Probation and the Media

Some of the comments published by the Guardian:-

The rot started when the National Probation Service was created and the links with local sentencing bodies was lost. Then came the first of the Home Office computer programs for treatment starting with the prison sex offender program where bored Prison Officers who really despised their group members lead groups of equally bored prisoners. Both sides played the game, both learned nothing except how to tick boxes. We ended up with devious articulate offenders even better at offending. It extended into field work with a variety of "measurement" tools to assess risk. It didn't, naturally but it kept NOMS happy. The Home Office never realised or didn't want to realise that you can't create a "one size fits all" treatment plan.

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Probation used to be a pretty good service with well trained, motivated staff who were able to establish a good rapport with offenders and often reduce recidivism. They were skilled at their interventions. Privatisation will only ever work in favour of those who make money out of it. The increased caseloads are though typical of pretty well all areas of social work which includes probation. Child protection would fare even worse in a privatised setting and would be utterly disastrous. Rather than move to full privatisation the opposite is required, a full move back to the public sector and better accountability.

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Several friends, all very experienced with a wealth of knowledge of probation services, resigned or took early retirement rather than stay for the shambles they knew was coming with Grayling's maniacal privatisation. And so it proved. None are prepared to go back. Everyone said it was a disaster in the making but all were ignored. Because Grayling is a thick and uncomprehending as the plank in his garden gate.

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Ah, but the point about privatisation is that now it's someone else's fault. If a service is public and it goes to shit due to underfunding/mismanagement then there is an elected politician who is directly responsible. If you privatise a service and it goes to shit then it's the fault of:

- The private company (who will have drawn up the contract so they can't pay any meaningful penalty)
- The regulator who had to be created to monitor the private companies and is also woefully underfunded

The thing is, if the likes of G4S or Crapita were actually held to account when they fuck up after a privatisation, then how many companies would actually bid for a contract? And if that happened then you wouldn't be able to privatise things and politicians would remain responsible and - worse still - wouldn't have any nice directorships to retire to.

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Well, that is certainly a fucking disgrace. It's our money. Seeing some politician give the "commercial confidentiality" excuse as to why I can't be allowed to know how it's being spent does make my blood boil. And, of course, private companies running public services aren't subject to Freedom of Information. Not really a level playing field, is it? If I had the energy, I'd start one of them petitions.

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Sounds like pretty much the whole of the Criminal Justice system. I work in a Magistrates Court and in all the years I've been in the service morale has never been so low. The system is falling apart at the seams but the powers that be don't care, we are constantly reminded that we work in a "Brilliant Civil Service" - say it often enough & it will become true. No wonder so many of my colleagues are leaving. I would happily go but am only a few years away from retirement.

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The provision of service is now actually more expensive than it was because the govt pays the private companies. Even the treasury recognised that this would be the case before the privatisation took place. It was driven through purely on ideological grounds. Work that was previously done for free through arrangements with local voluntary agencies and charities is now charged for....and guess who picks up the bill....we do as tax payers. The govt have managed to turn a service that was working and cost effective, into one that is in chaos and costs more. Genius.

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We had a genuinely progressive, effective and respected probation service with highly professional staff and an underpinning ethos of providing a fail safe service with both compassion and control. Then they decided to apply Taylorist principles to practice and put the bean counters in charge. It's now none of those things and nobody wants to work there anymore and the prison population is at an all time high. It costs on average the same amount to incarcerate one individual as it does to employ a qualified PO even with the on costs of pension etc. You work out the logic of what they've done to save money!

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An interesting read albeit somewhat sensationalised. Just talking to staff gives a warped view. They've clearly only spoken to the disillusioned who have not given them the facts! For example, the West York's employee saying they don't breach or recall or put through programmes etc. That is actually completely inaccurate and may say more about their personal practice/performance than what the company is actually promoting. Yes there are problems and privatisation wasn't a good thing but the problems are not really the ones highlighted in this article which could be portrayed as staff moaning. The problems are more reputational, lack of access to some key information that is needed (but held by the public sector), the fact the private companies are loss-making etc.

