Help Requested
I wonder if I could appeal for assistance in relation to these recent requests? The first concerns a contribution reposted this morning from a couple of days ago:-
"A solicitor has just successfully argued for a custodial sentence because due to his client currently being on remand, if he were to get a CO/SSO then he would not be eligible to the £46. Magistrates decided to sentence to 28 days custody saying the case was 'very interesting'. This is ridiculous - had he been given the CO/SSO he'd have still got exactly the same support as he will upon release - only thing missing would've been the £46 - oh and we would not have had to pay for his incarceration."
It would be enormously helpful if any person knowing the details of the case could contact me in confidence please. The second request is in relation to a young person interested in probation, as follows:-
"I am 18 years old, and I am currently a careers coach for Future Frontiers.
Future Frontiers is an organisation that employs students to work with young disadvantaged children in secondary schools as careers coaches. The aim of Future Frontiers is to equip disadvantaged young people with the information, skills and mindsets to be able to realise their career aspirations and maintain the motivation to achieve their full potential. I was lucky enough to be paired with an amazing young girl in a school called Xxxx Xxxxxx in Xxxxxxxxxxx, London. After working with her over the past 4 weeks, she has decided to pursue a career in Probation and Law.
I have been looking for a professional probation officer or counsellor that has plenty of knowledge and love for their job, to speak to her. I was wondering if you would mind being involved in a brief interview with her over Skype? She would just like to ask you a few questions about the profession. The Skype interview should last only about 15-20 mins on the 27th April 15:05-15:45, or if that day is not possible, 11th May between 15:05-15:45."
The timings could prove problematic, but it just might prove possible for some enthusiastic colleague and I can put you in touch. In both cases, my contact details can be found on the profile page. Thanks.
Seems to be anomalies in sentencing. No surprise as magistrates are generally butchers, bakers and candlestick makers. I recently read a similar case where an offender argued for custody to complete a vocational course inside. He was unsuccessful in his bid. Whether to complete a course or to gain a discharged grant these are not the remit for basing sentencing decisions. I suspect in the case mentioned there was a fine line between custody and community sentence and so the discharge grant was mentioned as an additional factor to swing it that way.
ReplyDeleteTo the aspiring future trainee probation officer I'd suggest an alternative career. Maybe an idea to train in social work, forensic mental health or law instead. She could always look at ways to move over to probation in the future if it stabilises, particularly if social work trained.
Just spotted this but can't get access, can anyone help?
ReplyDeletePolice Oracle-2 hours agoPrivate companies who runprobation services could see their new contracts axed if Labour win the General Election ...
A cunning site that won't allow copy and paste! The gist though is Sadiq Khan says 'We'll pore over all the 10 contracts and see if there is a way out of them." Hardly reassuring.....
DeleteAside from the 'poison pill' clauses in the 10-year contracts which would incur penalties of 3-400m payable to the contractor for cancellation, there is no political will in the Labour Party to end the contracts early.
DeleteAt a Progress conference, in May last year, Lord Wood, a Miliband aide, said "more imagination" was required to improve public services when there was little spare money. He said politicians should not "fight ideological battles" over public sector services and there was a role for private companies.
So scrap the under 12 month cohort and give the contracts to local charities and sort out the information sharing with NPS. In the mean time get all the POs over to NPS and offer them whatever it takes to say sorry for the way they have been treated. We're losing too many good POs - it's a travesty.
Deletewhat about the PSO who have been shafted into the CRC?
Deleteour office crc pso are all really busy and we all have on average about 70 cases each.
DeleteThats dangerous and unsafe.
DeleteAwards for innovation in probation. Boxing !!!!! Because this hasn't been done before of course. Never mind the discriminatory and abusive implications...day after day another nail in the probation coffin
ReplyDeleteNominations please for whose lights you want punched out by the new boxing graduates from HMP Knockout. Cringe, laugh & cry as politicians, civil servants & CRC bosses get beaten to death in the name of rehabilitation.
