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NOMS joins Ministry of Justice

9.5.07

The National Offender Management Service today transfers from the Home Office to the newly created Ministry of Justice (new window) as part of wide-reaching machinery of government changes.

The changes – which see NOMS HQ, the Office for Criminal Justice Reform and the former Department for Constitutional Affairs coming together – will lead to the establishment of the first Ministry of Justice in England and Wales.

It is hoped that the formation of the new department will prove a significant step towards the achievement of the Government’s goal of reducing re-offending and improving delivery throughout the criminal justice system.

The work of NOMS HQ – along with that of the prison and probation services – will play a central role in the new department, which will prioritise, among other things, the breaking of the re-offending cycle.

The new ministry will have responsibility for the courts, sentencing, prisons, rehabilitation of offenders, plus DCA policies like voting, crown dependencies, human rights, tribunals and freedom of information.

As a result of the changes, offenders will be managed by one department from the moment they appear in court, until the end of their sentence.