Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps are being taken to support the reintegration of ex-offenders into society.

Effective reintegration of prison leavers is a core part of our efforts to reduce reoffending, as it aims to ensure that the elements proven to reduce reoffending are in place when an ex-offender re-enters society. This includes making sure someone has accommodation, family links where appropriate, access to healthcare, a job or further education, and/or access to benefits.

Reoffending rates for those homeless or rough sleeping on release are more than double those in settled accommodation. That is why, working alongside the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, we have committed to halving the proportion of prison leavers released to No Fixed Abode. Our prison based Strategic Housing Specialists work on delivering a multi-agency approach to securing housing in advance of release, including by establishing pre-release accommodation panels, which can include offering up to 12 weeks of HMPPS funded basic temporary accommodation as a contingency to provide the individual with a stable base on release.

Health and Justice Partnership Coordinators work with health partners to ensure that offenders sustain engagement in treatment where appropriate. And to aid employment on release, we have launched regional Employment Councils, which for the first time bring businesses together with prisons, probation and the Department of Work and Pensions to support offenders leaving prison.