DeleteAny TV researchers out there take note: I've kept this post so I can claim the rights.
you're too late - "Eight years after its six-season run came to an end, Celebrity Deathmatch creator Eric Fogel and Wasteland Entertainment are behind the new incarnation, with Chris McCarthy and Paul Ricci also on board as executive producers. The new version will again feature animated no-holds-barred fantasy fights between infamous figures from entertainment and pop culture and will be reimagined for a social media world and hourly Twitter wars."
DeleteHey, here's another new bright idea. Lets get shot of all the affordable housing stock, then we can ensure homelessness, benefit dependency & a true underclass is finally established as an indelible part of the UK landscape. We'll call it "right to buy". Never been done before.
ReplyDeleteAlso, while we're in the mood - abolish inheritance tax so we can ensure that our wealth remains in the family. Don't want it being handed out to those grasping plebs. If they want to be rich, they'll jolly well have to work harder; or buy more scratchcards. They're not benefitting from my birthright.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/412006/47256_Cm_9022_Prison_Pay_Review_2015_accessible.pdf
ReplyDeleteProbation staff might be interested in how the Prison Service is getting on with their annual pay review. Up to 5% for some staff.
I have no objection to rising wages , but it seems we are playing Cinderella....again!
No, just wait til them pesky crc's have cleared the decks & got them messy redundancies sorted, then nps can look forward to being rewarded for their 'golden child' status. The prison pay review aint for private prison staff. Divide & Rule. Us & Them. NPS & CRC. Wheat & Chaff.
DeleteInteresting blog by Frances Crook. I love the notion that prisoners' property can be confiscated on the governor's say-so, then sold and the proceeds given to Nacro. Maybe the payment formula for Sodexo's bed-fellows isn't that lucrative after all? Oh, hang on, might there be a case for Nacro being charged with receiving stolen goods if the prisoner wins their appeal? Or a conflict of interest, seeing as Nacro is now a private sector provider for the MoJ, who run the prisons yet is being handed the profits from a rather dodgy prison policy?
ReplyDelete"The petty revision of the rules governing prison life continues with a new instruction about the destruction or sale of small bits and pieces that prisoners can gather in their cells to make life bearable.
The rule says that unattributable or unauthorised property can be destroyed or sold three months after it is found. This is probably aimed mainly at the mountains of mobile phones found inside prisons. I was contacted some time ago by a member of the independent monitoring board of a big London prison as they had thousands of confiscated phones and didn’t know what to do with them, would we like them? No, thank you all the same, I replied, I don’t know what to do with them either. But instead of dealing with the problem of phones in prisons, most of which are used to keep in contact with loved ones because the pay phones are so expensive and access is so limited, the rules are a blunt instrument that will destroy all manner of precious stuff.
This is what has been decided.
Unauthorised property is determined by the Governor. Governors will have to decide what procedure they are going to put in place. They have to keep the property for at least three months during which time a prisoner can “make representations”. If it involves a phone, that is a clear case of being against the rules. However, if, say it is a book that the governor thinks has not been authorised or a photo of a loved one, some writing or painting materials, clothing or food, it can still be confiscated on the say-so of the governor.
Prisoners are being told they can use the prison complaints system and put in a complaint to the Prisons Ombudsman. There are several problems with this. It takes months, and sometimes even years, to get a complaint resolved, by which time your book has been burnt. Also it requires a decent level of literacy to write out a complaint and many prisoners cannot write, have learning difficulties or can’t write in English.
Some of the property can be sold by the prison. This creates the image of the prison setting up a street stall with mounds of mobile phones, books and tins of tuna for sale, or creating an Ebay account.
The proceeds will all go to Nacro, an organisation I have worked with on and off for many years and that does sterling work resettling prisoners. However, I wonder if this charity has considered the ethics of profiting from the sale of personal items confiscated from prisoners.
If we want people to respect justice and the rule of law, we have to apply them. These new rules are arbitrary and will create confusion, resentment and injustice."
Wait, so you think it's fair enough for prisoners to have mobile phones..?
DeleteDumb question that completely misses the point.
