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| Payment-by-results plan for offender supervision comes under fire | Payment-by-results plan for offender supervision comes under fire |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Senior probation officers have attacked plans to offer private companies and charities payment-by-results for supervising people released from jail. | Senior probation officers have attacked plans to offer private companies and charities payment-by-results for supervising people released from jail. |
| Supervisors would be paid according to how well they prevented reoffending in inmates' first year after release. | Supervisors would be paid according to how well they prevented reoffending in inmates' first year after release. |
| But the Probation Chiefs Association said the payment-by-results plan was "untried and untested". | But the Probation Chiefs Association said the payment-by-results plan was "untried and untested". |
| Defending the plan, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said it was "all about reducing crime". | Defending the plan, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said it was "all about reducing crime". |
| Mr Grayling told BBC Radio 5 live: "The truth is that reoffending is currently rising. | Mr Grayling told BBC Radio 5 live: "The truth is that reoffending is currently rising. |
| "600,000 crimes a year are committed by people who are going round and round the system." | "600,000 crimes a year are committed by people who are going round and round the system." |
| He confirmed that for the first time, the government will be spending money on people who go to jail for less than 12 months. | He confirmed that for the first time, the government will be spending money on people who go to jail for less than 12 months. |
| In a separate interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme he said: "The biggest block of those that reoffend are those that are in prison for less than a year... they leave with only £46 in their pocket and that's it." | In a separate interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme he said: "The biggest block of those that reoffend are those that are in prison for less than a year... they leave with only £46 in their pocket and that's it." |
| The current system supports some 250,000 ex-offenders a year, he said, while the new plan would bring another 50,000 or so people jailed for up to 12 months into the net. | The current system supports some 250,000 ex-offenders a year, he said, while the new plan would bring another 50,000 or so people jailed for up to 12 months into the net. |
| He told the Today programme: "We have a system at the moment where only around 25% of probation time is spent working with offenders. | He told the Today programme: "We have a system at the moment where only around 25% of probation time is spent working with offenders. |
| "There has got to be room for efficiency in the system - and for the big section that aren't getting support," he added. | "There has got to be room for efficiency in the system - and for the big section that aren't getting support," he added. |
| MPs are set to continue debating the government's legislative programme as set out in the Queen's Speech, focusing on home affairs. | MPs are set to continue debating the government's legislative programme as set out in the Queen's Speech, focusing on home affairs. |
| The so-called payment-by-results measures will affect about 65,000 offenders a year in England and Wales - the majority of whom would at present receive no supervision at all when they leave jail. | The so-called payment-by-results measures will affect about 65,000 offenders a year in England and Wales - the majority of whom would at present receive no supervision at all when they leave jail. |
| Currently, there is no statutory supervision for those sentenced to less than 12 months once they are freed. | Currently, there is no statutory supervision for those sentenced to less than 12 months once they are freed. |
| Offenders serving longer terms are monitored by the probation service for about the same length of time as their prison sentence - for example, an offender given an 18 month sentence will serve nine months in prison, and nine months on licence in the community. | Offenders serving longer terms are monitored by the probation service for about the same length of time as their prison sentence - for example, an offender given an 18 month sentence will serve nine months in prison, and nine months on licence in the community. |
| 'Best value' | 'Best value' |
| Under Mr Grayling's plans all prisoners, whether they are let out after two weeks, two months or two years, will receive support for a minimum of 12 months to help them find accommodation, get a job or training and tackle any alcohol or drug problems they may have. | Under Mr Grayling's plans all prisoners, whether they are let out after two weeks, two months or two years, will receive support for a minimum of 12 months to help them find accommodation, get a job or training and tackle any alcohol or drug problems they may have. |
| It will mean supervision for 50,000 prisoners sentenced to less than a year and extra monitoring for 15,000 who are given prison terms of 12 months to two years. | It will mean supervision for 50,000 prisoners sentenced to less than a year and extra monitoring for 15,000 who are given prison terms of 12 months to two years. |
| Unveiling the plans, Mr Grayling said: "This is all about ensuring we deliver real, long-term rehabilitation and support - that there's somebody, a mentor, to work alongside a prisoner for a good period of time." | Unveiling the plans, Mr Grayling said: "This is all about ensuring we deliver real, long-term rehabilitation and support - that there's somebody, a mentor, to work alongside a prisoner for a good period of time." |
| The justice secretary said he was not "setting the rules" on levels of supervision - some offenders will be monitored intensively, others less so. But the prison estate will be reorganised so that most offenders are released into the area where they will be supervised. | The justice secretary said he was not "setting the rules" on levels of supervision - some offenders will be monitored intensively, others less so. But the prison estate will be reorganised so that most offenders are released into the area where they will be supervised. |
| The objective is to reduce recidivism rates, but he said he did not anticipate a "sudden drop-off". | The objective is to reduce recidivism rates, but he said he did not anticipate a "sudden drop-off". |
