Oral Answers to Questions

Caroline Voaden Excerpts

Tuesday 3rd June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Alison Bennett (Mid Sussex) (LD)]

18. What assessment she has made of the adequacy of rehabilitative programmes in prisons.

[Caroline Voaden (South Devon) (LD)]

24. What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of increasing support for rehabilitation programmes.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Sir Nicholas Dakin)]

A key priority of this Government is that our prisons rehabilitate offenders, making them better citizens rather than better criminals. I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the fantastic prison staff, who mentor and support prisoners in custody every day. I saw at first hand the benefit of the creating future opportunities programme when I visited HMP Humber in April.

--- Later in debate ---

[Sir Nicholas Dakin]

The hon. Member is right to highlight dyslexia, and neurodiversity is common among people in our prisons. That is why we have neurodiversity officers in each prison to ensure that we are doing our very best for these people so that they can be rehabilitated and become better citizens when they come out of prison.

[Caroline Voaden]

The former chief inspector of prisons said that LandWorks in my constituency

“provides one of the best examples in the country of how we can reduce reoffending, turn lives around and prevent future victims.”

Its reoffending rate is just 6%. The Government have announced £2.3 billion towards prison builds over the next two years. When will they commit to investing in projects like LandWorks that can radically reduce the prison population, transform the lives of offenders and cut crime?

[Sir Nicholas Dakin]

Third sector organisations like LandWorks deliver valuable rehabilitation, wellbeing support and advocacy services across England and Wales, and they partner effectively with HMPPS in many different ways. The work of key organisations like the one the hon. Member mentions is incredibly important and essential in reducing reoffending, and we continue to invest in it. I would be happy to meet her to discuss the matter further and see what more can be done.