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<p /> <p>Our Transforming Rehabilitation reforms will tackle the problem of persistently
high reoffending rates by opening up the delivery of rehabilitation services to a
diverse range of public, private and voluntary sector providers. Providers will only
be paid in full if they are successful at reducing reoffending. We are also putting
in place an unprecedented ‘through the gate’ resettlement service giving most offenders
continuous support by one provider from custody into the community. Rehabilitation
support is also being extended to an extra 45,000 offenders on sentences of less than
12 months, who currently get no support on release and have the highest reoffending
rates.</p><p> </p><p>As part of the reforms, transition to new probation structures
took place on 1 June 2014 and the National Probation Service and 21 Community Rehabilitation
Companies are now live. The 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies remain in public
ownership while the competition to establish their new owners progresses. We will
be able to assess the impact of the reforms on reoffending rates once we have transitioned
service provision to the new providers.</p><p> </p><p>A significant step towards completing
these reforms was taken on 5 December as we awarded contracts to the organisations
that will lead a new approach to rehabilitation. There was strong competition for
each of the 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies, with bids showing real innovation.
Nineteen of the 21 contract areas will be led by new partnerships and joint ventures
between private sector firms and some of Britain’s biggest and most successful rehabilitation
charities. Six will be run with the involvement of a probation staff “mutual”. We
expect new providers to be in place by early next year, in line with the Government’s
commitment to introduce these reforms by 2015.</p>
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