Definition of silly season. 1 : a period (such as late summer) when the mass media often focus on trivial or frivolous matters for lack of major news stories. 2 : a period marked by frivolous, outlandish, or illogical activity or behaviour.Homelessness is most definitely never a frivolous matter, but this BBC news item is somewhat recycled from a couple of weeks ago and even blogs are sometimes stuck for something new to say:-
Nearly 200 released sex offenders had nowhere to live
Almost 200 sex offenders were released from prison in England and Wales in one year without having anywhere to live, Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures show. More than 100 of them were classed as posing a "high" or "very high" risk to the public. Probation inspectors have warned that freed prisoners who sleep rough are more likely to commit further crimes.
The Probation Service said it worked closely with local councils to help those leaving prison.
The figures, for England and Wales in 2018-19, were supplied by the MoJ under the Freedom of Information Act. They show that on 68 occasions "high and very high risk" sex offenders, who were on licence for more than six months, had no accommodation on release. A further 53 homelessness cases involved "high risk" sex offenders with a licence period of more than 12 months, and 70 involved "medium risk" sex offenders with more than six months on licence.
Earlier this month, the chief inspector of probation, Justin Russell, criticised the lack of a "cross-government" approach to housing offenders, pointing out that prisoners with no settled accommodation were almost twice as likely to be sent back to jail within 12 months of release.
In an inspection report, he blamed the problem on:
- housing shortages
- high up-front rental costs
- low-priority on housing registers
- lack of support services
- benefit delays
- "providers averse to accommodating people with substantial criminal records"
In total, there were 11,435 occasions when prisoners were homeless when they were let out - 16% of released male offenders and 18% of female inmates.
The Probation Service, which is part of the MoJ, said the figures for sex offenders showed accommodation on the day of release and did not necessarily mean they "remained homeless afterwards". It says it has introduced new teams dedicated to finding housing, and is increasing places in "approved premises", also known as "bail hostels" or "probation hostels". It adds that it has helped "hundreds of offenders" stay off the streets as part of the Government's Rough Sleeping Strategy.
A spokesperson said: "Public protection is our number one priority. Sex offenders on licence must report regularly to their probation officer and abide by strict conditions which if breached can see them go back to prison."
During the coronavirus lockdown, BBC News discovered that 142 prisoners were put up in hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation to limit the spread of Covid-19.
The large numbers of prisoners that are now being released homeless reminds me just how vague and abstract the concept of rehabilitation has become.
ReplyDeleteBuilding more prisons to help with rehabilitation. Reshaping probation to help with rehabilitation. How? Where? When?
The word rehabilitation has become an insert into a verbal phrase designed to sound positive, but has no real meaning or context anymore. It's become a soundbite.
I think it's time the State defined what it actually means when it talks of offender rehabilitation, because I for one haven't a clue anymore.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.shoutoutuk.org/2020/07/22/should-prisons-punish-or-rehabilitate/amp/
'Getafix
'Getafix - I don't know if you are on Twitter or not, but I just wanted to say how grateful I am for your contributions that transpose so well onto Twitter and generate loads of retweets, comments and extra traffic to the blog. There was a massive spike in hits today following my posting on Twitter of the whole of your contribution above. Thanks 'Getafix - if you drink, I owe you several!
Deletehear! hear!
DeleteIn the UK, the function of prisons is to serve justice and protect others. But this is entangled in political agendas. At what point in an inmate’s life does the focus need to shift from punishment to considering rehabilitation and prevention?
DeleteNorway’s humane example
A few select Scandinavian prisons are examples of an alternative way. Instead of politicising criminal justice, policy-making is often left to professional criminologists who develop results-based strategies.
This leads to a humanistic approach. Halden is one of Norway’s largest prisons with 251 inmates, nearly half of whom are imprisoned for violent crimes including murder, assault and rape. They live surrounded by 12 acres of blueberry woods.
The Norwegian sentencing system has a maximum term of 21 years and thus no life sentences. In this system is Anders Breivik, amongst the most high-profile killers in recent years, who killed 77 people and injured hundreds when he detonated a bomb at an Oslo government building and opened fire at a summer camp close by. However, Breivik’s sentence of ‘preventive detention’ means his term can be extended indefinitely for five years at a time if he is still thought to be a threat to society.
I just think the word rehabilitation is now often used with no real understanding of its concept by those in power.
DeleteIt's a word used by those that develop our CJ system in much the same way manufacturers brand there products gluten free or super fresh. Its a 'must include' word without any real context.
