How we manage offenders

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Attitudes, thinking and behaviour

There is considerable evidence for the effectiveness of cognitive skills programmes in rehabilitating offenders.

NOMS now runs forty different independently-accredited programmes for offenders and is continuing to develop new programmes. 

How we aim to help offenders' overcome negative and destructive patterns of thinking and behaviour:

• provide interventions that improve the control of prolific and priority offenders, and prioritise this group of offenders for interventions both in custody and in the community
• better targeting of cognitive programmes to improve completion rates and outcomes for offenders
• more closely match interventions designed to tackle substance misuse to the offender’s treatment needs.
  

Programmes to address attitudes, thinking and behaviour

NOMS continues to progress an extensive programme of joint work across the prison and probation services to address offenders' attitudes, thinking and behaviour.

There are now 22 offending behaviour programmes accredited for use in prison and 18 for use in the community. The range encompasses general offending behaviour programmes and more specialist interventions, for example for sexual and violent offenders, and substance misuse treatment programmes.

New systems and technology such as OASys have been introduced which help with informing the planning, targeting and evaluation of the programmes.

Programmes in custody

In HM Prison Service work continues on the development and piloting of a programmes for short-term prisoners and for high-risk, violent, and substance misusing women offenders. The service has also developed a short motivational package which is being piloted in custody and the community.

Programmes in the community

In the community the major developments have been the roll out of the Integrated Domestic Abuse programme (IDAP), and the Community Domestic Violence programme (CDVP). Work in relation to domestic violence will now focus on going to scale in terms of delivery and contributing to the wider policy decisions. Developmental work is underway to enhance the delivery of programmes to substance using offenders.

Ensuring a common approach

Work continues to extend further a common approach to the operation and implementation of programmes, building on the progress that has already been made.

Such work includes ensuring the use of common assessment tools and expanding the range of joint training. A joint project is now underway to develop a new model for training and ongoing development of offending behaviour programme staff. Another joint project is being established to develop a revised approach to auditing the quality of programme delivery.