In this month's edition...
Update on Clinks’ health and justice work
On the 9th February we held our monthly health and justice network meeting. We discussed the vaccine roll-out in prisons, and how voluntary sector organisations can dispel myths and misinformation on vaccines amongst people in contact with the criminal justice system, and encourage uptake of the vaccine.
We have been working to support Her Majesty’s Inspectorates of Prisons and Probation on their independent review on neurodiversity in the criminal justice system, commissioned by the Ministry of Justice. HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services is supporting this work. Following a wide dissemination of the call for evidence, Clinks is going to be holding a roundtable on neurodiversity for the voluntary sector to consult the sector about their views and experiences. More information on this is available below. Clinks also attended a roundtable on neurodiversity for the voluntary sector organised by HM Inspectorates of Prisons and Probation.
In partnership with Birth Companions, as part of our work funded through the Department for Health and Social Care VCSE Health and Wellbeing Alliance to understand the needs of pregnant women and recent mothers, we held a final focus group with women with lived experience, and are analysing emerging themes from the surveys and focus groups.
Prioritise vaccination for people in prison
Clinks sent a letter to the Chairs of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and Nadhim Zahawi MP, Minister for Covid-19 vaccine deployment. In this letter, we asked the JCVI and the Minister to prioritise vaccination for people in prison as well as both the statutory and voluntary sector staff that work with them. Our letter draws on the significant health inequalities that people in prison already face, as well as the enduring mental health impact of severe lockdowns in place in prisons to slow the spread of Covid-19. Read the letter here
Government funding for substance misuse
The Home Office and the Department for Health and Social Care have announced £148 million of new investment to reduce reoffending and challenge substance misuse. £28 million will be invested into piloting Project ADDER – which combines targeted policing with enhanced treatment and recovery services. Project ADDER (which stands for Addiction, Diversion, Disruption, Enforcement and Recovery) will bring together partners including the police, local councils and health services, and run for three financial years in areas with some of the highest rates of substance misuse. £80 million will also be invested in substance misuse services across England to give more support to people in contact with the criminal justice system. Read more here
Government funding for prison leavers
The government has announced £70 million of investment in accommodation and wider support for prison leavers to reduce reoffending. Homeless prison leavers will be temporarily housed in basic hostels, backed by £70 million of new investment. The promise to reduce the number of prison leavers ending up rough sleeping includes £20 million to be invested across five probation regions, to support prison leavers at risk of homelessness into temporary accommodation for up to 12 weeks. £6m has also been committed to roll-out staff across 11 prisons who will act as brokers to ensure people can access accommodation, healthcare and employment support services as they are released. Read Clinks’ blog discussing the announcement here
Consultation on neurodiversity
Clinks is holding a consultation event [25th February, online, free] with the voluntary sector to support Her Majesty’s Inspectorates of Prisons and Probations’ evidence review of neurodiversity in the criminal justice system, supported by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services. We want to hear from voluntary sector organisations who work with people with neurodiverse conditions who are in contact with the criminal justice system, both in prison and in the community. Discussion at this consultation event will inform the findings of the Inspectorates’ review. Register for the event here
Health and justice network meeting
Clinks is holding the next event in a monthly series of health and justice network meetings [9th March, online, free]. This meeting is for organisations that deliver health services to people in contact with the criminal justice system, including mental and physical health services, substance misuse services, pregnancy and maternity services, services for older people, and services relating to learning disabilities. These meetings discuss both the impact of Covid-19 on health and justice services and service users, as well as the day-to-day health issues their service users face and how their services address them. Information gathered at these meetings can be used to inform Clinks’ policy work. Read more here
Prisoner health forum
Clinks members Prison Reform Trust and Cell Workout are speaking at a conference on the issue of health for people in prison, held by Inside Government [24th & 25th March, online, £245]. The conference will feature various speakers, including Paula Harriott, Head of Prisoner Engagement at Prison Reform Trust; LJ Flanders, Founder and CEO of Cell Workout; and Tania Osborne, Head of Health and Social Care Inspection at HM Inspectorate of Prisons. Agenda items for the conference include inspecting prisons during Covid-19 and beyond, NHS insight into the impact of Covid-19 on the mental health of people in prison, and keeping people in prison active and engaged during Covid-19. More information is available here
Responding to poverty, trauma and multiple disadvantage
Revolving Doors Agency, with the support of Lankelly Chase, have compiled a collection of eight essays that explore how poverty, trauma and structural disadvantage create and perpetuate multiple disadvantage. To launch the essay collection, Revolving Doors Agency is holding a webinar [25th February, online, free] where attendees will hear from essay contributors, as well as people with lived experience, about the complex interconnections between poverty, trauma and multiple disadvantage. The essay collection includes an essay from Dr. Sarah Anderson, Edinburgh Napier University, on the criminal justice system as an active player in the perpetration of trauma, as well as essays on the impact of racism, mental health, and poverty on people experiencing multiple disadvantage. More information is available here
Safety in custody statistics
