BBC website today, 2nd August 2017:-
“In 2014, we reformed our approach to probation so that for the first time ever, all offenders given a custodial sentence receive probation support and supervision on release. It is therefore misleading to compare the number of Serious Further Offences prior to our reforms with subsequent figures, as the number of people on probation is now significantly higher than before.
Official Government website 'how it works sentencing and rehabilitation' today, 2nd August 2017:-
Pre 2014, this group were not supervised by the Probation Service. Post 2014, this group are 'not actively supervised by Probation'. Numerous HMI reports have confirmed that 'Through the Gate' or TTG is not working and the government website confirms what we've always known, namely, the promise to help the under 12 month custody group always was a lie and just 'smoke and mirrors'.
"Offenders sentenced to less than 12 months also serve the second half in the community but are not actively supervised by Probation."--oo00oo--
Pre 2014, this group were not supervised by the Probation Service. Post 2014, this group are 'not actively supervised by Probation'. Numerous HMI reports have confirmed that 'Through the Gate' or TTG is not working and the government website confirms what we've always known, namely, the promise to help the under 12 month custody group always was a lie and just 'smoke and mirrors'.
Chapeau! JB. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteOur politicians are completely unaccountable and sadly it takes the death of 80 plus people in a fire to make any headway at all in tackling what has become a pretty corrupt state.
ReplyDeleteThe F.T
ReplyDeletePrivatisation blamed for rise in crime.
The number of offenders charged with murder or other serious violent crimes while under probation supervision has risen by a quarter since the partial privatisation of the service.
Figures show that more than 500 offenders were charged with a serious offence last year when they were being monitored by probation officers in England and Wales.
The rise comes after a troubled partial privatisation of the probation service which has resulted in the Ministry of Justice providing a “bailout” of £21 million to some of the privatised Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) facing financial pressures.
Separately, the government has been accused of “sneaking out” controversial plans to privatise the collection of court fines. Staff have been told of plans to outsource work currently carried out by some…
'Getafix
This seems to be from the Times not FT - can anyone supply the rest of the article? Thanks.
DeleteSorry Jim, wrong paper and half a story. Pay wall I'm afraid, although the Independent picks up the sneaky privatisation of court inforcement.
Deletehttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ministers-sneak-out-plans-privatisation-court-fines-liz-truss-richard-burgon-a7871636.html
It strikes me however, that aggressively pursuing fines by private agencies will only result in more people being brought back before the courts for non payment, being sent to prison for a pointless few days or weeks, creating further pressure on the prison system, and costing whatever it costs for 12mths probation supervision. Oh, and the extra £46 you'll get on the way back out.
It all seems crackers, but it could be a bit more sinister. If the contracts for collecting unpaid fines should be awarded to companies who already have probation contracts, would that begin a process paying whilst on probation like America?
'Getafix
Similar thread in an article in today's Guardian - 'Violent crime by those on probation is up side privatisation '. What caught my eye however, was that the reporter went to Harry Fletcher for a comment rather than our erstwhile NAPO Gen Sec. Quite telling, I thought.
DeleteDeb
Sorry should read 'since privatisation '
DeleteDeb, I understand Harry Fletcher is an adviser to Plaid Cymru and I suspect beavering away in the background, quite effectively it would seem.
Deletehttps://www.aol.co.uk/news/2017/08/01/call-to-renationalise-probation-services-amid-rise-in-further-cr/
ReplyDeleteMinisters have been urged to renationalise probation services following an "extremely worrying" rise in the number of supervised offenders charged with serious crimes.
ReplyDeleteJustice minister Sam Gyimah said a total of 517 reviews were triggered in 2016/17 after an offender under statutory probation supervision was charged with murder, manslaughter, rape or certain other serious violent or sexual offences.
He added there were 507 such reviews in 2015/16 across England and Wales compared to 429 in 2013/14, 409 in 2012/13 and 441 in 2011/12.
Reforms introduced in 2014 saw the National Probation Service (NPS) created to deal with high-risk offenders while remaining work was assigned to 21 new Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs). They replaced the former probation trusts and gave private firms a greater role.