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Why is anyone surprised? Nobody but Failing Grayling even suggested this was a good idea, he refused to pilot it, awarded very long term contracts just before a General Election to make it impossible for an incoming Government to overturn, was done with no research and in the face of universal opposition from those involved in the field. It has gone utterly pear shaped exactly as Failing was warned and now Ms Truss wants a report on it. Perhaps Mhairi Black or Dennis Skinner could find 3 minutes every day they are in the House to remind Failing that he needs to come before the Speaker and explain himself.

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Grayling giving charities and voluntary organisations peanuts to supervise 70% of newly released prisoners is a recipe for chaos. 20 contracts were given to the likes of Interserve (a construction firm) and they contract out to the next layer and so on until the likes of the YMCA here in Hull, calling themselves Turning Point, attempt to rehabilitate these men, setting them up to fail because they do not have enough money for enough staff to supervise and rehabilitate them. 4 men are placed in a small terraced house in a street of young families and elderly residents causing mayhem and misery with their alcohol and drug fuelled 24 hour anti-social behaviour. Turning Point have thrown in the towel through overwork and lack of money. The main contractors are reaping the benefit of millions of pounds. Typical Tory policy, and Grayling should have been given his marching orders years ago before being let loose on the population.

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I don't know why the Guardian bothers to post these articles, as it is clear that people that vote Tory, are just not interested in such things. Even the ongoing reports of the privatisation of the NHS and Education, are completely ignored. The persistent Tory aim to put public services out to private companies, irrespective of past errors, and with little or no prior consultations, or risk assessments, is criminal, yet on they go, blinkered and dogmatic to the point of insanity, under the same failed ideology of saving money. Time and time again, they fail to see that private companies want profits, and it is blatantly obvious that private companies will end up doing the usual trick of employing less people, on lower wages. When the service deteriorates, they ask for more funding, or abstain from the contract all together. The lowest bidder, is all this government wants, and without any regular monitoring of services, they couldn't give a shit when it fails, as they will always have someone else to blame, and can just walk away and start the process again with another company, who think they can make money for a while.

Theresa May allows this to happen, and for all her self professed intentions to help people, she just does not know, or care what her ministers are doing. Cameron was the same, Gove and Duncan Smith, were given mandates to proceed with Tory agendas, and no one bothered to ask about the consequences. Right across the board, they have dabbled and messed with public services, cut budgets, and made workers lives a whole lot worse, all to reduce a deficit that has been so mismanaged, that their lunatic ideas, have not saved anything, but they cling to the lie, that it has. 

Any media attempts at highlighting the failings of these policies, is just met by government departments issuing scripted bullshit, noting what they plan to do and how much money they intend to throw at the problems, including the self promoted efforts they claim to have done. Efforts of only half truths that hardly ever get refuted by the only political opposition, that should know the truth.

The tragedy is that the Tories know they can get away with it, there is no effective opposition, and therefore no likely credible opponents in a general election. They assume the votes will always come their way, no matter what they do, and so, the madness will continue, the consequences will be blamed on someone, anyone else, it will never be their fault, and the party faithful will believe it. With support like that, what could go wrong?

--oo00oo--

Postscript

Firstly, I'd like to welcome some new readers to the blog and welcome back many who no doubt stopped reading as the TR omnishambles took hold and they bailed out of probation by various means. 

Since last Saturday when I highlighted the appeal for information from a journalist, viewing figures soared from the more usual 1,500 to over 4,500 on what was a mega Christmas shopping day for many. Even last Sunday readership was well up at 4,000 with the daily hit rate confirming a rising trend. With publication of the Guardian article late on Friday the hit rate yesterday was 6467, a figure not achieved since the height of the TR battle.

