Transforming Rehabilitation: evolution or revolution?

Chris Grayling, Secretary of State for Justice, and Jeremy Wright, Under-secretary of State, yesterday gave evidence to the Justice Committee on the Transforming Rehabilitation agenda, which Mr Grayling repeatively referred to as an 'evolution not a revolution'.

Mr Grayling said that the main thinking behind the Transforming Rehabilitation agenda was to tackle the reoffending rate, which he claimed current stands at around 45,000.

The agenda also targets a 40 per cent reduction in expenditure through efficiency savings, which would then go on to be reinvested in the increased supervision, support and monitoring of those who have received sentences under 12 months and deemed to be at the highest risk of reconviction.

There was no further detail on the methods that will be used to reduce reoffending as the companies in the private and voluntary sector would be selected on the quality of their ideas and not who will do it the cheapest. There was mention of the need to improve housing and drug treatment provision and using ex-prisoners who have 'turned their lives around' to be used as mentors.  

Mr Grayling claimed he was unaware of why talks with the unions over changes to staff terms and conditions broke down. Napo General Secretary Ian Lawrence claims, in a blogpost yesterday, that Mr Grayling was being disingenuous at best on this point.

Mr Grayling also came under fire from several members of the Committee over why the Risk Register - leaked reports of which indicated a high chance (80 per cent) of the the changes causing operational failure - had not been published.  

You can watch Mr Grayling's evidence to the Committe in full here.

Update (December 19, 2013): The Observer last Sunday reported on a leaked Ministry of Justice internal assessment of plans to privatise probation. The newspaper claims:

'On a scale of one to 25, where 25 is the highest likelihood of something happening, the assessment gives a maximum score to the probability that there will be a "reduction [in] performance" under the new system. It states that this will see the "potential for service delivery failure increase" and that there is a very high chance of "operational confusion". As a result, offenders will pose a "higher risk to the public" and there will be "poorer outcomes" for victims and communities. The report warns that courts would "lose confidence in the ability of the service to deliver sentences".'

The newspaper also reported that the 'assessment estimates that there is a 25 out of 25 risk that the programme will not "be delivered either in scope or within the timescale set by ministers".'