| answer text |
<p>We are taking urgent action to tackle violence in prisons, alongside reforms to
overhaul the system to focus on the rehabilitation of offenders. Investment in additional
prison officers and the introduction of Keyworkers enables prison officers to mentor,
challenge and support a small caseload of prisoners away from violence and reoffending.
The Challenge, Support and Intervention Plan (CSIP) has, since November 2018, been
mandated for use in all establishments. CSIP provides a case management model to help
staff to manage violent prisoners and those identified as posing a raised risk of
being violent. Violence against our staff is unacceptable. The Assaults on Emergency
Workers (Offences) Act came into force on 13 November which has increased the penalty
– from 6 to 12 months - for those who assault emergency workers including prison officers.</p><p>
</p><p>In order to improve support for prisoners with mental health needs, we have
rolled out improved suicide and self-harm prevention training and over 25,000 new
and existing prison staff have completed some of this training. We have also awarded
the Samaritans a grant of £500,000 each year for the next three years, to continue
to support the Listeners’ scheme. For those prisoners requiring transfer to secure
hospitals for mental health treatment, we are working collaboratively with Her Majesty’s
Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
and NHS England (NHSE) to improve the transfer process. On 20<sup>th</sup> June we
also announced the development of a Health and Justice Plan which will bring together
a coherent, holistic picture of the full offender health journey, from the point of
arrest through to release.</p><p> </p><p>Our Drugs Taskforce is working with law enforcement
and health partners across government to restrict the supply of drugs, reduce demand
and build recovery from substance misuse through the national Prison Drugs Strategy.
We have invested £70 million to improve safety, security and decency, allowing us
to fund new security scanners, improve searching techniques, and introduce phone-blocking
technology. We have made it a criminal offence to possess psychoactive substances
in prison and trained more than 300 sniffer dogs to detect these drugs. Additionally,
our £9 million joint-funded Ministry of Justice, HMPPS, DHSC and NHSE Drug Recovery
Prison pilot at HMP Holme House is testing and evaluating innovative approaches to
tackle drugs in prison and help prisoners improve their chances of recovery.</p>
|
|