But this is just a curtain raiser before the big event on Thursday, timed just before the Christmas Parliamentary recess and the much-anticipated dreadful HMI report into MTCnovo's running of the London CRC contract. Politically, the stakes couldn't be much higher for an increasingly-embattled and lack-lustre Justice Secretary, so the MoJ spin machine will be into overdrive all this week in preparation. 

Expect a release of 'good news' stories every day as the highly-paid mandarins indulge in some media manipulation for an essentially lazy press and TV, who will just regurgitate the nicely pre-packed stories provided for them - in fact like this issued early today on a quiet Sunday morning:-
  
Justice secretary plans to put education at the heart of youth justice

Justice Secretary responds to ground-breaking review led by Charlie Taylor.

• Two ‘secure schools’ to be launched – alongside new measures to monitor progress in English and maths, health and behaviour.
• £15 million to boost frontline staff by 20 percent and improve safety
• Head of Operations established for youth custody – to reduce violence and drive up standards and dedicated officers responsible for overseeing young offenders’ progress.
• Bid to have every young person on an apprenticeship pathway that will continue even after they have left custody

Education and training will be put at the heart of youth justice, the Justice Secretary will announce in response to a ground-breaking review led by child behavioural expert Charlie Taylor.

Tackling security and safety issues head on, she will announce plans to invest an additional £15 million a year in youth custody - boosting front-line staff, reducing violence, and ensuring young offenders get the opportunities needed for a fresh start in life.

While the number of children in custody has fallen significantly, those who remain in the system have serious and complex needs. Tackling the factors that contribute to criminality and intervening at a young age is key to breaking the cycle of reoffending – making our streets safer and improving young people’s life chances.

Taking forward Charlie Taylor’s proposals to deliver an effective, education-led approach to custody, 2 secure schools will be launched; delivering core subjects such as English and Maths, as well as a range of work training and apprenticeship schemes to help offenders find work on release.

The majority of his recommendations are being taken forward, with immediate investment and resourcing aimed at improving safety.

The overhaul of the system will also focus on life beyond bars with a youth custody apprenticeship scheme being developed to build strong relationships with employers, ensuring that all young people are earning or learning on release.

Justice Secretary, Elizabeth Truss said:

"I am grateful to Charlie Taylor for his comprehensive and in depth review which sets out the stark issues we must tackle to help young offenders to live law-abiding lives. Prisons rightly punish people who break the law, but they should also be a place where offenders are reformed. While young people are in custody we need to make sure they get the right education and training so they can lead law abiding lives – and in turn make our streets and communities safer too. The measures I have set out today are the beginning of a series of reforms which will help us cut reoffending, make our communities safer and create a justice system that works for everyone."

Under the new system, the progress that young offenders make in education will be measured – as well as improvements in health and behaviour – to show how well establishments are doing in delivering the right teaching and training, and ensuring they are held to account.

A single Head of Operations will be established to take charge of youth custody; tackling violence, driving up performance levels and taking decisive action in the event of failures or falling standards.

Working across government, plans are being developed to ensure that when they leave custody, every child has the support of a mentor to help them sustain employment and training. This will help to ensure they do not return to a path of crime.

Charlie Taylor said:

"Education needs to be central to our response to youth offending. It is the building block on which a life free from crime can be constructed. I welcome the Justice Secretary’s plans to reform the youth justice system and focus on education and training. If children who offend are to become successful and law-abiding adults, the focus must be on improving their welfare, health and education – their life prospects – rather than simply imposing punishment."

The government’s response to Charlie Taylor’s review is the first step to reforming youth justice, with further plans to be set out in spring next year.

This response follows the publication of a comprehensive White Paper on prisons which announced 2,500 new prison officers and an addition £100 million to make prisons places of safety and reform where offenders get off drugs and get the education and skills they need to find work and turn their back on crime for good.

Plans to reform the way we manage female offenders under probation supervision will be unveiled in the New Year.