The recently released report from Clinks summaries the views of criminal justice and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Sector professionals working in Wales and finds support the adoption of an IOM approach for working with young adults. IOM Cymru Youth to Adult Transition forms part of a consultation to establish how an all-Wales Integrated Offender Management (IOM) strategy could support young adults in the Criminal Justice System.

The consultation was initiated by the IOM Cymru Board, who identified young adults as priority group within the criminal justice system, with distinct needs. The report was written by Clinks and supported by the T2A Alliance.

Respondents to the consultation were practitioners across sectors who work with young adults in the criminal justice system. The consultations were held in the summer of 2013 and responses were gathered through attendance at three events as well as three separate online surveys. This provided two broad stands of information; an overview of young adult services, and the role of the IOM in supporting young adults.

From the consultations emerged overwhelming support for an approach recognising young adults as a distinct service user group and IOM as a means of supporting this group. The report identifies 17 recommendations as a way forward for the IOM and other stakeholders to ensure better services at this early stage of IOM development.

The full report can be read here.

The provision of mental health services for young people at risk of or engaged with offending behaviour is inadequate, according to a report released today.

A partnership between the Transition to Adulthood Alliance and Young Minds, Same Old… is a cross-sectional qualitative research project carried out by City University London in three T2A projects in London, West Mercia and Birmingham. Interviews were carried out with young people as well as T2A, CAMHS and AMHS staff and commissioners.

The report reveals that little has changed over the last 20 years; young people within the criminal justice system still receive highly inadequate mental health care. Both young people and the professionals working with them highlighted distinct problems with mental health provisions which included waiting lists being too long, which results in many young people self medicating, are gaps in service provision between young people’s and adult mental health services and support centred around medication.

Same Old… outlines eight recommendations to ensure that young people offender with mental health needs get the support and intervention they require. Amongst these suggestions is targeted commissioning for at risk 16-19 year old, east access to services and information, and training for all professional working with children and young people at risk of offending.

Read the full report here.

T2A has published its response to the Ministry of Justice’s consultation on Transforming Management of Young Adults in Custody. 

T2A firmly disagrees with the Ministry of Justice’s proposal to remove the distinct sentence and provision of Detention in a Young Offender Institution (DYOI) and to mix young adults within the general prison population.

The government has said is committed to evidence-based policy, but in this consultation does not provide the necessary detail on the evidence, costs, risks and benefits of its proposed alternative approach. We strongly advocate that the government consults again when it is able to provide detail of what the proposed changes will mean in practice and how it proposes to ensure that the necessary safeguards for this age group are put in place – via new legislation, prison service instructions, and staff training.

In addition, T2A believes it is now time for the Ministry of Justice to develop and to consult on a comprehensive set of policies for dealing appropriately and effectively with young adults throughout the criminal justice system. It is only within the context of such policies that sensible and sustainable plans for the use and implementation of custodial sentences can be made.

In its response, T2A notes the recent developments in criminal justice policy and practice that recognise the distinct needs of young adults:

• The Sentencing Council for England and Wales now includes, since 2011, ‘lack of maturity’ as a mitigating factor in the sentencing of adults. This was the most cited factor by the judiciary in sentencing decisions for young adults in 2012;
• The Crown Prosecution Service’s 2013 Code of Conduct includes, for the first time, ‘maturity’ as a factor for consideration in culpability decisions on whether to charge a young adult within its public interest test;
• More than 11,000 copies of T2A’s 2013 ‘practice guide on taking account of maturity’ for probation practitioners have been requested by probation trusts, and are being used across England and Wales to inform pre-sentence reports and young adult appropriate sentence plans;
• More than a dozen probation trusts, including the four biggest (Greater Manchester, Wales, London and Staffordshire and West Midlands), have recently commissioned Trust-wide services that are specific to young adults, recognising that doing so ensures their services are more effective and cost-efficient;
• The Youth Justice Board is rolling out its ‘Youth to Adult Transitions Framework’ across England and Wales, to ensure more effective transitions between youth offending teams and adult probation services; and
• Many Police and Crime Commissioners have specifically commissioned young adult services in their areas to address the particular needs of this age group.

T2A’s consultation response notes that these developments have been driven by practitioners, and have taken place despite the lack of a central Ministry of Justice strategy for young adults, and without new primary legislation focussed on this age group. Rather, they have occurred because the evidence for doing so is now so strong, and because budget pressures demand smarter ways of working effectively.

