Asked by: Lord Blunkett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) training, and (2) continuing professional development, is provided to prison officers who have been newly recruited.
Answered by Lord Bellamy
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Blunkett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) training, and (2) continuing professional development, is provided to prison officers in relation to prisoners serving sentences of imprisonment for public protection.
Answered by Lord Bellamy
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Blunkett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many parole board recommendations for the transfer of prisoners to open conditions were (1) accepted, and (2) rejected, by the Secretary of State for Justice between 1 January and 31 March this year.
Answered by Lord Bellamy
The Secretary of State (or an official with delegated responsibility) will accept a recommendation from the Parole Board to approve an indeterminate sentenced prisoner (ISP) for open conditions only where all criteria of the HM Prison and Probation Service Policy Framework have been met. The Policy Framework and associated guidance were updated in June 2022. Under the terms of the Policy, the Secretary of State (or an official with delegated responsibility) will accept a recommendation from the Parole Board (approve an ISP for open conditions) only where:
Between 1 January and 31 March 2023, the Secretary of State for Justice accepted 14 and rejected 76 recommendations by the Parole Board to transfer an ISP to open conditions.
Asked by: Lord Blunkett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bellamy on 20 September (HL2073), what estimate they have made of the cost to the Exchequer of the delayed release of prisoners to whom the policy outlined in that answer applies.
Answered by Lord Bellamy
The Written Answer provided on 20 September 2022 (HL2073) confirmed that the reconsideration mechanism, which permits the Secretary of State or the prisoner to apply to the Parole Board for its provisional decision to be reconsidered, has not introduced significant delays or associated additional costs to the Exchequer, when it comes to the process for implementing release directions made by the Parole Board.
Asked by: Lord Blunkett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated annual cost of the new dual system which requires Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service to further review the Parole Board's recommendation for release of prisoners, including (1) the 21-day waiting period, and (2) the subsequent delay whilst the further confirmation is provided to the appropriate prison and probation staff for subsequent release.
Answered by Lord Bellamy
In July 2019 changes were made to the Parole Board Rules to permit the Secretary of State for Justice or the prisoner to apply to the Parole Board for reconsideration of a decision either to release or not release a parole-eligible prisoner. The changes mean that a decision is not final but only provisional for 21 days after the decision is first issued, to allow for the Secretary of State or the prisoner to apply for reconsideration, where they consider that the decision is irrational or was reached in a procedurally-flawed manner. The availability of the reconsideration mechanism has not introduced significant delays or associated additional costs to the release process. HMPPS does not suspend planning for the release of these prisoners during the reconsideration period.
The Public Protection Group, a part of HMPPS, set up a team to administer the review of Parole Board release decisions following the introduction of the reconsideration mechanism. The team reviews around 1,700 decisions a year, the annual cost of the team is c£580k.
Asked by: Lord Blunkett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress the National Probation Service has made towards freeing capacity to hear more Imprisonment for Public Protection release decision cases since the publication of the Joint IPP Action Plan, published by Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service and the Parole Board in June 2019.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar - Shadow Attorney General
Over the last two years, the Parole Board has adapted its operating model to increase its hearing capacity through the use of technology and via intensive paper reviews which led to a record 9202 oral hearings conducted in 2020/21, 938 more than in 2019/20. In 2020/21 the Parole Board completed a total 1566 oral hearings (reviews and recalls) for prisoners serving IPP sentences. This was a 3% increase from 2019/20.
Asked by: Lord Blunkett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support is available to (1) Imprisonment for Public Protection prisoners to address the mental health impact of their sentence, and (2) individuals serving an Imprisonment for Public Protection on licence in the community to prevent unnecessary recalls.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar - Shadow Attorney General
The IPP Action Plan is regularly reviewed to ensure that it is responsive to the needs of those serving IPP sentences, whether in prison andor in the community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, and in accordance with measures mandated in the interests of public health, HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) implemented exceptional delivery models which inevitably had some impact on all operational work. A large number of IPP prisoners have been released each year since the IPP Action Plan first introduced in 2016, and the Plan will be refreshed, reviewed and republished after careful consideration of the forthcoming Justice Select Committee’s Report and recommendations.
There have been four new E-learning modules introduced for the use of probation practitioners which cover different aspects of supporting offenders serving indeterminate sentences; three of the modules cover work with those serving IPP sentences specifically, whilst the fourth is about actions at the point of sentencing for life sentences.
The three packages cover progression through the sentence, taking into account individual need, the processes during the pre-release phase, and how to manage indeterminate sentenced offenders once they are released into the community.
These packages, available now, will also form part of the Continuous Professional Development packs currently being created by the Probation Service for operational staff.
We take mental health very seriously and recognise that providing the right interventions at the right time is vital to improve outcomes for people with mental health needs, including IPP offenders.
HMPPS is mindful that IPP prisoners do not have a definite release date and, on that account, provides each IPP prisoner with a key worker, as well as a qualified probation officer, to explain what they need to do to reduce their risk and to help them access the support services they need.
Health and justice partners have committed to providing a standard of health care in prisons equivalent to that available in the community. Through the National Partnership Agreement, health and justice partners are working closely to improve support and continuity of care when someone leaves prison. HMPPS continues to work with National Health Service England (NSHE) to develop RECONNECT, a care after custody service which supports vulnerable prison leavers in their transition to community-based health services.
The power to recall an offender to custody is a vital public protection measure when it comes to supervising any offender on licence. We have no evidence that probation officers are recalling IPP offenders to custody where they do not have compelling reason to do so. The HM Inspectorate of Probation Report – ‘A thematic review of probation recall culture and practice’ – published in 2020, found that the Probation Service is using recall appropriately, to prevent further serious offending and protect the public.
