We are committed to ensuring prisons are places where offenders can turn their backs on crime \u2013 reducing reoffending and keeping the public safe. In order for prisons to enable rehabilitation, they must first be places of safety and so we are taking urgent action to improve prison safety and security, alongside reforms to overhaul the system to focus on the rehabilitation of offenders.<\/p>
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We have invested £70 million to improve safety, security and decency in prisons, allowing us to fund new security scanners, improved searching techniques, phone-blocking technology and a financial crime unit to target criminals operating in prisons. Alongside this, we have taken immediate action to strengthen the frontline with over 4,700 new prison officers.<\/p>
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To reduce reoffending, we are implementing a cohesive plan to ensure offenders receive the right interventions to meet their individual needs. This includes investing £7 million in in-cell telephones to allow prisoners to maintain important family ties, and tackling health issues such as drug addiction through our drugs strategy.<\/p>
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We want to ensure that everyone leaving prison has access to a secure job and stable accommodation. Last year we launched the Education and Employment strategy to ensure offenders are set on a path to employment from the outset. Governors now have control to commission education provision that leads to work and we are engaging with employers to take on prisoners on ROTL or after release via the New Futures Network, which has had more than 230 businesses register to work with prisons since its launch. We also recently made changes so that Governors can now consider Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) earlier and in more cases to enable prisoners to enter the workplace sooner.<\/p>
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Through the Government\u2019s Rough Sleeping Strategy we have invested £6 million in pilot schemes bringing together prisons, local authorities, probation providers to help offenders find accommodation on release.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4106", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South Swindon"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Robert Buckland"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-06-19", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-06-19T15:32:26.967Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-06-05", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Offenders: Rehabilitation"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to rehabilitate offenders.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4474", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kevin Hollinrake"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Thirsk and Malton"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Kevin Hollinrake"} ], "uin" : "260687"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1127390", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Defence"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1127390/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
To date over 3,600 organisations have signed the Covenant at an average rate of 30 per week, up from five per month in 2014. In addition, all Local Authorities in Great Britain and four in Northern Ireland have pledged to uphold the Armed Forces Covenant.<\/p>
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Broadening support for the Covenant is a top priority for the Ministerial Covenant and Veterans Board and the Armed Forces Covenant annual report outlines the progress we have made.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1487", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bournemouth East"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr Tobias Ellwood"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-05-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-05-20T16:45:48.73Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "11"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Defence"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Defence"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-05-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Armed Forces Covenant"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "How many organisations have signed up to the armed forces covenant.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4474", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kevin Hollinrake"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Thirsk and Malton"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Kevin Hollinrake"} ], "uin" : "910986"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1027466", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1027466/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Our main contribution in helping to tackle economic crime is to run a world class court system that has a strong international reputation and enables highly complex crimes to be prosecuted.<\/p>
<\/p>
As well as that work, we are also active in scrutinising the law to see if anything needs to be changed to tackle economic crime. The Department carried out a Call for Evidence to examine the case for a change in the law in corporate criminal liability for economic crime in 2017 and intends publishing its response in 2019.<\/p>
<\/p>
This is in addition to the creation of a new world class court facility in the City of London specialising in tackling cyber-crime, fraud and economic crime announced earlier this year. This will help reinforce the UK\u2019s reputation as a world-leading legal centre ready to deal with the changing nature of 21st century crime.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4517", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lucy Frazer"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South East Cambridgeshire"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lucy Frazer"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-12-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-12-18T17:07:41.583Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-12-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Economic Crime"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "What steps his Department is taking to support the Home Office in tackling economic crime.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4474", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kevin Hollinrake"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Thirsk and Malton"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Kevin Hollinrake"} ], "uin" : "908261"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1027237", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1027237/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "