Reducing re-offending

The strategy is being driven forward under the Local Area Agreement (LAA) and the public service agreement (PSA) 23 which aims to make Derbyshire a safer place to live in. Reducing re-offending by adult offenders under probation supervision is monitored as a National Indicator (NI) 18 and will make a major difference to the people of Derbyshire. It is intended that re-offending for these offenders will be reduced by over 8 per cent in the coming two years.

At present, the Derbyshire Probation Trust (opens in a new window) supervises and manages approximately 2,500 offenders across Derbyshire on court orders and licences after release from prisons and takes action to link them to the right services (for example drug and alcohol services) at the right time and with robust enforcement arrangements. Not only will this help to protect the public but also reduce numbers of victims and increase confidence in the criminal justice system.

In general, the profile of offenders managed by probation shows that the majority are aged 18 to 25 years with 88 per cent male and 12 per cent female. Twelve percent of these are from black and minority ethnic communities. Probation therefore shapes its provision to meet the needs of diverse communities.

The strategy contains an action plan for partners to strengthen the “7 Pathways out of offending” for offenders involving accommodation and support, alcohol and health, drugs, employment and education, finance and debt, attitudes and beliefs as well as family and relationships.

It will be delivered across the eight districts and boroughs in Derbyshire where there is a commitment to make it a success and each has identified two or three objectives to support the strategy.

This strategy will also be one of a number of priorities for the eight district community safety partnerships we have across the county whose role it is to tackle crime related issues in their area.

The strategy will be delivered through partnership working from now until 2011, with quarterly monitoring of progress by a ‘core’ group. Performance against NI 18 as part of the Local Area Agreement will be managed by the Safer Communities Board - a thematic board sitting under the Derbyshire Partnership Forum.