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)
UK prime ministers may draw up a resignation honours list on their departure from office, in which they may request that the reigning monarch grant honours to any number of people. Such honours may include peerages, knighthoods and damehoods, or other awards. However, not all have chosen to draw up such a list. This briefing lists those prime ministers who have requested that peerages be conferred on their departure from office.
The House of Lords Constitution Committee has re-examined relations between the UK government and devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland following the introduction of new intergovernmental relations structures in January 2022 and its own earlier inquiry on the subject. In a report published in September 2024, the committee urged the government to add a new principle of positive engagement to the principles underpinning the new structures.
In November 2024, the House of Lords Statutory Inquiries Committee published a report examining public inquiries established under the Inquiries Act 2005. While recognising their positive impact, the committee criticised elements of the public inquiry system, such as governments failing to implement agreed inquiry recommendations. To address this, the committee proposed several reforms, including the formation of a parliamentary committee to oversee inquiries and ensure government accountability for implementing recommendations.
