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My latest blog posts
On Probation
Probation Union NAPO’s justice priorities

My final policy for the day would be to commission a review of NOMS. Ever since its inception it has been criticised as a bureaucratic, expensive and unnecessary arm of the MOJ. I would be asking senior NOMS managers some difficult questions such as: what does it actually offer? Why do we need it? And if we do, then how can we make it more diverse, more affordable, more accountable to public scrutiny and more efficient?

2nd April 2015
Payment by Results
Social Impact Bonds and Homelessness – 2nd Evaluation

The PbR model appears to be incentivising delivery as intended and there is no evidence of perverse incentives. The ethos of the provider organisations means that they are both committed to continuing support for those who remain on the streets.

1st April 2015
On Probation
The Prison Reform Trust’s priorities for Justice

The UK has one of the largest prison populations in Western Europe and it comes at a significant economic and social cost – not least the high rates of reoffending. This is particularly true for women – with HMP Holloway and HMP Bronzefield being the largest women’s prisons in the EU.

31st March 2015
Alcohol/Drugs/Gambling
What’s happening with cocaine?

The ACMD found that “the majority of users consume cocaine powder relatively infrequently and, even among users, there appears to be a reasonable level of awareness that cocaine powder is not a ‘safe’ drug.”

30th March 2015
Alcohol/Drugs/Gambling
Drugs in Prison

Although it is obvious that the main reason that such large quantities of drugs get into prison is to feed the demand of the many dependent drug users inside, it has long been a significant concern that as many as one in five heroin users took the drug for the first time in custody.

27th March 2015
On Probation
If Jim Brown were Justice Secretary

In times of austerity it becomes more important than ever to acknowledge that safe and decent prisons only come about by listening to staff and inmates. I would seek to dismantle the present MoJ command and control structure and return to a position where Governors have authority to innovate and find local solutions that can improve each regime as they see fit.

26th March 2015
Prison
Justice Committee highly critical of penal policy

The Committee highlights under-resourcing again and says that unless staffing shortages are addressed and the backlog of risk assessments cleared, the new probation providers will be hampered “considerably” in their efforts to provide a better through-the-gate service and reduce reoffending.

25th March 2015
On Probation
The Howard League on Justice priorities

We need more evidence to underpin the decisions made at every level of the criminal justice system, not least of which is sentencing. I would create an institute for evidence-led policy, like the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. Let’s see more use of scientific methodology, such as randomised control trials.

24th March 2015
Policing
How much crime do we solve?

There were six outcomes in the detections framework prior to April 2013, nine from April 2013 to March 2014 and from April 2014 there are a total of 19. This expansion in the number of outcomes follows a public consultation which aimed to make the recording of crime outcomes more transparent and reliable.

23rd March 2015
Infographics
The Modern Bounty Hunter

As the English and Welsh probation service is currently being privatised via the Government’s Transforming Rehabilitation initiative, here is a quick reminder of just how much the criminal justice system is privatised in other parts of the world.

20th March 2015
Policing
Property crime takes its toll

I’m not convinced that harsher penalties are necessarily the most effective response to minor thefts. Even when these offences are committed by an organised crime group, those doing the actual stealing are unlikely to be those making the most profit. However, fully resourced Safer Neighbourhood Teams were, in my opinion, the single most important and effective policing development of the last 40 years – whether full funding can be restored in 2015 does, however, seem unlikely.

19th March 2015
Policing
Why has crime fallen?

New analysis undertaken by the report’s authors idntified the ageing population, changes in income and decreased alcohol consumption as factors reducing crime.A review of past research indicated that consumer confidence and inflation also seem to have contributed to crime reduction.

18th March 2015

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