Liverpool Prison turnaround

The last official inspection of HMP Liverpool, published in January 2018, marked a low point in the prisons crisis. Living conditions were among the worst inspectors had ever seen; with hundreds of broken windows, filthy block lavatories, graffiti, damp, dirt, rodents and insects. Chief Inspector Peter Clarke was particularly appalled… Work with Offenders reviews the detail of a very welcome new prison inspection report which charts a dramatic improvement in conditions at HMP Liverpool....

Analysis: National Probation Service faces staffing crisis

Much of the recent criticism of the probation service has focused on the underperformance of the 21 private Community Rehabilitation Companies. Indeed, so poor has been their performance, that the Ministry of Justice has decided to cut short their contracts and redesign the whole probation service. The National Probation Service… Work With offenders digs into the detail of a highly critical report by probation inspectors...

Tackling trauma

Over the last decade, there’s been a growing awareness about how many people are affected by trauma. People caught up in the criminal justice system are particularly likely to have suffered a range of traumatic experiences – ranging from emotional, physical and sexual abuse, to neglect, bullying, violence, bereavement and… Work with Offenders looks at the growing acknowledgement of the importance of trauma-informed work...

What’s in store for the criminal justice system?

Ever since Boris Johnson became Prime Minister in July, there has been renewed focus on crime as a political issue. With crime rates on a long downward trend, criminal justice have been much less of a factor at the last two general elections. However, the Conservatives paid plenty of attention… Work with offenders unpicks the detail of the Queen’s speech....

Probation teams get free training courses

Training provider Red Snapper Learning has released a 19-unit course so that officers can update their continuous professional development (CPD). With training budgets still under pressure across the Probation Service, keeping up with legislation changes and the latest developments in sentencing planning is challenging. The free online training course has… Probation officers are being offered free online training so they can keep up their career development....

Child arrests down again

The Howard League for Penal Reform has been running a large-scale programme designed to reduce the number of children arrested since 2010. There is a consensus amongst experts that involving children in the criminal justice system should be avoided whenever possible. On the whole, troubled young children need support rather… Work with Offenders profiles a successful campaign by the Howard League for Penal Reform and work with police forces on issues which arise out of children in residential care ...

How should we tackle violent crime?

A new report from the Innovation Unit says that violent crime in Greater Manchester could be tackled by a 10-point programme developed with young people, parents, teachers and community leaders who live and work in the areas of the city which are blighted by organised crime, serious violence and the… Work with Offenders covers a new report which says we should listen to the community to find solutions to the violence affecting young people...

Position of strength

Einstein’s definition of madness was doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result - and that idea is being used to tackle low self-esteem that drives some offending behaviour. A pioneering online portal is combining positive psychology and smart technology to connect with chaotic offenders to raise… Building on offenders’ strengths and using games consoles to do it, is turning lives around, according to a former probation officer....

Forecasting the weather for probation

Over the last decade or more, there has been increasing interest across the social justice field in getting feedback from service users about the quality of interventions they receive. In recent years, this has gone much further with the end users of services being actively involved in co-producing new forms… Work with Offenders examines a new tool to measure people’s experience of being on probation...

Criminal justice charities are subsidising government contracts

Clinks has published its seventh annual edition of its State of the Sector report, highlighting key trends for voluntary sector organisations working in the criminal justice system. Clinks is the national infrastructure organisation for the Third Sector in the criminal justice field – what we used to call an umbrella… Work with Offenders explores the latest State of the Sector report from Clinks...