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First Welsh Reducing Re-offending Action Plan published
16.2.07
NOMS Wales is launching the country's first national action plan to reduce re-offending at a cross-sector conference in Cardiff today.
Wales Acting Director of Offender Management Sian West says that the actions for 2007/08 contained in Joining Together in Wales: The Reducing Re-offending Action Plan (new window) are based on intensive partnership working.
“The reducing re-offending strategy for Wales was launched for consultation by Home Office and Welsh Assembly Government ministers in February 2006. We have worked closely with the Welsh Assembly Government and many other organisations in Wales to ensure that our action plans will be fit for purpose. NOMS' co-location with the Welsh Assembly Government underlines how close together our work and priorities are.”
The wide-range of actions include the Welsh Assembly Government reviewing the Drug Interventions Programme (new window) allocation formula for funding regions in Wales, scoping studies to be led by the Probation Service, and a large number of implementation projects to be led by NOMS Wales.
The action plan is based around the seven NOMS pathways to reduce re-offending and also gives a specific priority to cross-agency work on tackling the many problems caused by prolific and other priority offenders.
Developing the plans for 2007/08 involved prison and probation services, the police, voluntary and private services, local government and government agencies, the Youth Justice Board and Jobcentre Plus Wales. Sian West says that this approach ensured that the actions for the next 12 months and beyond are both pragmatic and achievable.
“We have a very good working relationship with HM Prison Service, our public and contracted prisons, as well as our four probation areas in Wales. I believe the people of Wales can look forward to seeing really positive progress made in our aims to reduce re-offending, improve public protection and to better support victims of crime.”
Today’s event saw the launch of Joining Together in Wales: The Reducing Re-offending Action Plan 2007/08 (new window) as well as the NOMS Commissioning Plan for Wales 2007/08 (new window). NOMS Director of Commissioning and Partnerships, Julie Taylor, attended the event and gave an outline of her aims and priorities in her new role.