DeleteIt is a pity that the prisons cannot use all this energy and effort being spent on obsessive and overweening security and covert it into rehabilitative actions.
DeleteThe use of a telephone in prison should not have a profit element. It has long been recognised that maintaining family and community ties assists in successful resettlements. The language of 'privileges' towards what should be seen as necessities and the commonplace accoutrements of life in the 21st century, really harks back to the 19th century when prisoners were virtually in solitary confinement from each other, when even conversations were forbidden and daily conditions were punitive and vengeful, and the only reading material was the bible.
Interesting article here in the Telegraph. Not sure what the implications are for supervision though.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/general-election-2015/11536622/Petty-criminals-face-two-nights-in-the-cells-under-Conservative-justice-plans.html
Persistent vandals, shoplifters and drug addicts will spend two nights in a police cell under Conservative plans to deal a “short, sharp” punishment to petty criminals. Offenders who breach community orders will be given immediate short custodial sentences of up to 48 hours, under legislation to be introduced by a future Conservative government.
DeleteThe new Fast Sanctions and Testing (FAST) schemes, which will be initially piloted, are based on “swift and certain” punishment programmes operating across 18 US states.
They have been proven to cut drug use and significantly reduce reoffending, the Conservatives said.
Legislation will create a mixed community and custodial sentence, called a Behaviour Change Order (BCO), which would apply to offences including burglary, street robbery, vandalism, shoplifting, car theft and drug possession.
Under the orders, offenders would face alcohol and drug tests and be monitored by satellite tagging. Those found to have broken the terms of their BCO would face a breach court and “flash incarceration” of 24 to 48 hours in a police cell.
The plans to give offenders a “taste of justice” are a clear nod to the “short, sharp shock” that Willie Whitelaw pledged for young offenders in the 1979 Conservative manifesto. Similar programmes of flash incarceration in Hawaii have cut positive drug tests by 83 per cent, probation compliance increased by 71 per cent and re-arrests cut by 55 per cent, according to US research. Chris Grayling, the Justice Secretary, said: “The principle of swift and certain punishment can revolutionise our criminal justice system.
“That is why the next Conservative government will introduce a new probation scheme where those who break the rules can be punished immediately with rapid spells of prison time. These are the short, sharp shocks proven to change the behaviour of the most prolific criminals, and by introducing them we will continue to drive down the crime on our streets.
"The difference between us and Labour could not be clearer: they just want to drag us back to the bad old days of soft justice and chaotic rehabilitation – we are taking action to change criminals' ways and keep our streets safe."
Under other plans outlined in the manifesto, the public will have the right to petition the Attorney General for longer sentences on a broader range of crimes through the Unduly Lenient Scheme.
At present, the Attorney General can ask the Court of Appeal to increase the terms given to murders, rapists, serious fraudsters and paedophiles.
Legal highs will be subject to a blanket ban and new conditions such as redress for victims tied to police cautions. Under the Tory plans, the Human Rights Act will be scrapped and replaced with a British Bill of Rights, ending the tie with the European Court of Human Rights and making the Supreme Court the ultimate arbiter of human rights law in Britain. The Tories will consider new hate crimes offences to protect disabled and transgender people.
Am hearing stories regarding the training of TRY staff employed by some of these legendary VCS providers. Originally they were talking about 5 days training but this has apparently been reduced to 1. When the CRC trainers presented them with the list of things the training needed to contain, said providers balked at the depth and detail. They didn't realise how complicated it all was. Oops!!
ReplyDeleteTRY was T.T.G. when I typed it. I am referring to the Through The Gate training.
ReplyDeleteIs that the so named "Through the Gate" provision that came into force with the implementation of parts of the Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 that was implemented on 1st February - at least some folk needed to be trained in ALL areas in both CRCs & NPS by 1st February?
DeleteI imagine there maybe be a gathering number of case examples by now. There has been little mention in the main stream media - I also wonder if there have been any Appeals so far to either the Crown Court or Divisional Court, I guess it will take a bit longer for stuff to reach the Court of Appeal.
