July 13, 2010: Criminal Justice Reform: Sentencing and Rehabilitation
The government will develop options for contracting out rehabilitation to third parties, including contractors commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions (offender employment) and Department of Health (alcohol and drug rehabilitation)
The Ministry of Justice's Structural Reform Plan (SRP) sets out the top five priorities for restructuring the criminal justice system. The priorites include the following measures on sentencing and rehabilitation:
- Reform of sentencing and penalties
Ensure that the justice system protects the public and reduces reoffending by introducing more effective sentencing policies and considering the use of restorative justice for adult and youth crimes. This includes:- ensuring that sentencing for drug use helps offenders come off drugs
- implementing the Prisoners’ Earnings Act (1996) to allow prison governors to deduct from prisoners’ earnings and transfer the money into the Victims’ Fund
- proposals to use proceeds from the Victim Surcharge to fund rape crisis centres
- developing options so that historical convictions for consensual gay sex with over-16s will be treated as spent and will not show up on criminal recordchecks
- Rehabilitation revolution
Establish an offender management system that harnesses the innovation of the private and voluntary sectors, including options for using payment by results, to cut reoffending. This includes:- Determine options and strategy for a reduction in reoffending and more effective rehabilitation, with a Green Paper setting out the approach to reducing reoffending and improving rehabilitation.
- Trial payment by results mechanisms working with voluntary and private sector organisations that specialise in rehabilitation of offenders.
- Develop options for contracting out rehabilitation to third parties, including contractors commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions (offender employment) and Department of Health (alcohol and drug rehabilitation)
- Hold round table with suppliers (private and voluntary sector providers) to refine options for contracting out rehabilitation to third parties
- Launch and evaluate a pilot rehabilitation scheme, funded by a Social Impact Bond, to reduce re-offending by paying private sector and third sector providers by results