§ Mr. BurnettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on trends in the standard and availability of rehabilitation and education programmes for prisoners(a) between 1984 and 1990 and (b) since 1991. [25984]
§ Ms QuinThe Government are committed to the provision of constructive regimes in prisons targeted at reducing offending behaviour. To this end, we are helping the Prison Service to make the best use of its resources and improve the delivery of regimes.
520WThe Prison Service has always laid stress on the need for rehabilitation and education programmes. Rule 1 of the Prison Rules 1964, as amended, says that the purpose of the training and treatment of convicted prisoners shall be to encourage them to lead a good and useful life.
The broad trend over the years in the standards and availability of such programmes has been to target resources on needs more effectively. Latterly, and particularly since the Prison Service was given Agency status in 1993, this has focused on what research shows to work in reducing re-offending.
In 1991, a central unit to develop offending behaviour programmes was established: it developed the Sex Offender Treatment Programme, delivery of which began in 1992; and in 1993–94 it introduced two more cognitive skills programmes designed to address the impulsive and self-centred approach to life commonly found in repetitive offenders.
Competitive tendering of prison education was introduced in 1993. This involved the development of educational priorities around a national Prison Service core curriculum which includes literacy, numeracy, information technology and life and social skills.
More recently the Prison Service has adopted an accreditation process and associated key performance indicator to encourage development, by Prison Service establishments and others, of programmes to address offending behaviour which reach a required level of effectiveness in reducing re-offending.