Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 15 March 2012
15 Mar 2012 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Offenders (Rehabilitation)
First of all, I thank Alison McInnes for lodging a motion on what is an important issue.
When we think about offenders, we find it all too easy to think purely in terms of punishment, public safety and deterrence. However, as far as the individual in question and society are concerned, in this era of preventative spending, rehabilitation in all its forms and reducing reoffending must be priorities. With regard to rehabilitation, I am pleased to note the terms of the Government’s press release on Low Moss.
As we all know, cutting reoffending is a long-term business and, as with minimum pricing, there is no silver bullet for it. As a result, I believe that we should consider the use of social impact bonds. Although they have been welcomed by Conservative proponents of the big society, the idea was embraced initially by the former Labour Home Secretary, Jack Straw, as Lewis Macdonald made clear. The Peterborough pilot raised £5 million from 17 social investors and is expected to involve 3,000 short-term prisoners set to leave Peterborough prison over a six-year period. The voluntary organisations involved, including YMCA and various trusts, aim to concentrate on improving the education skills and confidence of short-term prisoners in jail to make them better able to integrate into the community. Support organisations will provide intensive assistance after prisoner release to help individuals to settle into the community. Early indications are that participation is high; indeed, a key factor of the Peterborough trial is that its participants are volunteers. The fact that prisoners have expressed the desire to seek help and avoid reoffending is welcome and the Scottish Government should certainly be open to innovative schemes that help former prisoners to readjust.
However, the only report so far on the Peterborough project was commissioned by the Ministry of Justice 10 months ago. It states:
“given the early stage of development of the Peterborough SIB, we are unable to draw conclusions about or comment on outcomes.”
My understanding is that the minimum possible period for assessing reoffending rates is two years and nine months from the project’s start and that investors can look forward to a return only after the project’s fourth year. Whatever the merits of the Peterborough project, it is really too early for the Scottish Government to reach a considered view on it.
Moreover, how likely is it that SIBs will attract funding entirely additional to that for the third sector? After all, we might well need a high rate of return in order to attract investors. In addition, to make real savings in cash, significant scale will be required. From the Government’s point of view, savings might not be great, and set-up costs might be high.
Therefore, we should not assume that social impact bonds are a panacea. A more straightforward public-social partnership might have something to teach us, too.
When we think about offenders, we find it all too easy to think purely in terms of punishment, public safety and deterrence. However, as far as the individual in question and society are concerned, in this era of preventative spending, rehabilitation in all its forms and reducing reoffending must be priorities. With regard to rehabilitation, I am pleased to note the terms of the Government’s press release on Low Moss.
As we all know, cutting reoffending is a long-term business and, as with minimum pricing, there is no silver bullet for it. As a result, I believe that we should consider the use of social impact bonds. Although they have been welcomed by Conservative proponents of the big society, the idea was embraced initially by the former Labour Home Secretary, Jack Straw, as Lewis Macdonald made clear. The Peterborough pilot raised £5 million from 17 social investors and is expected to involve 3,000 short-term prisoners set to leave Peterborough prison over a six-year period. The voluntary organisations involved, including YMCA and various trusts, aim to concentrate on improving the education skills and confidence of short-term prisoners in jail to make them better able to integrate into the community. Support organisations will provide intensive assistance after prisoner release to help individuals to settle into the community. Early indications are that participation is high; indeed, a key factor of the Peterborough trial is that its participants are volunteers. The fact that prisoners have expressed the desire to seek help and avoid reoffending is welcome and the Scottish Government should certainly be open to innovative schemes that help former prisoners to readjust.
However, the only report so far on the Peterborough project was commissioned by the Ministry of Justice 10 months ago. It states:
“given the early stage of development of the Peterborough SIB, we are unable to draw conclusions about or comment on outcomes.”
My understanding is that the minimum possible period for assessing reoffending rates is two years and nine months from the project’s start and that investors can look forward to a return only after the project’s fourth year. Whatever the merits of the Peterborough project, it is really too early for the Scottish Government to reach a considered view on it.
Moreover, how likely is it that SIBs will attract funding entirely additional to that for the third sector? After all, we might well need a high rate of return in order to attract investors. In addition, to make real savings in cash, significant scale will be required. From the Government’s point of view, savings might not be great, and set-up costs might be high.
Therefore, we should not assume that social impact bonds are a panacea. A more straightforward public-social partnership might have something to teach us, too.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott)
Con
The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-02337, in the name of Alison McInnes, on prisons.10:26
Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD)
LD
It is a pleasure to be able to move my motion. It is not often that we talk about reducing crime in the context of the services that are available for those ...
Chic Brodie (South Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
The member refers to social impact bonds. The RAND Europe report on planning and implementation of the social impact bond at Peterborough prison highlighted ...
Alison McInnes
LD
No, I do not accept that. There is good reason to proceed with further pilots to assess the model. The Finance Committee has considered the issue and Audit S...
The Cabinet Secretary for Justice (Kenny MacAskill)
SNP
I thank Alison McInnes and my other Liberal Democrat colleagues for highlighting reoffending. I welcome their shared commitment to tackling this difficult is...
Lewis Macdonald (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
As has been said, an effective justice system must protect communities, support victims and seek to rehabilitate offenders. That means that those who have be...
David McLetchie (Lothian) (Con)
Con
I thank Alison McInnes for bringing the subject to the chamber and for highlighting an imaginative approach to rehabilitation that is being piloted by the Go...
Christine Grahame (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP)
SNP
I, too, very much welcome the debate and the consensus across the chamber about reoffending. I will not reprise the figures and percentages, which have been ...
Mary Fee (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I thank the Liberal Democrats for bringing the issue to the chamber so that we can have a serious debate on how we address reoffending in Scotland. Reducing ...
Dennis Robertson (Aberdeenshire West) (SNP)
SNP
I thank Alison McInnes for bringing this debate to the chamber, and I hope that she is less disappointed after hearing the cabinet secretary’s reassurances t...
Graeme Pearson (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Unfortunately, I must begin my contribution by agreeing with Christine Grahame and acknowledging all that she said about the 218 project in Glasgow. It is an...
Roderick Campbell (North East Fife) (SNP)
SNP
First of all, I thank Alison McInnes for lodging a motion on what is an important issue. When we think about offenders, we find it all too easy to think pure...
Alison McInnes
LD
Will the member give way?
Roderick Campbell
SNP
I have limited time, so I cannot. When the Justice Committee was taking evidence on the Scottish Government’s budget, we highlighted the fact that the obliga...
David McLetchie
Con
This has been an interesting and useful debate with some excellent contributions. I thank Lewis Macdonald for pointing out that the social impact bond model ...
Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
Lab
Alison McInnes reminded us of the poor outcomes: 62 per cent of prisoners reoffend, and the figure is even higher for young prisoners. Although there has bee...
Kenny MacAskill
SNP
Justice debates in the chamber are frequently rumbustious and confrontational, and it is fair to say that, sometimes, they generate more heat than light. How...
Alison McInnes
LD
I do, indeed, welcome the cabinet secretary’s positive comments this morning, but I will press him a little on timescale. In 2009-10, the Scottish Prison Ser...
Kenny MacAskill
SNP
As Roderick Campbell eloquently said, we must build on the evidence. The only scheme of which we are aware is in Peterborough and I am happy to look at it, a...
Jim Hume (South Scotland) (LD)
LD
I welcome the opportunity to sum up what has been an important debate that was led very ably by Alison McInnes on behalf of the Liberal Democrats. The debate...