We published "Joining Forces to Protect the Public" in August last year. This set out, among other things, our plans for developing the effectiveness of the joint work undertaken by the Prison Service and the probation services aimed at reducing re-offending and protecting the public. We called the package of improvements described, "the Zero Plus agenda". This has now been amplified into a broader agenda which lies at the heart of our correctional policy. Part of the original agenda was our promise to develop a national correctional policy framework to set the direction for the work of the thousands of people presently engaged in working with offenders.

This document for the first time sets out a common policy framework for the work of the two services. We have put the focus firmly on outcomes - reduced re-offending and improved public protection. Success will be measured in those terms. The achievement of this common aim - Home Office Aim 4 - must be a first consideration for everyone engaged in delivering correctional policy, and not an afterthought. The delivery of these outcomes is a joint enterprise involving a wide range of partners across the Criminal Justice System and in the independent sector beyond it. This framework is part of our effort to bind the key players to the common purpose of reducing re-offending and into a unified force capable of taking on the problems which have for years proved so intractable. Purpose is the motivating and unifying force for achievement. The framework provides that purpose, but is only a beginning. It will set the policy context for the work that we shall be taking forward together. It places a sizeable burden on the leaders in both services, but they have already taken forward a valuable range of new joint initiatives. Working together in common cause, the Prison and probation services have the necessary skills and enthusiasm required to make a major contribution to crime reduction. My expectations will remain therefore justifiably high.

1. Over-arching and unifying aims

The Government has established over-arching, unifying aims for the Criminal Justice System:

• Aim A - to reduce crime and the fear of crime and their social and economic costs
• Aim B - to dispense justice fairly and efficiently and to promote confidence in the rule of law

1. Reduction in crime, particularly youth crime, and fear of crime; and the maintenance of public safety and good order.

2. Delivery of justice through effective and efficient investigation, prosecution, trial and sentencing, and through support for victims.

3. Prevention of terrorism, reduction in other organised and international crime and protection against threats to national security.

4. Effective execution of the sentences of the courts so as to reduce re-offending and protect the public.

To build a safe, just and tolerant society in which the rights and responsibilities of individuals, families and communities are properly balanced and the protection and the security of the public are maintained.

2. Purpose

Effective execution of the sentences of the courts so as to reduce re-offending and protect the public
 

3. Why?

• Those who commit crime should be punished in ways which prevent re-offending
• Ensuring that the court's decision is enforced provides the best chance of preventing re-offending and that respect for law is reinforced
• The public is protected by knowing that the court's decisions are implemented, that their safety is paramount during the currency of the sentence, and that the time under sentence is used effectively to prevent re-offending

The sentence of the court is delivered by:

• Holding prisoners in custody for as long as the court decides
• Satisfactory completion of community sentences and licences, and firm breach action in accordance with National Standards if not
• Recall to prison if necessary
• Accurate and consistent and continuing assessment of risk

• Effective and co-ordinated sentence planning throughout the sentence
• Development of relevant programmes drawn from evidence based success criteria and the "what works" agenda
• Targeting programmes on those requiring them
• Working in partnership to improve literacy, job skills, employment opportunities, family support and access to housing
• Effective transition of offenders between agencies and to the community

• Allocation to the most suitable setting within the order of the court
• Effective enforcement of sentences
• Effective supervision and risk assessment
• Effective and prompt action taken on the basis of risk assessment as circumstances change
• Constructive use of time in a safe and secure custodial setting

HO Aim 1 seeks a reduction in the overall rate of crime. The prisons and probation crime reduction programme is designed to reduce re-offending. It is based on principles derived from the analysis of a large body of international data, which show that certain ways of working with offenders can bring about substantial reductions in re-offending. These are not theoretical reductions in crime. They are real gains, which already have an impact on the effectiveness of custodial penalties, and will soon impact similarly in respect of community penalties. Among mixed offender populations, well-run programmes can expect to achieve a reduction in recidivism of 10%-15% against an untreated comparison group. Improvements of up to 25% have been demonstrated where programmes are targeted at high-risk offenders. Since offenders under supervision and in prison tend to be repeat offenders reductions in their offending will have a more pronounced effect on the overall crime rate.

HO Aim 2 is about dispensing justice. Pre-conviction and pre-sentence work undertaken by the Prison and probation services enables the courts to make more informed decisions central to a fair trial process and effective sentencing decisions. For example, risk assessment in the context of bail information services, the secure but humane accommodation of remand prisoners and the provision of high quality and accurate pre-sentence reporting to the courts, all impact on Aim 2.

The principles and commitments expressed in this framework in respect of post-sentence work apply equally to all work undertaken by the Prison and probation services in support of delivering Aims 1 and 2.

