Reducing re-offending
There are over 70,000 people in prison today and whilst prison may be effective in safeguarding the community it is failing to change their long-term behaviour.
Reducing offending and re-offending is critical to the creation of safer and stronger communities and involving local people as mentors, empowering them to take an active role in community safety issues.
There were 20,772 crimes reported in Salford in the year 2005/6, 8,348 juvenile incidents and 7,963 reports of criminal damage. Only 20.4% of these are detected and a smaller percentage are taken forward to court or community justice, which means that these individual are free to offend again.
Probation manages 1755 individuals (169 of which are female), 509 of which are currently in custody and the rest are on Community Orders or out of prison on licence. 84 of these prisoners are women and their children have either been taken into care or cared for by extended family.
465 prisoners are released back to Salford annually and 66% are reconvicted within 2 years
As people come back into the community they need somewhere to live and an income and without these crime may be their only option. The longer they have been away the harder it is to integrate back into the community.
Many individuals can lose touch with their children, family and friends and this just adds to the problem. Without support many will find themselves re-offending and many end up in prison again.
That is why Salford have pulled together all the key agencies involved in addressing key issues of which there are ten pathways.
Accommodation
To prevent homelessness amongst offenders in the community. To increase the number of prisoners housed on release in accommodation that is both suitable and sustainable. To ensure suitable support is available both to maintain tenancies and to integrate offenders with other services and the community.
Attitudes, Thinking and Behaviour
To increase motivation and to improve the provision and knowledge of life skills and offending behaviour programmes by statutory and voluntary organisations and to ensure that learning is both built upon and reinforced once in the community.
Children and Families of Offenders & Communities & Social Support
To enable and support offenders to maintain or develop relationships with their families and communities both whilst in custody and ‘through the gate’ and link them with other services to reduce re-offending.
Drugs and Alcohol
To provide support and offer access to a full range of treatment options and services for offenders with current drug and alcohol misuse problems for those for whom substance use increases their risk of re-offending.
Education, Training and Employment
Move offenders into or towards employment.
- raise awareness and engage employers in considering employing ex-offenders.
- develop learning and skills provision to fit the needs of offenders and the community.
- ensure training is integrated and coordinated locally.
Finance, Benefit and Debt
Ensure ex-offenders have sufficient lawfully obtained money to live on by providing:
- financial literacy and debt management
- access to benefits, grants and loans.
Health
To ensure adequate mental and physical healthcare provision for offenders, and continuity of care for those entering and leaving prison.
Offender Management
To ensure offenders are managed safely and effectively and that Offender Managers have the resources to do this. To explore how to improve services using reports, evaluations and other up to date information. To ensure information is collected accurately and communicated effectively between and within agencies, and to offenders where appropriate.
Victims
To provide a consistent, good quality service for all victims and witnesses, in accordance with local needs, ensuring the needs of victims and witnesses are considered throughout the criminal justice process. To develop further the current service by recruiting and developing people with skills necessary to provide an enhanced service to victims and witnesses throughout the City of Salford.
Together Women’s Project
Providing a one stop shop for women’s at risk of offending or ex-offenders by assessing their need and then putting a package of interventions to support them.
This page was last updated on 07 February 2008
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