New research published today by the Victims’ Commissioner, Dame Vera Baird QC, brings into sharp focus the impact online abuse has on its victims. The findings come as the government’s Online Safety Bill, which promises to make the UK “the safest place in the world to be online”, is set… Work with offenders looks at new research from the Victims’ Commissioner...
Richard Brice left prison “ambitious for social change”, and was the driving force behind Clean Slate Solutions, a Teesside charity which aims to bridge the gap between prison leavers and employers. Following his release, he has gone on to help other prison leavers secure employment, with one of his first… After struggling with addiction, poor decisions, loan sharks and gambling, Richard Brice found himself facing a two year jail sentence. Having served eight months inside, he came out with a desire to help other offenders. ...
In recent years, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation has extended its role and become a major contributor to the evidence base which underpins modern probation work through a number of approaches. One of its most valuable is the “Academic Insights” series in which the inspectorate commissions leading academics to present… Work with offenders on the latest Academic Insight from the probation inspectorate...
Yesterday the Ministry of Justice published the electronic monitoring statistics for the most recent financial year; for the first time putting all the different data about different forms of tagging in one place. There are now a number of different tags in place: the basic tag used to enforce curfews,… Work with offenders on the latest electronic monitoring figures...
Today’s inspection report into the state of affairs at Winchester prison makes for dismal reading. The prison is one of our older Victorian ones (built in 1849) and held just under 500 prisoners when the inspectors made their unannounced inspection in February this year. The most worrying finding was that… Work with offenders on an inspection of HMP Winchester...
The government has today published draft legislation which it says will pave the way for the first ever Victims’ Law. Advocates for victims, including the Victims’ Commissioner Dame Vera Baird, have long called for victims’ rights to be enshrined in law, saying that only then will victims’ experiences of the… Work with offenders on today’s draft legislation...
The Ministry of Justice has finally announced the location of the first Residential Women’s Centre. Swansea will be the site of the first centre which is intended to be the centrepiece of the female offender strategy which aims to send fewer women to prison and provide more holistic support in… Work with offenders on long overdue progress with the female offender strategy...
Launched in 2015, Durham’s Checkpoint scheme presented an alternative way of looking at out of court disposals and preventing re-offending. Described as an “adult diversion scheme”, it’s a four-month long offender management programme, which gives those who have committed eligible offences the opportunity to take an alternative to prosecution and… Durham’s Checkpoint scheme has received praise from the government and is beginning to be adopted by other forces. ...
The report from the House of Commons Education Select Committee highlights the cracks in what it calls a “clunky, chaotic, disjointed system” which does not value education as the key to rehabilitation. The MPs highlight the fact that a sub-standard system has recently deteriorated drastically, accelerated by the difficulties of… Work with offenders on last week's MPs’ report...
Yesterday the Ministry of Justice issued a press release praising the effectiveness of the “cutting edge” X-ray body scanners (XRBS) which are now in all 74 closed adult male prisons. XRBS were installed in staggered waves over 15 months, with the first wave beginning in July 2020. 51 sites were… Work with offenders on the latest statistics....