T2A welcomes the consultation’s recognition in its consultation of the importance of the transition between youth and adult justice services, and the acknowledgement that young adults have variable levels of developmental maturity.

However, in relation to the Ministry of Justice’s key proposal to mix young adults within the general prison population, we are concerned that this seems to be premised largely on inconsistent and anecdotal evidence that mixing sometimes helps to reduce violence, and an assumption that closeness to home improves resettlement, which is not supported by robust evidence. In addition, there is no detail or evidence put forward as to how the Ministry of Justice’s proposed alternative approach of mixing young adults within the general prison estate would better serve this age group, nor how the age-specific needs of this group would be met.

The needs of young adults and the available evidence seem to be secondary to the Ministry of Justice’s urgency to deliver these proposed changes in order to align the young adult population with the procurement process for contracts for resettlement services early next year, as part of the Ministry of Justice’s transforming rehabilitation programme.

Such a sudden and wholesale move away from distinct provision for this age group, with no proposed statutory or other safeguards, is a high-stakes gamble that requires considerably more scrutiny and risk-assessment for the sake of the young adults involved, prison staff, delivery organisations and society at large.

Read the full response here

For more information about T2A’s position in relation to young adults in custody, read our new report ‘Young Adults in Custody: The Way Forward’ by Rob Allen, or email [email protected]

T2A is delighted that BTEG (Black Training and Enterprise Group) has joined the T2A Alliance. BTEG becomes the 13th member of the T2A Alliance, and will bring enormous expertise to T2A, particularly through its work on race equality.

The Black Training and Enterprise Group was established in 1991 by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and a group of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) voluntary organisations. In 1996, BTEG registered as a charity. It plays a unique role by supporting BAME civil society organisations, providing a national voice and promoting equality, inclusion, collaboration and entrepreneurship in BAME communities. BTEG celebrates its 21st anniversary this year.

As a network organisation, BTEG supports over 1200 BAME civil society organisations across the country. BTEG wants to see more BAME civil society organisations actively involved in local decision making, holding public bodies to account for their service delivery, delivering services and new product and service development.

With funding from the Ministry of Justice BTEG has established a national network comprised of BAME organisations working in the criminal justice system. Key aims include reducing the large numbers of BAME offenders in prison and the high rates of reoffending. This year BTEG will be launching Routes2Success a new ground breaking national project which aims to inspire young black males to realise their potential and divert them from having any contact with the criminal justice system by using successful black male role model volunteers from the private and public sectors.

BTEG contributes to the economic regeneration of BAME communities by building the capacity of local groups so that they can play an active role in improving opportunities for BAME individuals. It has a strong track record in influencing polices, campaigning and lobbying in relation to BAME education, employment and entrepreneurship.

Through its networking and training events BTEG is in dialogue with frontline organisations and a range of agencies including mainstream civil society organisations, government departments, local authorities, companies, the national apprenticeship service and the Equality and Human Rights Commission. BTEG is a member of the Department for Work and Pensions Ethnic Minority Employment Stakeholder Group and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Equalities Advisory Group.

Visit http://www.bteg.co.uk/ to find out more, and follow BTEG on Twitter @BTEG1

Today sees the launch of First Generation: One Year On, a report by Revolving Doors Agency in partnership with the Transition to Adulthood Alliance. One year after the first police and crime commissioners were elected, the report explores how PCCs are working to cut crime and reduce reoffending.

First Generation: One Year One reviews all 42 police and crime plans across England and Wales, as well as calls for evidence sent to all PCCs offices. It focuses on the extent to which PCCs are prioritising tacking the underlying causes of crime and how they are improving responses to two key groups; people facing multiple and complex needs and young adults aged 18-24.

21 PCCs committed to tackling underlying causes of crime in their plans whilst almost all plans included commitments to preventing crime (41) and reducing reoffending (40).

Individuals with multiple and complex needs and young adults are two groups which are both responsible for high levels of crime in their local area as well as highly vulnerable to being victims of crime. Only 7 PCCs made specific references to complex needs in their plans and where there were references, these tended to be quite broad. Almost all plans made reference to young people without specifying the age range this represents, but very few (4) referred to young adults as a distinct group, despite the increasing understanding of young adults as a group with distinct needs across the sector.

