Recommendation 18

HMPPS holds CRS providers to account against two administrative measures (their timeliness in holding appointments and their production of action plans for service users) but does not systematically monitor all providers’ activities or offenders’ outcomes.41 In written evidence to us St Mungo’s—a CRS provider for housing advice and support— criticised the current contracts for being “highly process driven”. It told us HMPPS is too focussed on measuring inputs, such as whether a prison leaver has been offered an appointment, instead of securing positive outcomes to reducing reoffending.42