus on that, and preventing recidivism should be its
key task.
(Lab)
When 80% of offending is reoffending, something is clearly not
working. I will give the noble Lord an example. When I was
opening a probation delivery unit in Preston, there was a man
standing outside with a sleeping bag around his neck. It was very
clear that if he was to spend the night on a park bench, he was
probably going to reoffend straightaway. There is an awful lot of
work to do, but the focus needs to be on addressing people's
mental health, their addiction, accommodation and employment
needs.
(Con)
The highest cohort of reoffenders is 15 to 17 year-olds, with
temporary accommodation the main barrier to supporting them. What
targeted interventions will the Government consider to alleviate
this barrier for that group of very young people?
(Lab)
Accommodation is a big driver in cutting reoffending. Having been
brought up in a home full of foster children, I am well aware of
the problems of accommodation. It needs not just to be decent
accommodation; it needs to be accommodation where their needs are
understood, and they have the opportunity to receive care and
kindness from experts who understand the challenging difficulties
these young people have—especially around issues of attachment
and mental health.
