Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which countries Just Solutions International (JSI) has worked with since it was established; what contracts it has with foreign companies; what visits Ministers in his Department have made relating to JSI; and what payments JSI has received from foreign contracts.

Just Solutions International (JSi) is a brand within the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). Over the last two years, NOMS has worked with the following countries, some of them under the JSi brand. As the NOMS commercial work through the JSi brand is not separated out from non-commercial international work, the list below simply indicates where a charge to the country or the EU was applied (*). This does not include visits by other Governments to the UK for purposes of information exchange:

Pakistan

Libya

Oman (*)

Seychelles (*)

Nigeria

Macedonia

Bermuda (*)

Cayman Islands (*)

China (*)

Kosovo (*)

Turkey (*)

NOMS does not have any contracts with foreign companies related to commercial work routed through the JSi brand and has not previously entered into any nor received payments relating to such contracts.

No Ministerial visits abroad have been arranged to support NOMS’ commercial work.

Specifics of payments for commercial contracts delivered cannot be provided as they are commercially sensitive.

Part of the rationale for our work with other countries is to impact positively on human rights practices. We believe that by bringing our standards on issues such as human rights into international delivery we will improve detention practices. Our correctional services provide a gold standard in human rights, and are well viewed by other Governments who take a similar view to us on the paramount importance of the protection and promotion of human rights. When other countries approach us for assistance, we are clear that we will only offer advice and support that complies with our own stringent human rights standards.

It has been government policy for many years to work with overseas governments and help them develop their criminal justice systems.