REDUCING RE-OFFENDING WITH WEST YORKSHIRE PCC
WEST YORKSHIRE PCC ASKED HOW DO WE REDUCE RE-OFFENDING?
“A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE CRYING OUT FOR HELP” – GROUNDBREAKING REPORT INTO REDUCING OFFENDING FINDS
Adults released from custodial sentences of less than 12 months re-offend at a rate of 62.7%
In the UK adults re-offend at a rate of 28.0%
Juvenile’s re-offend at a rate of 39.2%
In a ground breaking new project, West Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Mark Burns-Williamson, has commissioned User Voice, a charity led and run by people with lived experience to speak to people in prison and on probation and understand what more can be done to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.
User Voice spoke to adults and those in youth offending teams to understand their views and experiences. Through these conversations they have arrived at a set of key recommendations to help reduce offending and make sure the criminal justice system works better for our communities.
Although started before the COVID-19 pandemic, the issues arising are more pressing than ever. Many of the recommendations speak to services that have been restricted in prisons and the community since the start of the health crisis.
The project looked to understand:
- Why people commit crime and are part of anti-social behaviour
- What support services are in place to address this
- How effective they are and what could be done differently.
Addiction, mental health, housing and education were found to be crucial areas for further work and support.
The findings of the report will now be shared with partners across the criminal justice sector to find joint solutions to the issues raised and improve services overall and importantly involve people who have been in prison or on probation.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO READ THE FULL REPORT!
“Tackling crime and anti-social behaviour is a core outcome in my Police and Crime Plan for West Yorkshire.”
“My thanks and appreciation to User Voice for their invaluable work on this project which I am sure will make a difference not just on paper, but in our communities, changing lives for the better and helping to keep people safe.”
Mark Burns-Williamson, West Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner.
Our panel answered questions from the public about what to do if people aren’t ready to change and how to support people to stay in touch with loved ones and what that means for prisoners.
“It is not always easy empowering some of the most marginalised groups in society. User Voice has demonstrated that giving people in prison and on probation a voice using its lived experience approach can have significant results.
This is the first time it has been used by a Police and Crime Commissioner and so I commend Mark Burns-Williamson for embracing this innovative approach.”
Mark Johnson MBE, User Voice CEO and Founder
Consultations such as this create an environment based on responsibility, tolerance, decency, courtesy and humanity. This is all in support of the notion of making good citizens and promotes our fundamental belief that: it’s the people in the system who have the answers.
“Now the hard work begins in taking people’s insight and turning into action.”
Mark Johnson MBE, User Voice CEO and Founder
“All my friends… they do re-offend sometimes, some of them are homeless. If they don’t have anything they either shoplift, robberies. They have quite a bit of an addiction, re-offend for it, they don’t have the income or a job so it’s do it or don’t get it.”
(Male Category B Resident)
“In prison there is a massive increase in mental illness, so it must be linked to crime or they wouldn’t be there.”
(Male NPS Service user)