Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of community sentences in addressing the (a) health and (b) social needs of people who repeatedly reoffend.

We are committed to diverting vulnerable offenders with mental health and substance misuse needs away from prison or out of the criminal justice system altogether, where appropriate.

Many people who have committed low-level offences can be managed more effectively in the community, with the right treatment and support to tackle the health-related causes of their offending behaviour, than on short custodial sentences. In addition to addressing issues around substance misuse and mental health, community sentence treatment requirements can also help to improve social needs around housing, benefits and primary care for example.

In September 2024, the Institute for Public Safety Crime and Justice published the Community Sentence Treatment Requirement Multisite Report July 2020 to June 2024 with a focus on Mental Health Treatment Requirements (MHTRs). Overall, the results presented in this report showed that MHTR interventions had a statistically significant benefit in terms of mental distress, anxiety and depression. 76% of service users experienced a positive reliable change in terms of global distress, 60% experienced positive reliable change in terms of anxiety and 53% experienced a positive reliable change in terms of depression. Overall, for those who completed a MHTR, 82% experienced a positive reliable change in at least one of the psychometrics measured.

We are piloting Intensive Supervision Courts (ISCs), diverting some offenders with complex needs away from short custodial sentences to enhanced community sentences aimed at addressing multiple needs linked to their offending. The process evaluation interim report found that some participants on ISCs reported reduced substance misuse, improved mental wellbeing and self-esteem, and improved relationships with their families.