The real mystery to me however is why the state spends so much money on tools that provide risk assessments and identify problems, but don't provide any method of solution to them.
Why pay to identify problems if you're unable or not allowed to fix them?
I do drink and I'll have a pint today. Please expect the invoice in the post!
'Getafix
This is exactly what happens when probation becomes part of a politicised government department, as opposed to being an independent agency of effective change:
ReplyDelete*** The Probation Service, which is part of the MoJ, said the figures for sex offenders showed accommodation on the day of release and did not necessarily mean they "remained homeless afterwards" ***
Next up will be:
The Probation Service, which is part of the MoJ, said "the figures showed homicides were on the increase, but it doesn't necessarily mean the victims will remain dead afterwards"
“The Probation Service said it worked closely with local councils to help those leaving prison.”
ReplyDeleteIf the probation service wasn’t so weak it would have said “Probation does not own houses. Unless councils provide housing many more sexual and violent offenders will be released homeless.
June 2020: “We will allow British visitors to enter Spain just like the rest of the European Union as from 21 June, freely and without the need for a quarantine,” Arancha González Laya told BBC News."
ReplyDeleteMs Gonzalez went on with one of the more prophetic phrases in recent times:
“We nevertheless are doing this out of respect for the 400,000 British citizens that have a second residence in Spain and are dying to benefit from their homes in our country.”
Sadly some might just do that.
Last night: "More than 900 cases of coronavirus were reported in Spain on Friday, and the country's officials are warning of fears of a second spike."
The UK reported 769 new cases on Thursday, 768 on Friday & 767 on Saturday.
But they are, of course, British cases rather than Spanish cases. There is a difference, doncha know.
Perspective is always helpful:
Delete"Australia has experienced its deadliest day of the pandemic so far, with 10 deaths reported on Sunday and a rising number of infections.... The national death toll now stands at 155 with about 14,000 cases."
UK deaths on Saturday = 61
'official' UK death toll now at 45,738 with about 298,681 cases
Recent data for new cases across Europe:
DeleteFrance 931
Germany 781
Belgium 352
Italy 252
Turkey 937
Sweden 234
The WHO data for Spain shows 2,255 new cases in the same 24 hours, in contrast to the UK GOvt saying 900.
Can they get NOTHING right???
https://covid19.who.int/table
Raab says: "No 10 must be able to take "swift, decisive action"... If we suddenly say, 'we're not quite sure' and give vague advice, it would create more uncertainty."
ROFL!!!
Thank you for the daily figures . It is appreciated that someone is keeping us aware of the bigger picture. Keep it up I lookout for your post.
Deletedaily uk govt data 26 july 2020
Deletereported new cases - 747 - 4,598 for the week
recorded new deaths - 14 - 451 for the week
May 2020 - 98,878 cases (uk govt data)
June 2020 - 37,151 cases (uk govt data)
July 2020 - 15,669 cases (uk govt data)
There was a change in counting at the start of July where the total of 313,483 on 1 July became amended such that on 2 July the figure was 283,757 - an unexplained reduction of almost 30,000 cases.
May 2020 - deaths - 11,593 (per uk govt data)
June 2020 - deaths - 4,785 (per uk govt data)
July 2020 - deaths - 1,846 (per uk govt data)
These numbers are undoubtedly what persuades Johnson & co that everything is ok.
A virus isn't interested in data. It just needs hosts. And its happy to wait until the next suitable host becomes available. Its not affected by economic imperative.
TartanCon writing on SecretBarristerBlog:
ReplyDelete"Thomas Paine once wrote that “when our jails are empty and our streets free of beggars, then can a country be proud of its constitution.” Our jails are full, and our streets filled with those just trying to survive. Not much to be proud of, is there?"
https://thesecretbarrister.com/2020/07/26/guest-post-by-the-tartan-con-the-governments-approach-to-our-prisons-is-an-admission-of-failure/
The UK takes a capitalist approach to housing, and that saddens me; in the UK if you cannot "afford" a house, then frankly you can't have one. Landlords, second home owners, people renting rooms have all profited - the system is so skewed in favour of landlords who ask for ridiculous sums of money up front, incentives, rent deposits, month up front, and when they sell the house having done nothing to earn it, they throw the tenants out, who have to start the whole cycle again.
ReplyDeleteIn my world housing would be a basic human right - in the UK we have voted in countless Tory majority governments and this is the price of that.
