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<p>This Government is committed to reducing crime by tackling reoffending, which accounts
for around 80% of cautioned or convicted crime. We are committed to keeping the public
safe by addressing the complex issues that lead to offending, while also strengthening
the supervision of offenders in the community and monitoring them more closely after
they are released from prison to protect the public. Prison and probation provide
an opportunity to address the complex drivers of reoffending which is why we will
continue to not only recover from the pandemic but use this opportunity to reform
and build back safer.</p><p> </p><p>As announced in the Spending Review last year,
we have committed over £4 billion funding to make significant progress in delivering
18,000 additional prison places across England and Wales, which forms a major part
of our plans to transform the prison estate. These new prison places will provide
safe, decent and secure environments to support the delivery of effective interventions
to reduce reoffending.</p><p> </p><p>Funding announced in January also demonstrates
this Governments commitment to tackling some of the underlying causes of reoffending.
It comprised:</p><ul><li>£70 million investment to enhance the Department’s Approved
Premises, provide transitional accommodation to those leaving prison who would otherwise
be homeless, and to test new innovative approaches to ensure offenders resettle back
into the community and turn their backs on crime.</li><li>£80m on expanding drug treatment
services in England to address offenders’ substance misuse issues, divert them on
to effective community sentences and reduce drug-related crime and deaths.</li></ul><p>
</p><p>As part of the £70 million package we are working collaboratively with 16 prisons
to design, implement and test new processes and initiatives across accommodation,
education, employment and substance misuse treatment. This is in addition to fulfilling
the Government’s manifesto commitments around increasing the number of DWP prison
work coaches and development of the Prison Education Service focused on employment
and skills. By supporting people into a job, a home and treatment for substance misuse,
we can help them escape the vicious cycle of crime and prevent victims.</p><p> </p><p>Our
reforms to probation, starting with the launch of the new unified Probation Service
for England and Wales on 26 June this year, also aim to strengthen our approach to
reducing reoffending. It will strengthen how offenders are supervised and supported
to desist from offending through investment in more probation officers and better
learning and development. It will improve how we address offending behaviour by bringing
together and investing in behavioural change programmes and interventions. Probation
regions will also be able to refer offenders to a range of organisations commissioned
to deliver specialist rehabilitative services, such as accommodation support, education,
training and employment, and support to address other issues such as access to mental
health services or managing complex family relationships. 110 contracts are now in
place across England and Wales to deliver these services from 26 June.</p><p>Together
these important steps demonstrate this Government’s commitment to build back safer,
fairer and stronger by reducing crime and tackling reoffending to protect the public.</p>
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