The report also explored two cross-cutting themes; gender and ethnicity. The majority of plans (41) made pledges around domestic violence and abuse, with 14 making a specific reference to women as victims. Conversely, only 3 referred to the needs of women as offenders. 13 plans specially referred to ethnic minority groups but only seven acknowledged issues around policing that affect black and minority ethnic groups disproportionately.

Alongside a review of PCC’s plans, First Generation: One Year One highlights areas of promising practise, and makes recommendations for PCCs to consider as they renew their police and crime plans.

Read the full report here.

The Ministry of Justice recently announced the publication of their consultation, Transforming Management of Young Adults in Custody, which outlines a significant change to the accommodation of young adults serving custodial sentences. The consultation proposes accommodating young adults (18-20 year olds) in mixed institutions as opposed to Young Offender Institution (YOIs) where young adults in custody are currently held.

Speaking about the consultation, Jeremy Wright MP, Minister for Prisons and Rehabilitation, stated:

This Government feel that current provision for young adults in custody, who are 18 to 20, does not adequately meet their needs and does not make the best use of available resources for this age group.

 

With that in mind, this consultation document outlines the Government’s proposed fresh approach to managing young adults in custody, which moves the focus from age-specific institutions to looking at how we can better meet their rehabilitation and resettlement needs.

 

We have already taken substantial steps towards reforming how we manage adults in custody, particularly in terms of ensuring that prisoners are better aligned towards release into their home communities. We want to ensure that young adults can fully benefit from our proposals around transforming rehabilitation, including resettlement prisons and through the gate provision. We want to make sure that young adults who are on longer-term sentences are allocated to the most suitable institutions to meet their rehabilitation needs.

The recently published Transition to Adulthood report Young Adults in Custody: The Way Forward , looks at the provisions currently available for young adults in custody alongside the key challenges that are posed to the custodial care of young adults.

The Transforming Adults consultation will last for six weeks.

The T2A Alliance will be responding to the consultation in due course.

Tuesday 29 October saw the publication of the Ministry of Justice’s new Code of Practice for Victims of Crime, which outlines the support and information victims of crime need, including restorative justice interventions.

The Code for the first time provides information about restorative justice for victims of crimes committed by adult offenders as well as young offenders. The provision of restorative justice interventions to all victims, regardless of the age of the offender was a key recommendation outlined in the report Restorative Justice for Young Adults: Factoring in Maturity and Facilitating Desistance, produced on behalf of the T2A Alliance by the Restorative Justice Council.

The report also outlines the importance of restorative justice practitioners being aware of the practice implications of a lack of maturity amongst young adults and states that restorative should be used to develop maturity and facilitate desistance among young adults who offend. Through including restorative justice in the Code, the MOJ hopes to raise its awareness and better support victims.

The Victims’ Code also offers an enhanced service for victims of serious crime and persistently targeted or vulnerable victims. Additionally, it offers specialist help for young victims as well as the opportunity for victims to tell the court how a crime has impacted on them by making a Personal Victim Statement in court.

Implementation of the new Victims’ Code is expected to begin in December 2013.

Read the Victims Code here
Read the report, Restorative Justice for Young Adults: Factoring in Maturity and Facilitating Desistance here.

On October 29 2013, the government launched its strategy to help young people leaving care. Covering education, employment, financial support, health, housing the justice system and on-going support, the cross departmental strategy outlines the actions the government is taking to support care leavers to live independently. Introducing the strategy Edward Timpson MP, Children’s minister, noted:

As someone who grew up alongside foster children, I know how important and difficult the transition into adulthood can be for children in care and I am committed to improving their outcomes […] We want to see care leavers receiving high quality services that meet their needs and support them make the transition into adulthood.

The Care Leaver Strategy states that care leavers should receive the same level of care and support that other young people receive from their parents, outlining holistic support from mainstream and specialist services.

Care leavers leave home at a younger age than their peers with approximately 10,000 16-18 year olds in England leaving care each year and a large number of care leavers living independently at age 18. Care leavers have distinct needs with regard to housing, in response to this the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) worked with voluntary sector organisations and local authorities to develop a Positive Youth Accommodation Pathway for individuals such as care leavers who are unable to stay within their family network. This pathway approach requires that local Authorities offer tailored accommodation options and a supportive transition to adulthood.