I am interested to know before I need to cast my vote on 7th May as if I do see a candidate I can ask some pertinent questions about it.
I'm not seeing anything wrong with TR at the the moment. The CRC I work in is looking in very good shape
ReplyDeleteThat's hilarious!
DeleteThat's good to hear. Which one do you work in? Bad news travels fast and the 'good is oft interred with their bones' so spread the good news. Your CRC could be an exemplar for others. No compulsory redundancies – yet! maybe never! Your colleagues around the country, perhaps even at the next desk, who are not in such good shape need to know that there are sunlit uplands somewhere.
DeleteLocal TTG provision now in place for 1/5 but early signs re competence is less encouraging.
ReplyDeleteReply to 13.41, TTG in our area are training staff going into these positions for 6 full days. Not sure what other areas are training prison TTG staff but to only train staff for a day!!!! Some CRC's are standing up to their new providers and not letting them dictate to us and surprisingly they are actually allowing us to do this. Might not seem much, but the power balance is not all in their favour.
ReplyDeleteTTG staff in a northern town are being trained to deliver programmes, with schedules already being drawn up for them to work alongside CRC PO & PSO staff.
DeleteJim have you heard anything about CRCs not coping and some thinking about backing out of contracts?
ReplyDeleteNo I haven't but saw this on Facebook:-
Delete"A woman arrived at the office this week accompanied by a CRC staff member. Apparently (again this is rumour and may not be totally accurate) she was from a US based "professional services firm " (one of the supposed big four) who, among other services, assess enterprise risk. Her company had been commissioned by the CRC, who shall remain nameless, to report back on the workings of the company in the brave new world. It was suggested that at the bidding stage, the Govt had not been fully up front about the complexities of what the CRC's were taking on and this one had bitten off more than it could chew. Now if this is true, I don't know how big business works, but would it have been wise to have employed said professional services firm before making the bid or did the Govt block this?"
we've been managing fine but are now beginning to creak under the volume of new cases. Not heard anything from our new owners PF - even their twitterfeed has stalled. Hand the poison chalice back I say!!
DeleteIt seems that a lot of Sodexo/Nacro staff are holding out for enhanced voluntary redundancy. I just don't know if they are going to get it. Even without it, nobody wants the NPS jobs out there, people have had enough and want out completely.
DeleteThanks Jim, I guess we'll have to wait and see if it's true.
DeleteA recent working links faq made mention of Deloitte
DeleteA lot of Sodexo/Navro staff ARE wanting out. And with the double-whammy bullshit of (1) being shafted to CRC in the first instance & (2) losing any chance of carrying t&c's across post-1 Feb'15, then why would they want to join NPS?
DeleteIn our CRC office of 10 POs & 10 PSOs (Fte), 8 POs & 5 PSOs want out. And they are prepared to fight for it. No-one wants to be associated with the crass corporate shite. Those prepared to stay are either (a) financially hamstrung or (b) relatively new to the role, have no sadness about the historical stuff and are okay with simply being employed.
Other CRCs must be in similar positions with staff?
Yes. My CRC is similarly full of people who have no confidence in the operating model and are just waiting to see if they can get a package to ease their departure
DeleteBrilliant legal aid video. .hope this link works http://www.theguardian.com/law/video/2015/apr/13/superheroes-legal-aid-video?CMP=share_btn_tw
ReplyDeleteIts all gone very, very quiet - lull before the storm? CRC mgmt have gone to ground; promised visits by CRC owners abandoned/postponed; middle managers' doors remain firmly shut; allocations by email only, no discussion.
ReplyDeletesounds familiar
DeleteOh yes- the promied 'back to the floor' by NE NPS director, didn't happen, no real surprise, headless and brainless chickens comes to mind! Oh CRC sickness days, reduced from 9 - 5 before the interrogation kicks I!
ReplyDeleteI'd be very surprised if that was true - which office? When? Even if it was postponed, there will have bee a good reason and not because she's afraid to face things as they are.
DeleteJust for general interest.
ReplyDeleteIt amazes me that given the Paul McDowell/Sedoxo saga, that the MoJ can get quite so upset about a possible conflict of interest.
