Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps his Department has taken to help support prisoners reintegrate into society.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Effective resettlement of prison leavers is a core part of our efforts to reduce re-offending. This includes making sure someone has a home, family links where appropriate, access to healthcare, a job or further education, and/or access to benefits.
We know that employment reduces the chance of reoffending significantly, by up to nine percentage points. The proportion of prisoners released from custody employed at six months rose by almost two thirds between April 2021 and March 2022. That is an increase of nine percentage points, from 14% to 23%.
We also know that supporting prisoners to tackle addictions is important to reduce reoffending. MoJ is investing up to £120m to support more offenders into treatment – including increasing the number of Incentivised Substance Free Living units to up to 100, and establishing up to 18 new, abstinence-only Drug Recovery Wings.
Our temporary accommodation service is designed to ensure that prison leavers at risk of homelessness have a stable base on release, improving their opportunities for employment.
The introduction of Resettlement Passports will bring together the key information and services that are needed to resettle in the community, such as bank accounts, CVs and identity documents to prove the right to work and rent.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2022 to Question 125417 on Prisoners’ Release: Females, how his Department defines homelessness in the context of accommodation outcomes for prison leavers.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Our Prisons Strategy White Paper sets out our vision that no-one subject to probation supervision is released from prison homeless. By 2024-5, we will invest £200m per year to transform our approach to rehabilitation. We have issued the Community Accommodation Service-Tier 3 (CAS3) prior information notice which is available via the following link: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000136-2022.
HMPPS defines homelessness, in accordance with the legal definition, as being where the individual does not have any accommodation available and reasonable for them to occupy, including where they may be rough sleeping, squatting or in a night shelter, emergency hostel, or campsite.
Information regarding the number of women leaving prison who make use of housing specialists is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Between July and December 2021, 659 women accessed accommodation support through the Commissioned Rehabilitation Services (CRS), either before or after being released from custody. All offenders who leave prison are provided support through Community Probation Practitioners.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2022 to Question 125417 on Prisoners’ Release: Females, how many women leaving prison accessed (a) community probation practitioners, (b) women’s commissioned rehabilitation service and (c) housing specialists.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Our Prisons Strategy White Paper sets out our vision that no-one subject to probation supervision is released from prison homeless. By 2024-5, we will invest £200m per year to transform our approach to rehabilitation. We have issued the Community Accommodation Service-Tier 3 (CAS3) prior information notice which is available via the following link: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000136-2022.
HMPPS defines homelessness, in accordance with the legal definition, as being where the individual does not have any accommodation available and reasonable for them to occupy, including where they may be rough sleeping, squatting or in a night shelter, emergency hostel, or campsite.
Information regarding the number of women leaving prison who make use of housing specialists is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Between July and December 2021, 659 women accessed accommodation support through the Commissioned Rehabilitation Services (CRS), either before or after being released from custody. All offenders who leave prison are provided support through Community Probation Practitioners.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2022 to Question 125417 on Prisoners’ Release: Females, if he will publish a proposed timeline for the national expansion of the Community Accommodation Service-Tier 3 (CAS3) provision.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Our Prisons Strategy White Paper sets out our vision that no-one subject to probation supervision is released from prison homeless. By 2024-5, we will invest £200m per year to transform our approach to rehabilitation. We have issued the Community Accommodation Service-Tier 3 (CAS3) prior information notice which is available via the following link: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000136-2022.
HMPPS defines homelessness, in accordance with the legal definition, as being where the individual does not have any accommodation available and reasonable for them to occupy, including where they may be rough sleeping, squatting or in a night shelter, emergency hostel, or campsite.
Information regarding the number of women leaving prison who make use of housing specialists is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Between July and December 2021, 659 women accessed accommodation support through the Commissioned Rehabilitation Services (CRS), either before or after being released from custody. All offenders who leave prison are provided support through Community Probation Practitioners.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that people subject to short custodial prison sentences do not become homeless upon leaving prison.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Our Prisons Strategy White Paper sets out our vision that no one who is subject to probation supervision is released from prison homeless.
There will be a Short Sentence Function implemented in all regions by June 2022 who will work with all people on probation with 10 months or less to serve in prison. This will enable them to be fast tracked and offered direct engagement.
All sentenced people (including those on short term sentences) are eligible for support from specialist providers, including accommodation specialists. They will receive support prior to release to address their identified needs, including sustaining tenancies as appropriate.
We have introduced a new provision of temporary accommodation and support for up to 12 weeks after release for prison leavers at risk of homelessness. Initially launched in 5 probation regions, we will expand this service nationally.
In 2021, we also introduced Housing Specialists in twenty prisons, including four women’s prisons, to support prisons and probation in their strategic response to reducing homelessness. We intend to increase these to 48 across England and Wales, including across the women’s estate.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing women who are due to be released from prison to claim universal credit before their release date to prevent destitution.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Prisoners are not entitled to Universal Credit because they are already housed and fed by the prison estate. An exception to this is where single persons expected to serve short term sentences of 6 months or less, or who are on remand, may retain entitlement to the housing costs element of Universal Credit for up to 6 months, to safeguard tenancies and prevent homelessness on release.
DWP has around 200 Prison Work Coaches based in prisons across Great Britain who provide employment support during sentence in preparation for release, and support in preparing to make a Universal Credit claim on release. We also provide a dedicated National Universal Credit phone line, which gives quick access to the benefit system for those unable to claim online. Claimants then have access to financial support from the day they claim through Universal Credit advance payments – paid up to 100% of their expected monthly entitlement.
