Reducing Reoffending Board meeting minutes - 1 September 2022

Attendees

MOPAC

MPS

LPG

HMCTS

Clinks

Catch 22

NHS

DWP

GLA Health

Social Interest Group

LHOCs

London Councils

Probation

OHID

MOPAC updated on actions from previous meetings. Actions that are ongoing will be incorporated into future RRB agendas. Remaining action to speak to Probation about future RRB agenda items will be closed down.

MOPAC stated that the RRB needs a sense of what the partnership really wants to change. The proposed Outcomes Framework should help shape RRB agendas and improve the link to LCJB so that there is better communication between the two boards.

MOPAC stated that the RRB needs a sense of what the partnership really wants to change. The proposed Outcomes Framework should help shape RRB agendas and improve the link to LCJB so that there is better communication between the two boards.

1. Terms of Reference

There will be regular LCJB meeting where the RRB’s work can be discussed. RRB membership expectations include commitment to working towards the outcomes and sharing information. The RRB ToR was agreed by the board.

2. Outcomes Framework

The outcomes identified have been taken from the Police and Crime plan and other partner plans. Following pre-meets with RRB members, several outcomes have been added including improving delivery to women and victims and decreasing ethnic disproportionality in the adult criminal justice system. Other issues that are not in the framework will be included in the RRB’s workplan.

The outcomes should be strategic to allow flexibility according to changing priorities and the ambition is to have a long-term workplan going forward so that the RRB has an idea across the year of how these outcomes can be achieved and is better prepared to support delivery.

Clinks co-hosted a provider forum with MOPAC colleagues where 20 providers attended. The focus of this forum was to review the outcomes framework. Providers really valued being part of this process and overall, the outcomes framework received positive feedback. There was some frustration over a lack of new additional resources being attached to achieving the new outcomes, for example more funding for additional accommodation, but partners understood that this is a national issue. Many attendees felt diversion should have been an outcome so that more people aren’t pulled into the system but welcomed MOPAC’s new diversion strategy and the new approach to OOCDs. Providers also raised the issue of the ‘missing middle’ not being explicitly referred to in outcomes as over 30s make up a large proportion of service users in London and don’t fall into age-specific services.

The chair agreed that the ‘missing middle’ should be considered in a future RRB agenda.

Probation noted that there is significant new funding with the launch of CAS3 accommodation to procure services to provide direct accommodation for prison-leavers at risk of homelessness. There is also money coming from DLUHC for prison-leavers through the AfEO scheme.

OHID asked how the new London Drugs Forum and the Criminal Justice Substance Misuse Group align with the RRB. MOPAC provided reassurances that this cross over has been discussed between MOPAC and OHID about where the drugs forum should sit as there is overlap between the membership of boards. The result will most likely be another LCRB subgroup. There will need to be a session at RRB on the Substance Misuse Group to consider what the group would cover as a potential sub-board and how the overlap between groups will be managed to limit duplication.

OHID also asked if the London rate of continuity of care will be covered in RRB or handled by another sub-group as increased engagement in drug-related treatment is a proposed outcome of the RRB. The chair agreed that the continuity of care is a high-level issue and proposed that be specifically covered by the drugs sub-board and compounded with RRB monitoring increased engagement in drug-related treatment.

Probation asked if OOCD and diversion will be looked at in RRB or handled by the CJS Effectiveness Board as they are a step before reducing re-offending and focused on prevention. MOPAC answered that the CJS Effectiveness Board is more about the process of the person going through the system i.e., timeliness, whether the system is working well. Whereas RRB looks at where we can have the biggest impact in terms of interventions to reduce re-offending. Probation reiterated the need to be mindful about the risk of negative labelling.

MOPAC appreciated probation’s point and proposed coming back to diversion once the work on OOCD has progressed so that there can be a clearer discussion on where diversion sits and whether there is any ongoing work on diversion in RRB.

MOPAC added that the RRB’s Terms of Reference includes the need to coordinate across partnership boards and utilize the work of other boards to support delivery and help meet the RRB’s outcomes. MOPAC is also working on a policy forum which brings all the different strands together to help us work towards outcomes.