Within the justice system, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and Home Office (HO) acknowledge that young adults and who have been in care and are in the justice system are especially vulnerable. They are also vulnerable to both being drawn into crime as well as becoming victims of crime, including in some cases falling victim to grooming and exploitation online or offline.

Care leavers often lack the networks of support outside of their Local Authority and before and after they turn 18, they require support and guidance. The Department of Education’s (DfE) regulations and guidance, Transitions to Adulthood, outlines the expectation that local authorities stay in touch and provide support young people when they leave care through pathway planning until the young person reaches 21, and later if they are in education.

In response to the strategy, Martina Milburn, Chief Executive for The Prince’s Trust, said:

The transition from adolescence into adulthood is a daunting time for young people, bringing new responsibilities and pressures as they become fully independent. Without the support networks that their peers come to rely on, these vulnerable young people are more likely to face unemployment, leave school with few qualifications and struggle with mental health problems – and so this commitment from the government is hugely important to prevent this group from slipping through the net and into a life on benefits.

We wholeheartedly welcome this cross-government strategy that will see departments work collaboratively to ensure better, all round support for this vulnerable group. The Prince’s Trust, along with members of Access All Areas, will continue to work closely with these departments to ensure the strategy is implemented.

The government will continue to discuss how support to care leavers can further be improved over the next 12 months and intends to publish a report to coincide with Care Leavers Week in 2014.

Read the full strategy here

A new independent initiative, backed by the Ministry of Justice, has been set up to review the outcomes and over-representation of young BAME men throughout the criminal justice process. The review, ‘Improving outcomes for Muslim and African/Caribbean young male offenders – An Independent Review led by Baroness Young of Hornsey’, will report initially in December 2013 and again in autumn 2014.

In March 2013, the Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG), in partnership with Clinks and chaired by Baroness Young of Hornsey, held a roundtable meeting in Westminster to discuss how we can better address the challenge of improving outcomes for Black Asian and Minority Ethnic offenders, through the commissioning process particularly within the context of the huge changes happening across the offender management system.

The roundtable was attended by a diverse group of leaders from relevant fields:

• Senior officials from the Ministry of Justice
• Representatives from the Prison and Probation Services
• Senior staff from charitable foundations
• Former service users
• Leaders from BAME led community organisations
• Chief Officers from large national charities
• Directors from private sector providers
• Academics and researchers

The full report from the roundtable is available at the link below:

http://www.clinks.org/resources-event-reports/how-can-commissioning-process-improve-outcomes-bame-offenders-may-2013

Following the roundtable Jeremy Crook, Director of BTEG, Clive Martin Director of Clinks and Baroness Young met with Secretary of State for Justice, Chris Grayling MP, to seek his support for the roundtable’s principle recommendation: To establish a time-limited Task Group to investigate further how particularly the Transforming Rehabilitation process can deliver improved outcomes for BAME offenders.

Mr Grayling gave his support for the Task Group to look specifically at delivering improved outcomes for Muslim and African/Caribbean young adult male offenders (18-24 year olds.) The Task Group is being supported by Clinks and BTEG and chaired by Baroness Young. It held its first meeting on 21 October and will produce an interim paper with recommendations for the Secretary of State before the end of 2013, followed by a final report in autumn 2014.

The Transition to Adulthood Alliance (T2A), convened by the Barrow Cadbury Trust, will share the breadth of experience from its collective membership into the review. If you have any examples of best practice or relevant research that the review may find useful please forward them to Clare Hayes at Clinks [email protected]

A new report from the Transition to Adulthood Alliance examines how the needs of young adults are met in custody, finding that in many instances prisons fail to provide sufficient activities, education and levels of safety.

The report, ‘Young Adults in Custody: The Way Forward,’ was written by Rob Allen, co-founder of the Justice and Prisons and former Chair of the Transition to Adulthood Alliance. It includes an examination of the situation in other jurisdictions, including Germany, where young adults can be sentenced either as juveniles or adults, depending on the offence and maturity.
Among recommendations included in the report are that young adults be placed near to home, in institutions which provide high-quality activities. Rob Allen identifies effective leadership from governors as key to meeting the distinct needs of young adults – making specific commitments to meeting the health, development and resettlement needs of that group. His report also recommends a wider range of residential placements, age-appropriate discipline systems, targeted staff training, a remodelling of all YOIs as Secure Colleges and research into effective means of violence reduction which don’t reduce activities.
You can read the report in full online here.