Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of prison leavers were homeless in each year since 2010.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Data on accommodation outcomes on the first night of release from custody is published in the Community Performance Annual Statistics. Data is only available from 2017/18 onwards. From this point, accommodation performance metrics were introduced to the probation performance framework with reliable data not available for previous years. The data can be found here: Prison and Probation Performance Statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
We are delivering our ground-breaking transitional accommodation service, known as Community Accommodation Service – Tier 3 (CAS-3), so prison-leavers have a guaranteed 12 weeks of basic, temporary accommodation to provide a stable base on release. By January 2023, the proportion of offenders housed on the first night of their release from custody was 7.6 percentage points higher in CAS3 regions versus non-CAS3 regions.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the (a) number of housing placements available for prisoners on early release and (b) potential impact of the early release scheme on social housing waiting lists.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is committed to preventing homelessness and works closely with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and the Welsh Government to do so. Prisons and probation have a statutory duty to refer someone at risk of homelessness to a local authority for assistance, and we have worked closely with DLUHC on the design and delivery of their Accommodation for Ex-Offenders scheme. We have set up a Cross-Whitehall Accommodation Board, attended by officials from MoJ, HMPPS, Welsh Government and DLUHC, to ensure collaboration across policy and operational areas.
In July 2021, we launched our groundbreaking Community Accommodation Service Tier-3, to guarantee up to 12-weeks temporary accommodation to prison leavers subject to probation supervision who are at risk of homelessness on release, including those released under the End of Custody Supervised Licence measure. From July 2023 the service was expanded across all probation regions in England and Wales and continues to bring new beds online as the service embeds.
In 2022-23, 86% of prison leavers were in accommodation on their first night of release from custody.
Asked by: Simon Fell (Conservative - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what performance measures his Department uses to measure the success of transitional accommodation for prison leavers.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Prison leavers without settled accommodation are almost 50 per cent more likely to re-offend compared with those with settled accommodation: a settled place to live is a key factor in reducing re-offending, cutting crime and protecting the public.
The data collected on people leaving prison for transitional accommodation, together with data on settled accommodation three months after release, can be found at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64c10b4e90b54500143e8375/Probation_Performance_Data_Tables_2022-23.xlsx.
HMPPS Community Accommodation Service (CAS) currently provides transitional accommodation via three tiers of support, each focused on a different cohort. CAS1 (Approved Premises) is used as a public protection resource to accommodate higher-risk offenders. CAS2 provides accommodation for medium-risk defendants on bail and prisoners eligible for release under home detention curfew. CAS3 is our ground-breaking new temporary accommodation service.
HMPPS launched CAS3 in July 2021, providing up to 12 weeks’ guaranteed accommodation on release for those leaving prison at risk of homelessness, with support to move on to settled accommodation. Initially implemented in five probation regions (Yorkshire and the Humber; North West; Greater Manchester; East of England; and Kent, Surrey and Sussex), the service was rolled out to Wales in June 2022. From April 2023, the CAS3 service was operating in all probation regions in England and Wales.
Between 2019-20 and 2022-23, the proportion of prison leavers who were homeless upon release decreased by five percentage points, from 16 per cent to 11 per cent.
By January 2023, the proportion of offenders housed on the first night of release from custody was 7.6 percentage points higher in CAS3 regions in comparison with regions where CAS3 had yet to be implemented.
Asked by: Simon Fell (Conservative - Barrow and Furness)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department collects information on how many people who leave prison for transitional accommodation leave with settled accommodation.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Prison leavers without settled accommodation are almost 50 per cent more likely to re-offend compared with those with settled accommodation: a settled place to live is a key factor in reducing re-offending, cutting crime and protecting the public.
The data collected on people leaving prison for transitional accommodation, together with data on settled accommodation three months after release, can be found at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64c10b4e90b54500143e8375/Probation_Performance_Data_Tables_2022-23.xlsx.
HMPPS Community Accommodation Service (CAS) currently provides transitional accommodation via three tiers of support, each focused on a different cohort. CAS1 (Approved Premises) is used as a public protection resource to accommodate higher-risk offenders. CAS2 provides accommodation for medium-risk defendants on bail and prisoners eligible for release under home detention curfew. CAS3 is our ground-breaking new temporary accommodation service.
HMPPS launched CAS3 in July 2021, providing up to 12 weeks’ guaranteed accommodation on release for those leaving prison at risk of homelessness, with support to move on to settled accommodation. Initially implemented in five probation regions (Yorkshire and the Humber; North West; Greater Manchester; East of England; and Kent, Surrey and Sussex), the service was rolled out to Wales in June 2022. From April 2023, the CAS3 service was operating in all probation regions in England and Wales.
Between 2019-20 and 2022-23, the proportion of prison leavers who were homeless upon release decreased by five percentage points, from 16 per cent to 11 per cent.
By January 2023, the proportion of offenders housed on the first night of release from custody was 7.6 percentage points higher in CAS3 regions in comparison with regions where CAS3 had yet to be implemented.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent the homelessness to prison cycle.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
The Government’s Rough Sleeping Strategy published in September 2022 and published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ending-rough-sleeping-for-good), sets out, in section 4.1, how we are delivering our aim that no one should leave prison homeless or to sleep rough.
Since publication of the strategy we have published further allocations for the Accommodation for ex-Offenders scheme up to March 2025, which are available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/accommodation-for-ex-offenders-scheme-local-authority-funding-allocations-between-july-2021-and-march-2025
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relationship, if any, of the rate of reoffending with the availability of a place for prisoners to stay upon release.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The number of prison leavers housed upon release from prison in 2021-22 was 43,521 and this represents 86.8% of the total number of prison leavers for the period where the destination is known*. This is an improvement of approximately 6.6 percentage points on 2019-20.
*Cases are not included when the accommodation status is unknown (for a reason other than awaiting assessment) or provided by the Home Office Immigration Enforcement Service.
Prison leavers without settled accommodation are 50% more likely to reoffend than those who have stable accommodation. A settled place to live is key to reducing reoffending, cutting crime and protecting the public. Probation practitioners are better able to robustly supervise an offender and protect the public when they know where they are living. The government is committed to end rough sleeping and tackling offender homelessness. Our Prisons Strategy White Paper set out our plans to reduce reoffending, including improving prison leavers’ access to accommodation. This includes expanding nationally the transitional Community Accommodation Service Tier 3 (CAS3) to all probation regions, so that prison leavers who would otherwise be at risk of homelessness, can access temporary accommodation for up to 12 weeks.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of prisoners who, on the day of their release, have a bed to go to that night; and what percentage of those released that represents.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The number of prison leavers housed upon release from prison in 2021-22 was 43,521 and this represents 86.8% of the total number of prison leavers for the period where the destination is known*. This is an improvement of approximately 6.6 percentage points on 2019-20.
*Cases are not included when the accommodation status is unknown (for a reason other than awaiting assessment) or provided by the Home Office Immigration Enforcement Service.
Prison leavers without settled accommodation are 50% more likely to reoffend than those who have stable accommodation. A settled place to live is key to reducing reoffending, cutting crime and protecting the public. Probation practitioners are better able to robustly supervise an offender and protect the public when they know where they are living. The government is committed to end rough sleeping and tackling offender homelessness. Our Prisons Strategy White Paper set out our plans to reduce reoffending, including improving prison leavers’ access to accommodation. This includes expanding nationally the transitional Community Accommodation Service Tier 3 (CAS3) to all probation regions, so that prison leavers who would otherwise be at risk of homelessness, can access temporary accommodation for up to 12 weeks.
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.