The ACE (Achieving Compliance and Engagement) Pilot aims to reduce the London rate of Fixed Term Recalls (FTR) as a result of non-compliance as opposed to re-offending. There are significant costs attached to FTRs and a lack of rehabilitative focus on offenders.

The ACE Pilot has been shaped by those with lived experience of the justice system as well as ongoing feedback from probation practitioners. Interventions will include intensive 1:1 support pre and post-release, and activities focused on building positive human relationships. The service has provided short-term accommodation, education and training, mental health and wellbeing activities.

Challenges include the impact of fixed term contracts on staffing, retention and the specific training required for staff and the reliance on probation officers for referrals. Opportunities include a real potential to have an impact on shifting focus and attitudes around non-compliance and FTRs in the CJS (from punitive to rehabilitative). The pilot also raises awareness of focusing on human relationships in service design.

OHID asked about the ACE Pilot’s connections with other substance misuse teams and services. Relationships with other agencies have been developed to support prison-leavers before they are released. Catch 22 noted that there has been a lot of support from Probation through workshops and consistent feedback on the pilot. The pilot is now regularly receiving referrals.

Individuals must be engaged with probation to a degree to be eligible for the ACE Pilot. They cannot already be at a stage of recall.

One issue the pilot faces is supporting those who do not have any identification and have not been able to register with GP practices before they are released from prison. It has been difficult to get these individuals access to community support through their GP.

NHS will forward the details of the commissioner for prison healthcare to assist Catch 22 with the GP registration issue.

LHOCs asked if the pilot has faced any barriers with local authorities in terms of provision and access to services. There was a lot of time spent building relationships with agencies and local authorities, and making people aware of the pilot, before the pilot mobilized.

The pilot will end in January 2023 and will be followed by an evaluation.

OHID’s Drug Strategy set a goal for securing the successful engagement of 75 per cent of prison-leavers with ongoing substance misuse needs in community substance misuse treatment.

In London, only 20 per cent of prison-leavers with substance misuse needs successfully engage in community drug-related treatment. The national average is 37 per cent.

OHID London and MOPAC were commissioned by the RRB to develop the recommendations of a deep dive into the London prison and community pathway. The following tools were developed. A key priority is to now restart the work on continuity of care that began as part of RRB but was halted by the pandemic. OHID and Probation recommended a Pan-London event at City Hall to launch products and tools of the Drug Strategy.

MOPAC recommended a roundtable before January 2023 for more specificity on the work on continuity of care and how the RRB links into the London Drugs Forum. This can then be followed by a thematic on continuity of care and how to restart that work, and then a broader event to launch the products for the wider involvement aspect.

1. This session’s focus is on the following Police and Crime Plan commitments:

MOPAC will work with partners to build community confidence and resilience to stand together against hate crime.

MOPAC will work with CJS agencies to develop the evidence base for what works in addressing the behaviour of hate crime offenders, its causes, and the impact on victims and communities.

2. MOPAC Evidence & Insight reported on London hate crime data since July 2021

There has been a 1.2 per cent increase in hate crime from July 21-22, and a 5.6 per cent increase in hate crime from June-July 22.

There has been a long-term increase in hate crime incidents reported since 2014, which may be largely due to an improvement in hate crime recording. We can infer that individuals have a greater awareness of hate crime and confidence in reporting to the police has improved.

However, there has also been short-term rises in hate crime usually following high profile trigger events. The largest spike in hate crime in London was following the EU referendum in 2016, there was also a large increase in 2020 following Back Live Matter protests and far-right counter protests.

Most reported hate crimes are racially motivated, making up ¾ of the offences reported to the police. Perpetrators are most likely to be white males.

Victims of hate crime report lower satisfaction in their experiences of reporting to the police than victims of other crime types.

There was a thematic workshop on hate crime led by MOPAC and Probation in October 2021 which included looking at hate crime levels, types, and trends in London, and how hate crime perpetrators are currently dealt with in the London CJS. Also reviewed current interventions and resources and explored whether there are commissioning opportunities for new services for hate crime perpetrators.

