Terms of reference

The Committee published its terms of reference which identifies the seven areas on which it encourages interested organisations and individuals to submit written evidence. The seven areas are divided into three sections: government measures; short-term changes & the the future of probation services.

Government measures

1. To what extent do the steps taken by the Government address the issues facing probation services?

(a) What contractual, financial and administrative changes did the Government introduce for CRCs in July 2017 as a result of their internal review of Transforming Rehabilitation? What has been the effect of these changes on the delivery of probation services?

(b) Are strengthening inspection standards and creating joint performance measures (between probation services and prisons) the best ways of improving performance?

(c) What should be the Government’s priorities to improve work between departments on the delivery of services needed for effective rehabilitation?

2. What impact have the reforms had on: i) sentencing behaviour, ii) recalls to prison, and iii) serious further offences?
3. How effective have Government measures been in addressing issues arising from the division of responsibility between the NPS and CRCs in the delivery of probation services?
4. What else should the Government do to address the issues facing probation services?

Short-term changes

5. How can the Through-the-Gate provision be improved so that prisoners get the right help before their release from prison and afterwards?
6. What can be done to increase voluntary sector involvement in the delivery of probation services?

The future of probation services

7. When should there be a review of the future of the Transforming Rehabilitation model and the long-term plan for delivering probation services?

Submitting written evidence

The deadline for written submissions to be made is Friday 17 November 2017.

Written submissions should be made via the web portal.

Submissions need not address every aspect of the terms of reference and should be no longer than 3,000 words.

The Committee values diversity and seeks to ensure this where possible, it encourages members of underrepresented groups to submit written evidence.

Background

If you would like more information about Transforming Rehabilitation, please check out my TR resource pack.

If you would like to see how the new probation system has been performing so far, please see my infographic which summarises the first 14 area inspections by HMI Probation.

Follow the inquiry

You can keep up with the Inquiry via the official parliament web-page

You can also follow the Commons Justice Committee on Twitter @Commons Justice and keep up with news on the inquiry using the hashtag #TransformingRehabilitation.