| The latest figures, published by the Ministry of Justice, show that 46.9 % of adult prisoners commit a further offence within a year of release. For those sentenced to less than a year, the figure is 58.2 %. | The latest figures, published by the Ministry of Justice, show that 46.9 % of adult prisoners commit a further offence within a year of release. For those sentenced to less than a year, the figure is 58.2 %. |
| Mr Grayling said: "I expect - and aim to see - a steady, step-by-step reduction year by year." | Mr Grayling said: "I expect - and aim to see - a steady, step-by-step reduction year by year." |
| However, the government is not providing any extra funding; the supervision, under a system of 21 contracts, will be the responsibility of voluntary groups, charities and private companies, who will be paid in full only if a certain proportion of offenders don't commit further crimes. | However, the government is not providing any extra funding; the supervision, under a system of 21 contracts, will be the responsibility of voluntary groups, charities and private companies, who will be paid in full only if a certain proportion of offenders don't commit further crimes. |
| Contracts will be awarded on the basis of "best value and innovation" in tackling re-offending. | Contracts will be awarded on the basis of "best value and innovation" in tackling re-offending. |
| 'Dead horse' | 'Dead horse' |
| Sue Hall, chair of the Probation Chiefs Association, questioned whether the system would be robust enough to ensure that the "behaviour you pay for is the behaviour you want". | Sue Hall, chair of the Probation Chiefs Association, questioned whether the system would be robust enough to ensure that the "behaviour you pay for is the behaviour you want". |
| She said: "Payment by results is untried and untested in the community at the moment, where the supervision of offenders is concerned... we don't actually have any hard evidence." | She said: "Payment by results is untried and untested in the community at the moment, where the supervision of offenders is concerned... we don't actually have any hard evidence." |
| Sarah Billiald, also of the Probation Chiefs Association, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme she would ask Mr Grayling why he was replacing a good service with an untested one. | Sarah Billiald, also of the Probation Chiefs Association, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme she would ask Mr Grayling why he was replacing a good service with an untested one. |
| She said: "Our message is to ask really, why, when you have such a high performing service... it has met all its targets... why would you not build on that success rather than dismantling it later?" | She said: "Our message is to ask really, why, when you have such a high performing service... it has met all its targets... why would you not build on that success rather than dismantling it later?" |
| Responding to her question on BBC Radio 5 live, Mr Grayling said: "There's good work being done in the probation service but the truth is that reoffending is currently rising. | Responding to her question on BBC Radio 5 live, Mr Grayling said: "There's good work being done in the probation service but the truth is that reoffending is currently rising. |
| "There is some really first rate work being done in the voluntary sector and I'm looking to capture the best of the public and private sector." | "There is some really first rate work being done in the voluntary sector and I'm looking to capture the best of the public and private sector." |
| Andrew Neilson, of the Howard League for Penal Reform, argued that the plans represented "an admission of the abject failure of short-term prison sentences". | Andrew Neilson, of the Howard League for Penal Reform, argued that the plans represented "an admission of the abject failure of short-term prison sentences". |
| "These plans set people up to fail. Rather than scrapping short prison terms, the government is creating disproportionate sentences for minor crimes, so that a two-week prison sentence becomes a year and two weeks of being trapped in the criminal justice system." | "These plans set people up to fail. Rather than scrapping short prison terms, the government is creating disproportionate sentences for minor crimes, so that a two-week prison sentence becomes a year and two weeks of being trapped in the criminal justice system." |
| The government should make greater use of community sentences rather than "flogging the dead horse of short-term prison sentences," he concluded. | The government should make greater use of community sentences rather than "flogging the dead horse of short-term prison sentences," he concluded. |
| But the Rehabilitation of Addicted Prisoners Trust (Rapt), which provides drug treatment services for offenders, welcomed the idea of enhanced monitoring and support. | But the Rehabilitation of Addicted Prisoners Trust (Rapt), which provides drug treatment services for offenders, welcomed the idea of enhanced monitoring and support. |
| Mike Trace, Rapt's chief executive, said it would be possible to achieve greater supervision without significantly more resources - as long as the process didn't get bogged down in bureaucracy. | Mike Trace, Rapt's chief executive, said it would be possible to achieve greater supervision without significantly more resources - as long as the process didn't get bogged down in bureaucracy. |
| "If we can get very creative and very efficient methods of supervision we can improve it," Mr Trace said. | "If we can get very creative and very efficient methods of supervision we can improve it," Mr Trace said. |
| "If we end up with very much paperwork exercises that offenders are not motivated or inspired by, we end up with the same old problems." | "If we end up with very much paperwork exercises that offenders are not motivated or inspired by, we end up with the same old problems." |
| Colin Lambert, a former prisoner and now project manager at the offender charity St Giles Trust, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was a "great idea". | |
| "It makes no sense to put people in prison for a short period and then let them out in exactly the same situation or worse than when they went in | |
| "I know that they are saying payment-by-results is untested, but what we have now doesn't work so we need new ideas," he said. | "I know that they are saying payment-by-results is untested, but what we have now doesn't work so we need new ideas," he said. |
| St Giles, which works with ex-offenders, is involved in a number of payment-by-results programmes already, Mr Lambert added. | St Giles, which works with ex-offenders, is involved in a number of payment-by-results programmes already, Mr Lambert added. |
| "It's the sort of work that St Giles has been doing now for a number of years." | "It's the sort of work that St Giles has been doing now for a number of years." |