Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 5
5
Accepted
Paragraph: 71
Ensure sufficient availability of courses for IPP prisoners, reduce waiting lists and improve placements
Recommendation
We are concerned to hear that the availability of appropriate courses for IPP prisoners is limited. The MoJ and HMPPS must ensure that there are enough places on courses available to all those who need them. As part of the IPP action plan, the MoJ and HMPPS should set out what work is being done to expand provision of courses for IPP prisoners, reduce waiting lists, and ensure that IPP prisoners are being held in appropriate category prisons.
Government Response Summary
The government defends its accredited programme evaluation approach and highlights that Professor Moran's evaluation of the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway was published in October 2022. It does not commit to new specific actions to expand course provision, reduce waiting lists, or ensure appropriate prison placements for IPP prisoners.
Paragraph Reference:
71
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
Reasoning: Whilst we do not agree with the report’s suggestion that the accreditation approach is ineffective, we do agree that there should be transparency in relation to the evaluation of our specialist provision. The national evaluation of the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway (Professor Moran’s report) was published on the Gov.uk website on 13th October 2022. Outcomes from the delivery of any accredited programme will depend on a number of factors, including the prisoner’s engagement with the accredited programme and subsequent commitment to apply the lessons learned from the programme. Each accredited programme is scrutinised by the Correctional Services Advice and Accreditation Panel (CSAAP) who are independent, international academics and practitioners. They provide recommendations to HMPPS that inform Accredited Programme status by reviewing their design, quality assurance and evaluations in line with latest international evidence on what works in reducing reoffending. We were pleased to appoint such expertise to CSAAP in January 2022 and have outlined more about their role and membership publicly here. The MoJ is committed to developing the rehabilitation evidence base and has an ongoing programme of evaluation for accredited programmes, using a range of approaches including the impact on reoffending, and studies have been published on gov.uk. Where studies have shown a programme has not been performing, we have replaced them. Evaluation is supported by programme implementation assessment to provide ongoing insight as quality of delivery has been shown by the international evidence and MoJ/HMPPS evaluations to be associated with reductions in reoffending. IPP sentences: Government and Parole Board Responses to the Committee’s Third Report 7