Plaid Cymru Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts raised concerns about privatisation in response to the 26.4% increase of serious further offence (SFO) reviews from 2012/13 to 2016/17. Ms Saville Roberts, who unearthed the figures via a written parliamentary question, said: "This is an extremely worrying rise in serious crime committed by people who are supposedly under supervision. It is astonishing that ministers are claiming the difficulties faced since privatisation were unforeseen when a leaked internal risk management document shows that they were warned. These are offenders who, under the supervision of the probation service, committed murder, manslaughter, rape or another serious violent or sexual offence."
She added: "The British Government needs to admit it was wrong and commit to renationalising the probation service."
Ms Saville Roberts said this should include responsibility over justice in Wales being devolved to the Welsh Government.
Surely it's not that hard to work out how many SFO's were committed by people serving custodial sentences of less than 12 months?
ReplyDeleteas I changed radio stations from 'talk sport' this morning (my husband's choice) about 9am, I heard probation mentioned on the adjacent channel LBC - a London channel for live news talk, and up popped Ian Lawrence talking about the current attempts to re-nationalise Probation, and getting rid of the CRC's (thanks Jim, for printing out aol news piece this morning.)
ReplyDeleteDid anyone hear the whole discussion with Ian? I don't know how much I missed. He made referral to the sickness and loss of staff, the reduction in pay, the stress, the vacancies, but I did not hear him mention the employment of unqualified and inexperienced staff; the lack of supervision as it used to be and still should be; the lack of privacy and regularity of supervision to enable a trust to be developed between staff and client; the loss of vital links between Probation and prison staff regarding the supervision, and suitability of programmes, and preparation for release of prisoners; the major issues of the useless IT system; the pressure to tell blatant lies to meet targets; the sly lies coming out of the MOJ; the increase of risk to the public, and the victims, particularly with domestic violence cases, who are assessed to be low and medium risk and therefore supervised by the CRC's etc etc etc .
Did I miss this info before I switched on?? Will there be a recorded script somewhere of the programme?
This MoJ hypocrisy deserves as much prominence as the £46 pound-in-the-pocket lie. What does not being actively supervised mean in practice? Has this new practice been risk assessed? Does it work? Was it piloted? Is there a manual somewhere...?
ReplyDeleteYou don't need pilots, 11.14. You have got to learn to trust your gut....
DeleteThat gut feeling has turned out to be a huge belly ache.
Deletehttps://www.opendemocracy.net/shinealight/kiri-kankhwende/uk-outsourcing-alan-white-serco-G4S
ReplyDeleteExtract from the above site:
Delete"Labour firmly adopted the Tory idea of Private Finance Initiatives (PFIs) while in power. White notes that in the political context of New Labour’s compromise between social democracy and neoliberalism, “outsourcing was considered a natural development in a corporate-led world”. The pace has increased markedly since the coalition government in 2010. Although outsourcing itself is not an ideology, White notes that it is borne of one, and this consensus hampers cross-party criticism and oversight.
Despite the challenges in scoping the industry, White is at pains to point out that rather than a sinister plot, very often the problem is miscommunication or lack of communication between government departments. This book is not a polemic but a forensic and even-handed inquiry.
It becomes clear that four companies dominate the sector: G4S, Atos, Serco and Capita. The biggest spenders are the Department of Work and Pensions and the Ministry of Justice, funnelling hundreds of millions of pounds to these firms, which are too big to fail. They cover everything from security, transport or waste collection to “human services” such as welfare, prisons and probation services to transport, waste collection.
Alan White’s book was first published last year with the title Shadow State, Inside the Secret Companies that Run Britain."
"an offender under statutory probation supervision"
ReplyDeletePlease define what this actually means, Mr Sam Gyimah.
Is it 'passive' or 'active' supervision?
Is it via a telephone or face-to-face?
Is it NPS or CRC? Or both? Or neither?
Do you know? Does David Lidington know? Does PM May know? Does anyone know?