§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What courses are offered by the Prison Service on addressing offending behaviour; and what comparisons they make on the effectiveness of these courses; and [HL4482]
How many prisoners went on reasoning and rehabilitation courses in the last 12 months for which figures are available and, of these, how many dropped out and how many were asked to leave the course. [HL4481]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Bassam of Brighton)The Prison Service offers a range of programmes that have been accredited by independent panels of experts against effectiveness criteria established in the light of extensive international research as being likely to reduce re-offending. These consist of:
Reasoning and Rehabilitation and Enhanced Thinking Skills—cognitive behavioural programmes aimed at those at medium risk of re-offending with a high level of cognitive deficits;
Controlling Anger and Learning to Manage it (CALM): a cognitive behavioural programme for offenders for whom anger and aggression feature as a component in current or previous offending;
Cognitive Self-Change: a programme for adult offenders with a history of violence; and
Problem Solving: an offence-based cognitive skills programme aimed at a similar population to Reasoning and Rehabilitation and Enhanced. Thinking Skills, designed by Dr James McGuire of Liverpool University.
The Service also offers a range of sex offender treatment programmes designed by the Prison Service to address sex offending, to challenge thinking patterns used by offenders to excuse and justify their behaviour and to teach new attitudes and behaviours related to positive, offence-free living. The courses consist of a core programme; an adapted programme for prisoners with learning difficulties; an extended programme for high risk sex offenders; and a booster programme for sex offenders who have already completed the core programme and are preparing for release.
There is also a partially accredited rolling programme for low and high risk offenders who have undergone other treatment.
A Prison Service long-term reconviction analysis assesses reconviction rates of graduates of the programmes after release from prison against control groups. These studies will be subjected to external, independent assessment and the Prison Service will ensure that any other necessary independent verification of programme outcomes is put in place.
7WAThe data now beginning to emerge are encouraging but it is too early to draw firm conclusions at this stage from them. Between 31 October 1999 and 31 October 2000, 876 prisoners took part in the Reasoning and Rehabilitation offending behaviour programme, 43 dropped out of the programme and 33 were asked to leave.