Napo recently met with Lord Timpson, Minister of State for Prisons and Probation. Among the items for discussion was an invitation from the Minister to the Probation trade unions to submit written and oral evidence to the above independent review. This will be led by the former Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary the Rt Hon David Gauke
Aims of the review
The Government has announced that this independent review will be guided by 3 principles:
· Firstly, sentences must punish offenders and protect the public - there must always be space in prison for the most dangerous offenders.
· Secondly, sentences must encourage offenders to turn their backs on a life of crime, cutting crime by reducing reoffending.
· Thirdly, we must expand and make greater use of punishment outside of prison.
In developing their recommendations, the independent Chair and panel are being encouraged to draw not only on national data but also on international comparisons. The Government has also said that the sentencing framework recommendations must follow the evidence of what reduces offending.
Initial view from Napo
Whilst obviously welcoming the review which Napo has been calling for over many years, and the opportunity to submit evidence, we must express disappointment that the membership of the panel is very light in terms of its member’s actual experience of the Probation Service. This makes it all the more important to ensure that Probation's voice is heard from the evidence that will be submitted. We believe that Napo's membership collectively represents significant amount of knowledge and experience about the work that we all have done, or are doing.
When meeting with Lord Timpson, Napo made it very clear that in order to deal with the prospect of fewer clients being sent to prison on short term sentences, a major rethink on funding for the Probation Service needs to take place, with sufficient funding to make the profession attractive but also to motivate more experienced staff to remain in post longer so that their vital experience is not lost. Also, Napo's position is clear - the Government cannot build it's way out of the prison overcrowding crisis but, more than this, needs to fundamentally reconsider the use of custody as a sentence.
Submission of evidence
Next week sees the first meeting of Napo’s National Executive Committee after this year's Annual General Meeting, where we will be considering how we can best ensure that our members have an opportunity to offer their views and ideas to the review panel. Our early thinking is that Napo Branches would be the most appropriate conduit for this to happen. Napo can then ensure that your views are given full consideration prior to us submitting formal evidence to the review.
More news will follow about this at the earliest opportunity,
Read more here about the Independent Sentencing Review : https://www.gov.uk/guidance/independent-sentencing-review-2024-to-2025