8. Who?

The framework sets out what needs to be done to achieve the outcomes described in Aim 4; describes the joint nature of that enterprise; and the mechanisms for assessing progress.

Within the Home Office, the policy framework supporting the delivery of this Aim is the responsibility of the Director of Sentencing and Correctional Policy. Her role is to produce coherence across the entire range of work with offenders in England and Wales. Co-ordination of policy implementation involves key leaders from the Prison Service, the probation services, the Probation Unit and the Correctional Policy Unit meeting in the Joint Strategic Planning Forum.

But to make it work on the ground, Aim 4 requires the key stakeholders to work in close collaboration with each other and in wider partnerships with a range of organisations, services and agencies within and outside the Criminal Justice System. The commitment and contributions of these other partners is therefore crucial.

The policy framework focuses at present on the services provided by the prison and probation services which are designed to reduce re-offending and protect the public both in and beyond executing the fact of the sentence itself and compliance with it, but recognises the important contribution made by other organisations. Related services to the public and the courts are also provided by:

• police forces
• the Youth Justice Board
• social services
• the National Health Service, where convicted offenders fall within their jurisdiction
• employment services
• housing associations and accommodation specialists
• their partner agencies in the private and voluntary sectors

Correctional policy is a direct response to needs expressed publicly by the Government for improved integration of the work of the Prison and probation services, two organisations primarily involved in controlling and changing the offending behaviour of convicted offenders. This needs to be done in support of the published aims and objectives for the Criminal Justice System and the Home Office; and reinforces the need for effective links between them and other organisations within and outside the criminal justice system which deliver parallel or related services.

The Government has described five outcomes to which they expect correctional policy to contribute:
 

• Reduced re-offending
• Improved public protection
• "Seamless" execution of the sentences of the courts
• Maximised public confidence in community punishments
• Increased cost effectiveness of service delivery

• Prison sentences are served partly in the community under licence restrictions aimed at protecting the public and assisting reform and resettlement
• The vast majority of offenders sentenced to custody will one day need to be reintegrated into society, many within a short space of time
• Many offenders serving community sentences have experienced custody, and many in custody have served completed community sentences
• The work of one service with offenders must therefore build on the work of the other, and vice versa

• Shared aims and objectives
• Co-ordinated planning
• Common approaches to the management of offender programmes
• Shared sentence planning
• Common principles underpinning risk assessment, the accreditation of offender programmes and programme evaluation
• A shared view of best practice
• Harmonised training and staff development
• Effective sharing of information and ideas that work to reduce re-offending and improve public protection.

At present, the courts have only limited scope to target sentences on what is needed to tackle offending behaviour. Sentences also cannot be modified as they progress to reflect how offenders are responding, and sanctions against breaches of non-custodial sentences are often ineffectual. We are developing proposals for a more flexible form of sentence. This will incorporate a mix of custodial and non-custodial regimes and programmes , with provision for any of those elements to be triggered by offenders' behaviour and by their needs in tackling the causes of their offending. Correctional and sentencing policies have also been integrated more closely within the Home Office so that the range and combinations of disposals available to sentencers is complemented by seamless operational practice undertaken by those charged with the effective execution of the courts' sentences. This common developmental approach is under the command of the new post of Director of Sentencing and Correctional Policy.

11. What Works

Correctional policy is driven by "What Works" principles. This means that offending behaviour programmes should involve planned interventions over a specified period of time which can be shown to change positively attitudes, beliefs, behaviour and social circumstances. Usually, they will be characterised by a sequence of activities designed to achieve clearly defined objectives based on a theoretical model or empirical evidence. There should also be a capacity to replicate the programme with different offenders to achieve the same results.

12. Offending Behaviour Programmes

These programmes, based on What Works principles, form an important element of the Crime Reduction Programme. As part of an evolving process, these programmes will involve ever greater numbers of offenders, and taken together will enable the Prison and probation services to tackle volume crime and serious, violent and sex crime in a more systematic way. They therefore provide a vital opportunity for the services and their partners to enhance their contribution to the achievement of HO Aim 1 through the better achievement of HO Aim 4. The programmes include among others:
 

• General Offending Programmes suitable for most adult males with varying levels of intensity relating to risk;
• Violent Offender Programmes including anger management;
• Racially Motivated Offender Programmes
• Domestic Violence Programmes including perpetrator and victim support modules
• Motoring Offender Programmes including drink/driving and TWOC
• Black and Asian Offender Programmes;
• Women Offender Programmes including general offence focus and specifically, female violence;
• Substance Misuse Programmes focussed on links with offending behaviour rather than individual treatment;
• Probation or Partnership Hostel Regimes;

Sex Offender Programmes suitable for medium/high risk adult paedophiles, rapists and other sex offenders; relapse prevention for prison Sex offender Treatment Programme graduates.

Joining Forces to Protect the Public (1998)