Housing service users has been the biggest bane of my probation life from the start, i.e. for decades. Legislation only requires local authorities to house those "in priority need" and the rest scrabble around trying to get what they can, with immense pressure put on the probation officer who has no access to houses and no money to pay for them. If an AP manager asks me again "what have you done about X or Y's move on" once again I swear I will throw the phone across town into their face. Local authorities use risk as a get out clause all the time NOT to house people (who are not priority need), whether it be they are "too risky" or "not risky enough". The single young men who have no family are usually in the most dire straits.
The Probation service whether it be the trusts or NPS have known about this problem for years. It is by far and away the BIGGEST issue as reported by service users themselves in countless "offender surveys" year after year - they don't advertise the results of this, despite putting immense pressure on us to get near 100% completion rate of that damn survey year after year.
And yet despite this the MOJ wasted vast amounts of money on a "through the gate" service which essentially gets armies of staff filling out the OASYS BCS identifying issues with housing, benefits, lack of ID, lack of bank account, with little time/incentive and certainly no money to actually sort the issues out.
If the MOJ gave that cash to the probation officers/service users to pay for deposits/rent in advance, it would free up SO MUCH time, create far less stress, and lead to outcomes - but nope, for the past 7 years it has preferred the Through the Gate staff to spend their time form filling. I'm disgusted and yet know in my heart of heart the service can’t or won't listen because we have a government that does not think that anyone, let alone someone who lost their housing due to their own offending, should have a right to the basic human right of a place to live.
Union chief warns of 'serious industrial unrest' if ministers order civil servants to go back to their desks
ReplyDeleteMr Johnson wants plans from ministers this week to clear the delays that have built up since civil servants were told to work from home in March. Last week civil service chief Alex Chisholm told Whitehall departments to start getting officials back in from August 1.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8562601/Union-chief-warns-industrial-unrest-ministers-order-civil-servants-return-work.html
Is the NPS being ‘ordered‘ back into offices on 1st August?
DeleteNo
DeleteJohnson announced 10 days ago that he wanted to begin a return to normality from the start of August, despite misgivings among his senior scientific advisers. Instead of all workers being told to work remotely where possible, the prime minister said people could return at the “discretion” of their employers. They would no longer be advised to stay away from public transport, he added.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jul/26/risk-of-unrest-if-civil-servants-are-forced-into-hasty-return-to-office-coronavirus
Boris Johnson’s hopes of getting people to return to work from 1 August are in serious doubt as the UK’s biggest civil service union warns of “serious industrial unrest” if public servants across the country are pushed to return to their offices too early.
ReplyDeleteThe Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), which has 200,000 members, has reacted furiously after being told at a private meeting in Downing Street on Thursday that the Cabinet Office’s permanent secretary, Alex Chisholm, has written to all Whitehall departments, asking them to report back on how they could get more people to return as early as next month.
While the letter made clear it would be left to the discretion of individual departments to decide what was safe, the unions were given the impression that civil servants were being asked to “take the lead” and “set an example” after Johnson announced earlier this month that the “stay at home” guidance would end from 1 August.
A source close to negotiations with government said: “It was clear that this is the big push from the centre to say you should now be accelerating work to bring people back in. On the face of it, this looks like departments are just being asked what their plans are. In reality this is the big push.”
In a letter to the Cabinet Office after the meeting that has been obtained by the Observer the PCS’s general secretary, Mark Serwotka, raises concerns about safety and asks for urgent reassurances about the government’s plans. He also points to “contradictions” between what he sees as the Cabinet Office’s apparent instruction that a return was now required, and an accompanying message that it would be left to individual departments to react as they saw fit.
In the letter, Serwotka warns of dire consequences unless the union’s concerns are met. “This unnecessary and hasty push for an upscaling at workplaces has the potential to create serious industrial unrest,” he says, adding that no consideration had been given to using the Covid-19 crisis to rethink how civil servants could work in future.
“It is clear that this is a political decision to use public sector workers to prop up and maintain an already decaying economic model, regardless of the risks to their safety.” A union source said that balloting members on strike action was not being planned, but neither was it being ruled out. “There are no immediate plans for a ballot, but nothing is off the table.”
Serwotka is cool a real union boiss doing whast is required. To be fair the Napo unison GMB cabal are redundant in the wheels of the Civil service negotiations and were not important for level meeting. Still you might think the usually over mouthy Napo leadership could have gotten to the keys in support of PCS stated position. Instead it will be more the usual go back to work facilitation and assistance that napo have morphed into.
Delete