Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will take steps to ensure that new temporary accommodation to support prison leavers at risk of homelessness will be situated in places that are not likely to increase the risk of further reoffending.

This Government is determined to continue driving down reoffending rates, to make our streets safer and reduce the £18bn annual cost of reoffending. The overall reoffending rate has already fallen from 31% in 2009/10 to 26% in 2019/20.

The provision of temporary accommodation for prison leavers is a key part of our work to further reduce reoffending - we know that offenders are around 50 per cent more likely to commit crimes again if released without somewhere to stay. The provision of more temporary accommodation for prison leavers forms part of our plans to spend £200m a year by 2024-25 to reduce reoffending.

As part of this, HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has launched a service providing up to 12 weeks’ basic accommodation and support for those leaving prison at risk of homelessness. Originally launched in 5 probation regions, the provision is being fully rolled out across England and Wales this year, supporting the thousands of prison leavers who leave prison each year who would otherwise lack stable accommodation. We launched the competition for new contracts on 18 May 2022.

In terms of the locations of new temporary accommodation, the provider of the accommodation must obtain HMPPS’ approval for new accommodation before it can be used. Information received by the Authority from the police or local authority helps to inform the decision, and a Community Probation Practitioner will risk assess whether the accommodation is suitable for the offender. In this way, it is ensured that new temporary accommodation is in appropriate locations.