This House of Lords Library Briefing has been prepared in advance of the debate due to take place on 3 October 2019 on the motion moved by Lord Ramsbotham (Crossbench) “that this House takes note of the case for reforming the management and treatment of offenders in prison and the community”.
Managing Offenders: A New Model of Probation (360 KB , PDF)
There are over 250,000 people under the supervision of probation services at any one time. Under current policy, professionals provide rehabilitative probation services to all prisoners; this starts twelve weeks before their release, with supervision in the community continuing for twelve months after release. While on probation, individuals may have to:
Since 2014, two services have managed offenders on probation:
However, the Government has recently announced plans to reform the probation system. The plans propose a new model of probation services in England and Wales, where the NPS would be responsible for managing all offenders on a community order or license, including those currently managed by CRCs.
This briefing considers on the Government’s recent announcement. It focuses on the probation system in England and Wales and outlines: plans for the proposed system; the history of the current system; and criticisms it received. It also includes statistics relating to probation and re-offending. Information on conditions in prisons is set out in further reading.
Managing Offenders: A New Model of Probation (360 KB , PDF)
The Conservative government set an expectation that civil servants spend at least 60% of their working week at a government building or on official business. The Labour government has maintained this expectation due to the “clear benefits of face-to-face working”. Some civil servants have raised concerns about the 60% office attendance mandate, including civil servants in HM Land Registry who have recently voted in favour of strike action.
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill would introduce requirements on those responsible for certain publicly accessible premises and events to implement measures in the event of a terrorist attack. It would also require certain larger premises and events to take steps to reduce their vulnerability to terrorist attacks.
Imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences were indeterminate sentences given to serious offenders who posed a significant risk of serious harm to the public. Although it is over a decade since they were abolished, more than 2,000 people are still in prison serving an IPP sentence. The Labour government has said it would not conduct a resentencing exercise but has said it would continue its efforts in supporting those in custody to reduce their risk and move towards a safe and sustainable release.
