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On Probation
Unpaid work irrelevant to broader probation supervision

Unpaid work has always been the Cinderella department of probation work – doing valuable work but under-valued and rarely fully integrated into the mainstream of offender management. It appears that the changes brought in by Transforming Rehabilitation are reinforcing this trend.

On Probation
New probation still undermined by information sharing problems

Although this is a coherent strategy, many remain disappointed that there has yet been little focus on the quality of work being delivered or on the progress of the new Through the Gate (TTG) resettlement services to short-term prisoners.

Alcohol/Drugs/Gambling
Helping people with alcohol, drug & mental health issues

My experience in the UK is that despite repeated initiatives, the quality of co-ordinated treatment for those with alcohol and/or drug problems and mental health disorders varies markedly from area to area.

Payment by Results
Payment by results is not a free lunch

There’s no free lunch. Yet across the country, advocates of Pay for Success (PFS), or Social Impact Bonds (SIBs), serve up this alternative private financing model as a cost-free, risk-free silver bullet to support critical, yet underfunded, public services.

Digital Engagement
Unlocking offenders’ doors to employment

Since they are 10 million individuals in the UK with a criminal record, employers need to think twice before excluding such a large proportion of potential new recruits.

Policing
Is car theft a thing of the past?

Why is the technology to overcome electronic immobilisers (in existence and available for some years now) not widely used by car thieves?

Prison
Why we need prison mother and baby units

With the closure of some Mother and Baby Units and others under threat, the future for mothers and babies in prison is uncertain and the options for many women in prison, particularly those serving longer sentences, to keep their families together remain extremely limited.

Prison
Deep custody: the dangers of prison segregation

Segregation units and close supervision centres are complex places, where some of the prison’s most challenging individuals are confined alongside some of its most vulnerable people, within a small, enclosed space.

Criminal Justice
Police Commissioners spotlight earlier intervention & prevention

In an era of falling public spending, prevention and early intervention are a growing focus for policymakers. With significant cuts to policing budgets in recent years, police leaders in particular have needed to think about how they can move ‘upstream’ to reduce demand.

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