Justice Committee - Transforming Rehabilitation

In 2014 and 2015 the Government introduced major structural reforms to the probation system, which included changes to who delivered probation services and what was delivered as part of probation. These reforms were known as Transforming Rehabilitation (TR). The TR reforms sought to:

• Extend statutory rehabilitation to offenders serving custodial sentences of less than 12 months;
• Introduce nationwide ‘Through the Gate’ resettlement services for those leaving prison;
• Open up the market to new rehabilitation providers to get the best out of the public, voluntary and private sectors;
• Introduce new payment incentives for market providers to focus relentlessly on reforming offenders;
• Split the delivery of probation services between the National Probation Service (offenders at high risk of harm) and Community Rehabilitation Companies (low and medium risk offenders); and
• Reduce reoffending.

The House of Commons Justice Committee has reported on these reforms and has proposed some short and medium-term solutions.  The committee's report notes - "The scale of the issues facing the sector is of great concern to us given that evidence suggests that if probation services are delivered well they can have a positive impact on the prospects of someone receiving probation support and wider society."

The report may be read  at Transforming Rehabilitation Inquiry