Recommendation 5

The Ministry’s efforts to reduce the £18.1 billion cost of reoffending are being put at risk by the absence of a cross-government strategy. Reoffending has a substantial cost to the economy, in addition to its considerable impact on the emotional wellbeing of victims and wider society. The Ministry recognises that the best way to tackle crime is to reduce reoffending, and that this must involve Departments across government. HMPPS has recently appointed a Director responsible for reducing reoffending and is working with the Department for Work and Pensions and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government to reduce reoffending through initiatives such as the Prison Leavers Project and the Through the Gate programme. Despite our recommendations in May 2019, there is still no sign of a cross-government strategy for reducing reoffending. The way offenders are treated on their release from prison has a significant impact on how they re-integrate into society. Sustained progress in reducing reoffending relies on providing the support offenders desperately need on leaving prison, including securing stable accommodation. While the Ministry and HMPPS assure us that they have carefully sought to secure stable accommodation for those who have left prison during the pandemic, we are concerned by cases of prisoners being released without settled accommodation. Recommendation: As we have previously recommended, the Ministry should publish a cross-government reducing reoffending strategy within three months. This should: • set out roles and responsibilities, clear targets supported by activities and how it will measure whether the strategy is working; and 8 Improving the prison estate • explain how its long-term strategy for the prison estate will contribute to reducing reoffending.