HC Deb 06 April 1998 vol 310 cc28-31W
Mr. McNamara

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the titles of projects(a) undertaken and (b) completed by the Home Affairs Research and Statistics Directorate in the past six months, indicating which of these have been published and how their findings have been made available. [37221]

Mr. Straw

The following projects were either ongoing or completed during the period October 1997 to March 1998. Where a project has been completed, the publication reference is given:

Project Title Status Publication
Coroners Completed HORS to be published on 20 April
Council of Europe Sourcebook ongoing
Crack cocaine and criminal lifestyles ongoing
Crime and opiate misuse ongoing
Crime recording practices (HMIC review) Completed Instruction books issued to police forces on 20 March 1998
Demanding Physical Programmes for Young Offenders ongoing
Developing a Risk/Needs Assessment Scale for the Probation Service Completed Published in Home Office guidance "Management and Assessment of Risk in the Probation Service, June 1997
Domestic violence Ongoing
Drugs Throughcare Ongoing
Electronic Monitoring of Curfew Orders: year two Completed HORS 177 and Research Findings 66
Entry into the CJS Ongoing
Ethnic monitoring by police forces Ongoing Information for 1996–97 published for the police in Home Office publication "Race and the Criminal Justice System"(December 1997)
Ethnic Monitoring by police forces completed HORS 173, December 1997
Ethnicity and victimisation Completed HOSB 6/98–3 April 1998
Evaluating the effects of the bail process projects Completed HORS 184 to be published in April 1998
Evaluation of a link worker scheme to help deal with the mentally disordered at the police station Ongoing
Evaluation of court psychiatric assessment schemes for mentally disordered offenders Ongoing
Evaluation of Home Office cautioning circular 18/1994 Completed Research Findings 53
Evaluation of Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) Scheme Completed Not yet published. Research findings planned
Evaluation of pilot projects for new community measures Ongoing
Evaluation of Pilot Regimes for Young Offenders: Colchester YOI and Thorn Cross HITP Ongoing
Evaluation of Sex Offender Treatment Programme (Part I) Completed Research findings in preparation for June 1998
Evaluation of the new PACE codes of practice Completed HORS 174 and Research Findings 62
Evaluation of the public order provisions of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 Ongoing
Evaluations of projects funded under European Year against Racism Ongoing
Exclusion from School, Criminal Careers and Effective Interventions Ongoing
Fast Tracking for Juveniles in the courts Completed Research Findings due in April 1998
Firearm offences Ongoing
Imposition and discharge of restriction orders Ongoing Report prepared for publication—May 1998
Knowledge of sentencing. Mike Hough & Julian Roberts Completed HORS 179 and Research Findings 64–5 January 1998
Lay Visitor Schemes Ongoing
LIPS/Surrey Probation Employment Initiatives Ongoing
Local Voluntary Activity Surveys Ongoing 3 LOVAS papers and 4 LOVAS Area Reports 1997. Other reports due soon
Maintenance and Operation of Police Funding Formula Ongoing Police Grant Report (England and Wales) published 2 February 1998
Mandatory Drug Testing evaluation Ongoing
Misuse of Drugs Completed HORS 172,September 1997
Monitoring of Charities' incomes before and after the National Lottery Ongoing Due May-June and October-November 1998
Monitoring the right of silence provisions of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 Ongoing
Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators completed Research findings 64 [full report available on request]
New Methodology for Prison Population Projections Ongoing Paper at Or39 Conference of Operational Research Society—published in Operational Research Insight—January-March 1998
Notified addicts Ongoing
Offending on bail Ongoing Publication of Research Findings 72 expected April 1998
Offensive weapons Ongoing Statistical Findings in preparation
Operation of s.48 of the Mental Health Act 1983 Ongoing Publication of Research Findings expected in May-June 1998
Perpetrators of racial harassment Completed HORS 176, November 1997
Police and ethnic minorities Completed Research Findings 59
Police recording practices Ongoing
Prison Service staff stress audit Ongoing
Prisoner activity expansion not yet started
Probation Motor Projects: a reconviction study Ongoing

Project Title Status Publication
Public attitudes to drug-related crime completed Research Findings 67, January 1998
Reconviction rates after sentence at the Crown Court completed Report made available in January 1998
Reconviction studies Ongoing
Reconviction study of those given community penalties: the effect of social variables Ongoing
Recording of racial incidents Ongoing
Relations between police and minority communities Ongoing
Review of Deterrence Ongoing
Sentencing practice in the courts following the CJAs 1991 and 1993 Ongoing To be published as a HORS, May 1998
Serious Offences Ongoing
Sex Offenders Treatment Programme for Rapists (Part II) Ongoing
Sexual victimisation Completed Academic Journal, Autumn 1997
Study of attrition process in rape cases Ongoing
Survey of absconding from hospital by restricted patients Ongoing
The admissibility and sufficiency of evidence in child abuse prosecutions Ongoing
The police and victims Completed Research Findings 60, December 1997
The Use of Pre-Sentence Information (school reports) in the Youth Court Completed Journal article in preparation; publication date not yet confirmed
Third party disclosure Ongoing
Treatment of drug misusers in the community Ongoing
Urine testing of arrestees Completed Scheduled for publication April 1998
Victim statements and 'one stop shop' pilot projects Ongoing
Victims and witnesses in magistrates Courts Completed Research Findings 68 January 1998
Video violence and young offenders Completed Research Findings 65
Voluntary supervision of released prisoner Completed Publication due in next two months
Vulnerable or Intimidated witnesses ongoing Publication planned in May as annex to Review group's report
Work aimed at improving the quality of police incident data ongoing HMIC letter to Chief Constables issued 12 March 1998
Young offenders from different ethnic groups ongoing
Young people in multi-ethnic Britain ongoing

Note:

HORS = Home Office Research Study

HOSB = Home Office Statistical Bulletin

The research programme for 1998–99 will shortly be made available on the Home Office web site [http://www.open.gov.uk/home—off/rsd/rsdhome.htm] and a copy will be sent to the House of Commons Library. The list of current publications from the Research and Statistics Directorate is also available on the Home Office web site or from my department on request. All Research and Statistical publications are sent to the House of Commons Library as a matter of course.

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