There is currently no accredited programme for hate crime-related offending for use within Probation or Prison Service, but there are several ways that Probation works with hate crime offenders. For example, the recognition that hate crime sometimes has a thrill-seeking element can be met with regular interventions that are designed to address emotion management. There are also Hate Crime Briefings for Practitioners looking at hate crime typologies.

However, there is a real lack of knowledge around what works with hate crime perpetrators. Hate crime perpetrators are not a homogenous group. The Mayor has recognized this and has committed MOPAC to work with CJS agencies to develop and take a closer look at the evidence base for what works in addressing the behaviour of hate crime offenders, hate crime causes, and the impact on victims and communities.

3. Opportunities

Equality and Human Rights Commission Scotland launched an international study into the rehabilitation of hate crime offenders in 2019. The research will review and collate examples of interventions and toolkits across the UK and internationally. This will provide an opportunity to look at what is out there on hate crime perpetrator rehabilitation.

Introduction of the two-tier framework for OOCD gives an opportunity to develop and offer a tailored hate crime-specific programme for offenders as part of the conditions available to the police

4. Challenges

Complexities in the motivations for committing a hate crime; some offences are targeted attacks rooted in bigotry, or intolerant ideologies. Some offences are spontaneous and incidental, where confrontation may have become aggravated by the use of hostile prejudicial language based on the victim’s personal characteristics.

The way information concerning hate crime perpetrators is recorded - many hate crime offenders lead chaotic lives and commit multiple crime type offences, and may also be subject to other interventions such as drug intervention programmes. There is no evidence to inform further interventions addressing hostile behaviour.

5. The following questions were put out for consideration:

• What else can we do as a partnership to build confidence and resilience against hate crime?
• Is there still a need to research and collate examples of intervention programmes and toolkits? Should we revisit the EHRC Scotland review?
• What else can be done to map provision and build a market for services to address hate crime perpetrators?

LHOCs gave feedback from a local authority perspective. Hate crime is a priority area but finding funding is a challenge. Underreporting is also a major issue due to lack of trust and confidence in police and the London CJS. LHOCs recommended exploring third party reporting as a future conversation. LHOCs also reiterated the need to look at the complexities of hate crime victims, for example the ripple effect of hate crime on a victim’s wellbeing. Mental health issues can also be a trigger for hate crime perpetrators.

LPG stated hopes to address the perpetrator provision gap in prison services. Probation noted that hate crime is likely to escalate due to economic strife and the upcoming winter where certain groups of people will face the blame for inequalities.

The Social Interest Group formed in 2014 to deliver health and social care solutions to support and rehabilitate at the point of need. There is a CJ division and a wide range of serviced delivered beyond CJ including mental health support, homelessness etc., which are commissioned through local authorities.

There are three service provisions through the CJ directorate.

1. Penrose Drive Independent Approved Premises (IAP)

• Penrose Drive is an IAP which works similarly to IAPs for prison leavers that are generally high-risk offenders. The service went live in July 2022. There are currently 8 out of 25 residents, and the service is looking to be full by October.
• The premises aims to house 25 male residents within a psychologically and trauma informed environment and engage them in a well-structured schedule of purposeful activities and interventions that are designed to reduce the risk of reoffending, and preparing them to live independently.
• Staffing includes health and wellbeing coaches, an activities coordinator, a housing lead and a forensic psychologist.
• There are weekly resident forums to take recommendations of residents on board.

2. Offender Personality Disorder Housing Accommodation Support Services (OPD HASS)

• Penrose OPD HASS is a joint service between Probation and SIG.
• Designed to support the outcomes of the OPD pathway by providing specialist housing and accommodation support to offenders, to help them make the move into independent community living.

3. CFO activity hubs in Croydon and Lewisham

• Commissioned by MoJ and part-funded by European Social Fund.
• Penrose deliver activities to any referrals assessed as high or very high risk and all female referrals that come through.
• Activities are undertaken in a more informal and relaxed environment and are aimed at getting offenders to improve their opportunities in education, training, and employment.

The next meeting will be on Wednesday 30 November 2022. The thematic focus will be on reducing reoffending of the most harmful and violent cohorts.