I quite like Vera aswell.
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/newcastle-crime-commissioner-investigated-after-9053853
Cumbria & Lancs have effectively given notice of refundancies with consultations kicking off by end April/ start of May. No doubt full email will be available to JB. Level of severance pay not available.
ReplyDeleteIt's weird because if a negative comment about the site or the author is posted it's removed by Jim. This suggests he regularly checks this site. However there are no new topics for discussion in days and sometimes a few a week. Jim if your heart is not in it anymore then let someone else take over the mantle. No doubt this post will be removed very soon. Please blog something jim
ReplyDeleteThere are no new topics for discussion because there are no new topics for discussion: CRCs have gone to ground and no new info forthcoming. The service that was is broken. 18:40 give us all a break. We'll be back on form soon enough. And by the way, with all that Jim has done has anyone responded to his request for help? I sure hope so.
DeleteI posted an article re national TR conference yesterday with a number of key speakers from newly appointed profiteer CRCs. It disappeared almost instantly
DeleteYes I'm afraid it ended up in the spam filter and I felt disinclined to take it out on the basis that not many readers of this blog would be interested in paying good money to NoOffence in order to spend a day hearing how well TR is working.
DeleteAlthough open debate on here is very welcome, this blog is not the BBC and hence required to be balanced by publishing PR puffs from the likes of outfits like NoOffence.
Anon 18.40 A sarcastic comment about there being no new post and standards dropping did end up in the spam filter and I felt disinclined to take it out because I didn't feel it served any useful purpose.
DeleteRegular readers will be aware that critical comments about me or the blog regularly appear and as long as they are not gratuitously offensive or designed merely to inflame, they get published.
Well said 19.10 you must have been reading my mind,should we report "there is no news!" Let the guy have a break ...
ReplyDeleteAnyhow , man down the pub is on fine form again,he says Addaction can't play nicely with Purple Futures anymore and have gone home to sulk ....falling out over the money....NOMS not too happy and putting a brave face on things but when Sec State made a BIG deal over "partnerships"
I bet he was thinking longer term than months.
Jim , keep up the good work .... this forum is still open for wiley correspondents to keep the home front informed - just get out there and scout about for the info and let Jim know.
Give Jim a chance. He is not tied to the computer, He has a life outside this blog, like the rest of us. I have just been thinking of how much effort it must take him to oversee the blog on a daily basis, as well as checking out links to press reports which others have identified, and putting it on in full.
DeleteAnd as has been said above, he needs us to provide him with fresh topics of interest. Last week I sent him an email about midnight, and 7 hours later it was that day's blog.
How many of us could give that level of commitment??
Good on yer Jim.
Catch 22 advertising for caseworkers and senior caseworkers for South West prisons but no mention of salary scales at all. Closing date 21st April, we've been told that the CRC is expected to start on May 1st! Good luck getting anyone in post by then. Does anyone remember Prison Service Plus by the way? Came in all guns blazing several years ago, offering through the gate support for accommodation, jobs and training, benefits, drug and alcohol referrals - they targeted those easiest to help and disappeared after a couple of years having pocketed as much as possible from the European funding on offer
ReplyDeleteInteresting.
Deletehttp://jobs.bristolpost.co.uk/job/501008533/new-opportunities-for-criminal-justice-professionals/
Also curious that capita seem to be involved in recruiting in Devon
http://jobs.bristolpost.co.uk/job/501151031/probation-officer/
Some areas have recruited internally for TTG which takes preference, leaving other areas very short staffed with no immediate solution in place. One community team halved.
DeleteWith Shelter being involved with some CRC's and publishing this they seem conflicted - or am I misunderstanding something?
ReplyDeletehttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/CCvPBI2WIAENsWB.png
CRCs seem likely to actually be causing folk to be housed in prisons because the Operating Model is basically flawed
Everything about TR is flawed massively. CRC CEOs are doing their best to minimise political embassment to remain in favour with NOMs and damage to operational staff is irrelevant. X
Delete