Asked by: Lord Strasburger (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the annual report by the Independent Monitoring Board at HMP/Young Offenders Institute Bronzefield, published in November 2021; in particular, the finding that 77 per cent of women prisoners faced homelessness on release; and what plans they have to establish a funded pathway that ensures women leaving prison have access to safe and secure accommodation.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
We appreciate the work of the Independent Monitoring Boards (IMBs) and welcome the scrutiny they provide, including the findings of this report on HMP & YOI Bronzefield. Their findings regarding accommodation for female prison leavers reflect the specific challenges women face in securing suitable accommodation.
Our Prisons Strategy White Paper sets out our vision that no-one subject to probation supervision is released from prison homeless.
To achieve this, HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) launched a new transitional accommodation service providing up to 12 weeks' accommodation and support for those leaving prison at risk of homelessness. The service was initially launched last July in five probation areas in England, including in Kent Surrey and Sussex. From 2024-5, we will invest £200m per year to transform our approach to rehabilitation. This includes expanding the transitional accommodation service across England and Wales to support the thousands of people who leave prison each year without accommodation, as announced in the Prison Strategy White Paper published in December 2021.
The transitional accommodation takes account of the needs of women, including those with complex needs, with accommodation provision dedicated to single gender usage as required.
HMPPS has also introduced Housing Specialists in twenty prisons, including HMP Bronzefield, to support prisons to be more strategic in their response to reducing homelessness, including working in partnership with Probation teams and Local Authorities to develop accommodation pathways on release from prison. Our White Paper outlines our commitment to increase the number of Housing Specialists to 48 across England and Wales, including within the female estate.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) launched their Accommodation for Ex-Offenders (AFEO) scheme on 28 July 2021 to support offenders at risk of homelessness into private rental tenancies. Overall, this financial year, £13 million has been allocated to 87 schemes across 145 local authorities. Combined with our temporary accommodation service, this builds a pathway from prison to settled accommodation.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 26 January 2022 to Question 109322 on Prisoners' Release: Females, whether he has a targets to reduce the proportion of women recorded as being homeless or rough sleeping at the point of release.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Our Prisons Strategy White Paper sets out our vision that no-one subject to probation supervision is released from prison homeless. By 2024-25 we will spend £200 million a year to reduce reoffending, including expanding the transitional accommodation service across England and Wales to support those leaving prison without accommodation.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) launched their Accommodation for Ex-Offenders (AFEO) scheme on 28 July 2021 to support offenders at risk of homelessness into private rental tenancies. Overall, this financial year, £13 million has been allocated to 87 schemes across 145 local authorities. Combined with our temporary accommodation service, this builds a pathway from prison to settled accommodation.
Our Female Offender Strategy (2018) committed to pilot Residential Women’s Centres, offering an intensive, rehabilitative residential support package in the community for women at risk of short custodial sentences and move-on to settled accommodation. Our first Residential Women’s Centre will be located in Wales.
The HM Prisons and Probation Service Target Operating Model for probation services in England and Wales, published in February 2021, included a target on the number of individuals being housed on release from custody (90%). There is an additional metric concerning settled accommodation for all supervised individuals (those released from prison and those on community sentences) three months after commencement of their supervision (80%). These targets are the same for both male and female offenders.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how insecure and temporary accommodation for women leaving prison is accounted for in his Department's data of accommodation outcomes for former female offenders.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
To ensure consistent and accurate data recording, HMPPS, in collaboration with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) and the Welsh Government, has recently updated the Accommodation Recording Guidance to ensure Probation regions have a clear and consistent understanding of the accommodation status definitions, and how to record accurately. The Guidance defines homelessness as where an individual is rough sleeping, squatting, residing in night shelters, emergency hostels or campsites. Individuals with other forms of temporary, short-term or otherwise unstable accommodation is encompassed by the ‘unsettled accommodation’ category in published statistics.
As part of our commitment to eliminate rough sleeping, we are working across Government, with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), the Welsh Government and other Government Departments, to address the barriers offenders face in securing suitable accommodation.
Our Prisons White Paper sets out our vision that no-one subject to probation supervision is released from prison homeless. We will invest £200 million a year by 2024-25 to improve prison leavers’ access to accommodation, employment support, and substance misuse treatment. We are also delivering on our manifesto commitment to launch a new Prisoner Education Service, so that prisoners can gain the qualifications and skills they need to gain employment on release. By focusing on the factors we know reduce reoffending – employability, maintaining ties with family, accommodation, support through the gates and tackling substance misuse – we can help prison leavers resettle successfully in the community and turn their backs on crime.
Accommodation circumstances for offenders are reported annually as official statistics. Data for the period 01 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 will be published in July 2022 in the Community Performance Annual report.
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and Penge)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's press release of 19 January 2021 on prison leavers, what the evidential basis was for his conclusion that offenders were around 50 per cent more likely to break the law again if released without somewhere to stay.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
In January 2021, we announced a £70 million investment to reduce crime and improve public safety by tackling these key drivers of reoffending. We are investing £50 million to enhance the department’s Approved Premises, provide temporary accommodation to prison leavers at risk of homelessness, and enhance resettlement support for prisoners before and after release. A further £20 million of funding has been allocated for the Prison Leavers Project that will test innovative ways to reduce reoffending by addressing the challenges people face when they are leaving prison. Statutory accounts will be submitted in due course.
Accommodation circumstances for offenders are reported annually as official statistics. Data for the period 01 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 will be published in July 2022 in the Community Performance Annual report. In line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, access to these statistics before their public release is limited to those involved in the production of the statistics and the preparation of the release, and for quality assurance and operational purposes.
The thematic inspection report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation on Accommodation and support for adult offenders showed that prison leavers without stable accommodation are almost 50 per cent more likely to reoffend. The report was released in July 2020 and can be accessed via the following link: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprobation/inspections/accommodationthematic/.