Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of extending the Armed Forces Covenant Duty on his Departmental responsibilities.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice adheres to the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty. The principles inform a range of work across the Department. For example, in 2021, the Ministry of Justice was one of the first Departments to participate in the now civil service-wide initiative Great Place to Work for Veterans. Additionally, we introduced Advance into Justice in March 2022 as a fast-track scheme for service personnel leaving the Armed Forces to become prison officers. The scheme has since been expanded to include a wider range of roles across His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and for all those who have served in the Armed Forces, as well including spouses and legal partners of service personnel.
Across the prison estate, almost all prisons have a Veterans in Custody Support Officer to provide tailored support to veterans who find themselves in prison. HMPPS also delivers services via many third sector organisations (including military charities such as SSAFA) who provide a prison in-reach service offering resettlement advice to veterans whilst in custody and guidance in preparation for release. We also have 2 Veterans Activity Hubs at HMP/YOI Holme House and HMP Risley which provide safe and supportive spaces for former service personnel in custody.
The Department will continue to work with the Ministry of Defence on the Covenant’s Statutory Guidance and implementation.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing a new approach to help tackle hyper prolific offending through (a) the monitoring of offenders, (b) effective intervention programmes and (c) the enforcement of appropriate legal penalties; and whether she has had discussions with the Police Service of Northern Ireland on the potential impact of its Reducing Offenders Unit on crime rates.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
We take prolific offending seriously and recognise that prolific offenders commit a disproportionate number of offences. Between 2000 and 2021, for example, prolific offenders represented nearly 10% of offenders but accounted for just over 50% of convictions.
That clearly cannot continue. That is why the Lord Chancellor asked David Gauke to specifically consider the issue of prolific offenders as part of the Sentencing Review, to ensure that we have fewer crimes committed by prolific criminals.
Prolific offenders often have a complex set of needs, and to tackle the underlying causes of offending community sentences may also have rehabilitative requirements attached, including drug, alcohol and mental health difficulties. We are:
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of tackling (a) trauma, (b) addiction and (c) mental health in reducing the rate of re-offending among young people; and whether she has had discussions with (i) UHub in North Down and (ii) other organisations that (A) provide counselling and (B) promote emotional well-being.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
The Ministry of Justice recognises that addressing trauma, substance misuse and mental health challenges among young people is key to reducing re-offending rates – and that early intervention and prevention is an important part of this. In England and Wales, the Ministry of Justice has provided over £100 million to Youth Offending Teams this year, to support their delivery of needs-based interventions to reduce their risk of reoffending.
As justice is devolved in Northern Ireland, I have not discussed youth justice matters with uHub in North Down. However, in England and Wales, the Ministry of Justice works with a range of organisations that provide counselling and promote emotional wellbeing, including through our Turnaround youth justice early intervention programme.