Probation officers explore other risk management steps to secure compliance and manage risk before requesting a recall. What might appear to be a relatively minor breach of a licence condition might, where the associated behaviour is similar to the behaviour when the offender committed the offence which attracted the IPP sentence, indicate that the offender needs to be recalled to protect the public.
Asked by: Lord Blunkett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress the National Probation Service has made towards delivering a strategy to develop skills of all (1) practitioners, and (2) operational line managers, to manage Imprisonment for Public Protection cases since the publication of the Joint IPP Action Plan, published by Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service and the Parole Board in June 2019.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar - Shadow Attorney General
The IPP Action Plan is regularly reviewed to ensure that it is responsive to the needs of those serving IPP sentences, whether in prison andor in the community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, and in accordance with measures mandated in the interests of public health, HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) implemented exceptional delivery models which inevitably had some impact on all operational work. A large number of IPP prisoners have been released each year since the IPP Action Plan first introduced in 2016, and the Plan will be refreshed, reviewed and republished after careful consideration of the forthcoming Justice Select Committee’s Report and recommendations.
There have been four new E-learning modules introduced for the use of probation practitioners which cover different aspects of supporting offenders serving indeterminate sentences; three of the modules cover work with those serving IPP sentences specifically, whilst the fourth is about actions at the point of sentencing for life sentences.
The three packages cover progression through the sentence, taking into account individual need, the processes during the pre-release phase, and how to manage indeterminate sentenced offenders once they are released into the community.
These packages, available now, will also form part of the Continuous Professional Development packs currently being created by the Probation Service for operational staff.
We take mental health very seriously and recognise that providing the right interventions at the right time is vital to improve outcomes for people with mental health needs, including IPP offenders.
HMPPS is mindful that IPP prisoners do not have a definite release date and, on that account, provides each IPP prisoner with a key worker, as well as a qualified probation officer, to explain what they need to do to reduce their risk and to help them access the support services they need.
Health and justice partners have committed to providing a standard of health care in prisons equivalent to that available in the community. Through the National Partnership Agreement, health and justice partners are working closely to improve support and continuity of care when someone leaves prison. HMPPS continues to work with National Health Service England (NSHE) to develop RECONNECT, a care after custody service which supports vulnerable prison leavers in their transition to community-based health services.
The power to recall an offender to custody is a vital public protection measure when it comes to supervising any offender on licence. We have no evidence that probation officers are recalling IPP offenders to custody where they do not have compelling reason to do so. The HM Inspectorate of Probation Report – ‘A thematic review of probation recall culture and practice’ – published in 2020, found that the Probation Service is using recall appropriately, to prevent further serious offending and protect the public.
Probation officers explore other risk management steps to secure compliance and manage risk before requesting a recall. What might appear to be a relatively minor breach of a licence condition might, where the associated behaviour is similar to the behaviour when the offender committed the offence which attracted the IPP sentence, indicate that the offender needs to be recalled to protect the public.
Asked by: Lord Blunkett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress the National Probation Service has made towards developing a package of learning for newly qualified officers on managing Imprisonment for Public Protection offenders since the publication of the Joint IPP Action Plan, published by Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service and the Parole Board in June 2019.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar - Shadow Attorney General
The IPP Action Plan is regularly reviewed to ensure that it is responsive to the needs of those serving IPP sentences, whether in prison andor in the community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, and in accordance with measures mandated in the interests of public health, HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) implemented exceptional delivery models which inevitably had some impact on all operational work. A large number of IPP prisoners have been released each year since the IPP Action Plan first introduced in 2016, and the Plan will be refreshed, reviewed and republished after careful consideration of the forthcoming Justice Select Committee’s Report and recommendations.
There have been four new E-learning modules introduced for the use of probation practitioners which cover different aspects of supporting offenders serving indeterminate sentences; three of the modules cover work with those serving IPP sentences specifically, whilst the fourth is about actions at the point of sentencing for life sentences.
The three packages cover progression through the sentence, taking into account individual need, the processes during the pre-release phase, and how to manage indeterminate sentenced offenders once they are released into the community.
These packages, available now, will also form part of the Continuous Professional Development packs currently being created by the Probation Service for operational staff.
We take mental health very seriously and recognise that providing the right interventions at the right time is vital to improve outcomes for people with mental health needs, including IPP offenders.
HMPPS is mindful that IPP prisoners do not have a definite release date and, on that account, provides each IPP prisoner with a key worker, as well as a qualified probation officer, to explain what they need to do to reduce their risk and to help them access the support services they need.
Health and justice partners have committed to providing a standard of health care in prisons equivalent to that available in the community. Through the National Partnership Agreement, health and justice partners are working closely to improve support and continuity of care when someone leaves prison. HMPPS continues to work with National Health Service England (NSHE) to develop RECONNECT, a care after custody service which supports vulnerable prison leavers in their transition to community-based health services.
The power to recall an offender to custody is a vital public protection measure when it comes to supervising any offender on licence. We have no evidence that probation officers are recalling IPP offenders to custody where they do not have compelling reason to do so. The HM Inspectorate of Probation Report – ‘A thematic review of probation recall culture and practice’ – published in 2020, found that the Probation Service is using recall appropriately, to prevent further serious offending and protect the public.
Probation officers explore other risk management steps to secure compliance and manage risk before requesting a recall. What might appear to be a relatively minor breach of a licence condition might, where the associated behaviour is similar to the behaviour when the offender committed the offence which attracted the IPP sentence, indicate that the offender needs to be recalled to protect the public.