Latest Blog Posts

Police countdown to Christmas with #Badvent calendars
ottinghamshire Police – @nottspolice – went in a different direction entirely. Their online advent calendar replaces the daily chocolate with the picture of a “most wanted” local criminal. Originally termed the #Badvent Calendar, it was renamed the “Festive Crime Calendar”. It’s still a strong contender for my hashtag of the year award.

What do we know about the new Probation Institute?
The partner organisations have produced a Prospectus for the Institute which sets out their initial thoughts on the purpose of the organisation, its stakeholders, scope and priorities and an implementation plan and timetable. This prospectus sets out six key objectives for the Institute: 1) Providing professional leadership, enhancing the professional status of the sector

Drug treatment helps recovery but is not enough on its own
Measuring drug recovery is problematic, to say the least. Recovery from drug dependence is, like desistance from crime, rarely a linear process and typically includes lapse and relapse over many years. Different people choose different recovery goals: some people remain abstinent from all substances for life; others continue to use occasionally; or replace drug dependence with a reliance on alcohol.

A social justice model of neighbourhood policing
One of the distinguishing features of Policing for a Better Britain is the report’s emphasis that the role of the police is much more than crime fighting. The report argues that policing has suffered from being a political football with policy emphasis swinging between crime control and service. The report’s authors, the Independent Policing Commission, sets out its view that the mission of the police should be to:

Chiefs say no need to reinvent probation
While welcoming the acknowledgement that rehabilitation is key to reducing reoffending, Savas argues that there is no need to reinvent probation, especially when probation trusts have been performing at such a high level. He points out the risks of moving away from a local system to a national one and sees the new Institute of Probation as being key to ensuring that probation staff remain a highly skilled workforce.

The Latest on Justice Reinvestment
A proper assessment will have to wait until we have more details but these figures do suggest that Payment by Results may be a more successful approach when savings are shared between government and providers with an explicit understanding that providers will reinvest their success payments rather than merely pass them on to shareholders.
Employ Russell
Russell has over 20 years’ experience as a researcher and consultant specialising in substance misuse and crime.
Prison, probation, police, substance misuse, commissioning & payment by results.
Keep up-to-date with drugs & Crime
Explore > 2,000 blog posts
Browse by category
Alcohol/Drugs/Gambling
The latest research, policy & practice in addictions.
Probation
The latest developments in probation reform & practice.
Prison
Can prison service get back to providing a positive regime?
Criminal Justice
Latest crime stats, plus developments on courts, diversion etc.
Policing
How are the police adapting to cybercrime & demands of policing in 21st century?
Innovation
The newest digital technology, latest apps and much more
client feedback
Testimonials



