Offenders: Rehabilitation

(asked on 19th February 2021) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, (b) Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government and (c) Chancellor of the Exchequer on the steps he plans to take to meet the target set by the Crime and Justice Task Force to get 75 per cent of prison leavers with an assessed substance misuse need to engage in treatment within three weeks of leaving prison.


Answered by
Lucy Frazer Portrait
Lucy Frazer
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
This question was answered on 1st March 2021

The Prime Minister’s Crime and Justice Taskforce (CJTF) was established last year to consider matters relating to the prevention of crime and the effectiveness of the Criminal Justice System including combating drug misuse.

It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.

In response to diverting people away from offending, the Ministry of Justice is strengthening out of court disposals by putting into legislation the framework for a nationally consistent two-tier system, based on that developed by the National Police Chief Council (NPCC).This involves close working with the Home Office, the NPCC and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners who are involved routinely at both a strategic and working level.

Additionally, DHSC have received £80m to tackle drug misuse in 2021-22. The bulk of the funding (£65m circa) will be given to for local authorities via a specific grant allocation to support delivery of services specifically for the offender cohort. This funding will be used to introduce specialist criminal justice drug and alcohol workers who will be based in police stations, courts or prisons with a remit to identify and screen individuals in order to divert them into treatment.

Reticulating Splines