HM Prison and Probation Service and the Ministry of Justice have published safety in custody statistics for England and Wales, concerning deaths in prison custody to December 2020 and assaults and self-harm to September 2020. In the 12 months to December 2020, there were 318 deaths in prison custody, an increase of 8% from 300 deaths the previous 12 months. There were 58,870 self-harm incidents in the 12 months to September 2020, down 5% from the previous 12 months, comprising a 7% decrease in male establishments and an 8% increase in female establishments. In the most recent quarter there were 14,167 self-harm incidents, up 9% on the previous quarter, comprising a 5% increase in male establishments and, worryingly, a 24% increase in female establishments. Read more here
HMPPS Covid-19 weekly data
In the week ending 23rd January 2021, there were 7 deaths in the adult estate confirmed or suspected as being due to Covid-19. In the same week, 1231 people in the adult estate and four people in the youth estate tested positive for Covid-19, across 82 sites. This is a decrease in the number of people testing positive in the previous week ending 18th January 2021, where 1593 people in the adult estate and 15 people in the youth custody service tested positive for Covid-19. Read more here
Bromley Briefings Prison Factfile: Winter 2021
Prison Reform Trust (PRT) has published its bi-annual Bromley Briefings Prison Factfile, which looks at the state of prisons in England and Wales, rehabilitation and resettlement. The briefing notes that 71% of women and 47% of men surveyed by inspectors in prison reported having mental health problems. Inspectors found that most health services in prison are reasonably good and generally improving. However, access to mental health assessments and treatment was inadequate in approximately half of prisons. 36% of people in prison are estimated to have a physical or mental disability. This compares with 19% of the general population. On Covid-19, the briefing notes the continuing impact on prisons, with record level of self-harm in the prisons estate and months of enforced isolation, coinciding with mental health service provision being reduced under the new regime. Read the briefing here
Emotional resilience in lockdown
How are you managing your team’s emotional resilience during lockdown? Tammy Banks of Taye Training spoke recently to Clinks’ CEO Anne Fox about her experience of leading a team during the pandemic for her podcast ‘Training 4 Influence’. They spoke about the changes Anne has made to ensure her team’s needs are being met, the importance of maintaining your capacity for empathy and kindness (for employees and service users) and Anne’s perspective on the challenges the voluntary sector faces. Listen here
Greater Manchester funding for BAME communities
Emergency grants of up to £5,000 are available for small black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME*)-led voluntary organisations in Greater Manchester affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, to enable them to respond to the needs of BAME communities. The funding is distributed by the Greater Manchester BAME network on behalf of Comic Relief and the National Emergency Fund. It is intended for new activities and services that benefit BAME communities in Greater Manchester, as well as for covering the additional costs of adapting existing services due to Covid-19. The funding will also help counter the loss of fundraising income directly caused by the pandemic. Organisations can apply for either a micro grant – from £50-£1000, or a small grant – from £1000-£5000. Find out more and apply by 26th February here
Improving outcomes for prison leavers
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced that the first round of the Local Leadership and Integration Fund has opened. The MoJ is asking local organisations to come together in partnership to submit proposals for new and innovative approaches which will improve outcomes for prison leavers in their local area. The competition will be open for applications for six weeks until Monday 22nd March 2021. Successful pilots will run for a period of 18 months, and the maximum amount of grant funding available for a single bid will be capped at £1 million. Please register via the Ministry of Justice portal where you will be able to access further information, guidance and the documents required to submit a bid here
The latest on the Female Offender Strategy: prison expansion vs community solutions
Clinks’ Policy Officer Lauren Nickolls has written a blog on the progress made in the government’s 2018 Female Offender Strategy, in light of the Ministry of Justice’s recent announcement of its intention to create 500 more prison places for women. Clinks is highly disappointed in the plans to expand the women’s prison estate. The decision contradicts the intentions of the female offender strategy. The investment would be more effective at improving outcomes for women in the criminal justice system and reducing reoffending if directed towards community provision and diversionary schemes delivered by women-centred, trauma-informed services. The blog also outlines the recently published national concordat. Read more here
Influencing criminal justice policy in a pandemic - an update from our policy team
Clinks’ Policy Officer Lauren Nickolls has written a blog on Clinks’ policy work last year during the Covid-19 pandemic, and what work we have coming up. The blog outlines our health and justice work relating to older people in prison, as well as our work on pregnancy and maternity in the community, as part of our funded work with the VCSE Health and Wellbeing Alliance. It also looks at our Reducing Reoffending Third Sector Advisory Group’s Special Interest Group on Covid-19, and our continuing work on probation reform, the female offender strategy, challenging racism and discrimination in the criminal justice system, and our work to ensure the voluntary sector is heard through our policy messaging and policy priorities. Read more here
*We acknowledge that the term BAME can be problematic as it refers to a group of people who are far from homogenous. The intersection of race, ethnicity, faith, and culture makes social identities multi-faceted and shifting – the experiences of individuals within these groups will vary. Wherever possible, we seek to be specific when describing groups of people but at times use the term BAME – albeit reluctantly – to describe inequality and discrimination across groups when necessary.
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This regular bulletin provides Clinks members with the latest news for voluntary organisations involved in the health and care of people in the criminal justice system. It currently has 2,428 subscribers.
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