Wednesday 9 October 2013

Conference Special

May I take this opportunity of welcoming to London all the international delegates attending the 13th World Congress of Probation. No doubt many of you will have enjoyed an historic visit to see the work of the London Probation Trust yesterday.

I say historic because you will soon become aware that the United Kingdom government have taken the extraordinary decision to abolish the London Probation Trust from April next year, along with all the other Trusts that cover the rest of England and Wales. The majority of the work will be privatised and handed over to global corporations with suspect backgrounds such as G4S. 

The minister responsible, the Rt Hon Christopher Grayling MP, Lord Chancellor and Minister of Justice will be addressing you later today, and I sincerely hope many of you will find the opportunity to question this unique decision, which flies in the face of custom and practice throughout the rest of the world.

It should be noted that this policy is being imposed in the face of widespread derision and opposition, without any evidential basis and significantly does not include Scotland or Northern Ireland. Although 'Transforming Rehabilitation' is being 'spun' by the government as being all about ensuring improving outcomes, it's actually driven by an ideological desire to shrink the size of the public sector and hopefully save money.  

To mark the start of the conference, criminal justice academic and researcher Rob Allen has also penned a special conference blog highlighting what dangerous consequences can flow from cost-cutting within the criminal justice system. He cites the damning recent report into brand new HMP Oakwood, a prison operated by G4S and one of the global companies expected to end up running much of probation here in England and Wales from 2015.

According to the inspector's report, it is easier to obtain drugs than soap at the prison due to cost-saving by G4S. This BBC news report catalogues the main failings identified:-  

  • High drug usage and poor management of drug supply and demand
  • Health provision "very poor" and "chaotic" management of medication
  • Standards of teaching were poor
  • Too many prisoners felt unsafe and levels of violence and victimisation were high
  • Levels of self-harm were also high
  • Frustration common among inmates who said they routinely resorted to the complaints system to address issues
  • The care needs of some prisoners with disabilities were not met
  • Access to basic cleaning and toiletry items was poor, with one obese inmate saying he had insufficient clothing to enable him to leave his cell during association time
  • Amount of time spent out of cells was good for employed inmates, but not for those unemployed
  • Prison staff were often inexperienced and failed to deal with poor behaviour in an attempt to avoid confrontation
  • Inspectors said staff were sometimes "passive and compliant, almost to the point of collusion"
Rob Allen concludes his piece thus:-

Safety, reliability, and respect may not sound as significant as innovation but they are as important in probation work as in prisons.The Oakwood report should be a wake up call not only about plans for large scale super prisons but the privatisation of probation too. The Justice Secretary should use his speech at the Congress to call a halt while a proper evaluation of his policies is undertaken. 

Opposition to these plans is widespread and not just amongst many politicians, practitioners, and academics, but significantly informed service users and clients as well. Here is someone writing in the Independent newspaper about their recent experience of custody and what the privatisation of probation within prison is like:-


Putting “transformed” probation services into this context, my situation veered from unfortunate to catastrophic. Approaching release, my rehabilitation issues were evident. I was bankrupt, without accommodation, possessions subject to confiscation proceedings; even access to my only child was subject to my release on temporary licence. I urgently needed internal probation assistance in order to plan an existence.
In the event, it was three months before I met my probation “supervisor” (not “officers” in the new regime), on a career direction from the financial services industry, who provided minimal practical assistance, concentrating on reassessing my offender risk by reference to Google – an assessment that was subsequently destroyed by my local probation trust on my eventual release because of its partisan irrelevance.
Formerly a 50% tax payer without experience of state benefits, I was told – and believed – that I was ineligible for income support and housing benefit.  Assisting me in opening a bank account was “too difficult.”
Delegates should be in no doubt that feelings are running high here about the wanton destruction of a 107-year old world class public service. Probation staff from all over the country will today be lobbying their MP's just up the road from the QEII conference centre at the Palace of Westminster. 

Their union Napo is currently conducting a ballot of members on the issue of industrial action which may include the very drastic step of striking. There may be union members outside the conference centre and they will be happy to explain to delegates what is really going on here in the host country and before you hear from the minister later on. 

For the sake of a profession we all care passionately about, please take the opportunity of this World Congress to ask some searching questions about the reasons for our government wanting to destroy it. Thankyou.           

12 comments:

  1. Excellent - spot on - thanks Jim. Maybe some reactions will appear here from delegates or via Twitter where the hash tag #wcp13 is recommended.

    To go straight there: - https://twitter.com/search?src=typd&q=%23wcp13

    It might not quite take you straight to Twitter unless you already have an account but I am sure you can set up an account from that link.

    I became active on Twitter when my curiosity about what was really happening in the UK street disturbances of the summer of 2011 overtook me and I wanted to know more than was coming out from the other media.

    My use of Twitter has moved on somewhat since then, by 'Following' those who reference #probation and #transformingrehabilitation and #napo and searching with those terms most days, it seems possible to more or less keep up with news from all over the place. However, it is not only in the UK that #probation and #napo is used and one gets some interesting if unexpected results from some searches!

    Andrew Hatton

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  2. The Independent:-Hundreds of criminals including knife crime, spared jail under coalition.

    I'm not sure what I make of this article, but it's bound to mean more paperwork on Chris Graylings desk, and it's statistics that he can't pin on Labour. He can't be to happy.

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  3. FROM TWITTER: -
    - - - - - - - - - - - - -

    @m_s_quinn

    Looks like Chief Exec's for CRCs have been announced this afternoon - be interesting to see the outcome #napo
    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

    Now some folk will be outed

    Andrew Hatton

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    1. You get the heads up quick on twitter, but 'probation news uk' often gives you a more in depth and localised opinion of events as it as it brings all uk probation local paper stories together in one place.
      You're no doubt already aware of that but it may be of interest or use to someone?

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    2. No I don't know about 'probation news uk' I tried searching with it but did not get anything much - perhaps I am misunderstanding - it would not be the first time.

      I see via Twitter The Merseyside CEO is rumoured to becoming a CRC CEO and it is suggested the news will be announced via the individual Probation Trusts.

      Andrew Hatton

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    3. Already a done deal some days ago!

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  4. Yesterday it was reported that 50% of interest expressed in obtaining probation work came from charities.
    Today 'THE VOID', posted an article relating to the involvement of charities with the work programme. There is of course a bias found in this article, but it does actually, behind the bias, raise some very serious issues, not at least conflicts of interest. I feel charities should really sit back and think TR through a bit more before jumping in with both feet!

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    1. Very interesting article highlighting a worrying degree of hypocrisy.

      http://johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2013/10/09/ymca-attempt-workfare-whitewash/

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  5. I do worry about the capacity for the charities to be used and abused in this process eg providing the ethical front for the primes to harvest the justice system. It always comes back to the basic truth that the best organisation to deliver probation services is errrr the probation service !

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    1. I confess to not understanding the social possition of charities anymore. Does anyone-even Bubb?

      http://www.spearswms.com/spears-world/salon/gift-aid/50192/charities-need-to-stick-up-for-themselves.thtml

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  6. Ever wonder how far polititions will go to put their failings on someone elses shoulders or some other group?
    Well, yesterday Owen Paterson Enviornment Secetary was asked why the badger cull appeared to be failing. His reply?
    "The badgers have moved the goalposts".
    Obviously no-one told the badgers that we're all in this together.
    http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24459424

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    Replies
    1. Yes looks like those cunning badgers are giving the gunmen the run around - 'badgers moving goal posts' got to feature on 'Have I Got News For You' Friday night hasn't it?

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