Inspection recommendations to improve prisoner supervision in the community ‘not achieved’ three years after acceptance

A Follow-Up Review by Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland has found none of the four recommendations made and accepted to improve approved premises services had been fully achieved three years after they were made.

Approved premises or hostels and their staff provide vital services for the criminal justice system and support people released from prison who require enhanced supervision and monitoring when they return to the community.  The Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI) currently have access to 91 places for service users who need approved premises accommodation.

“In 2023 I made one strategic and three operational recommendations for improvement to help Approved Premises develop their services and both strengthen and formalise their contribution to the criminal justice system, these were all accepted,” said Jacqui Durkin, Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice in Northern Ireland.

The recommendations also aimed to help the seven approved premises and their key partners respond to the predictable increasing demand for places to support some men and women on their release from prison.

“I recommended that the Department of Justice (DoJ), PBNI, Northern Ireland Prison Service, Police Service of Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Housing Executive and the four organisations that manage Northern Ireland’s approved premises clarify the vision, strategy, delivery, staffing and oversight arrangements in place to monitor how those services contributed to resettlement, rehabilitation and public protection outcomes,” said the Chief Inspector.

“Inspectors were disappointed to find this recommendation had not been achieved when they returned last Autumn and gaps in the governance of approved premises service delivery remained. 

“It was clear that lead responsibility for the different strands of work under this recommendation had not been settled between the DoJ and PBNI. 

“A reset on how this recommendation will be achieved is now required.  This should include an integrated, collaborative approach and clarity on the ownership of the various work strands and timeframes for their delivery,” she said.

Ms Durkin said while work had been undertaken on the three Operational recommendations more work was required to ensure approved premises staff were closely involved in public protection risk assessment and monitoring arrangements.

Improvements in case planning and the planning to support men and women to move on from approved premises to sustainable long-term accommodation had only been partially achieved.

“We also found that barriers such as not having photographic identification, being registered with a GP to maintain continuity of health care and access to medication and having access to a bank account, were continuing to impact efforts to support the smooth transition of some prisoners moving from custody into approved premises on release,” said Ms Durkin. 

Ms Durkin expressed her concern over the pressure on the number of beds PBNI had access to, which remained at 2023 levels despite higher levels of demand for places and rising levels of homelessness. 

“The increase in the number of sexual and violent offenders risk assessed under the Public Protection Arrangements Northern Ireland, particularly as Category Two violent offenders, requiring approved premises accommodation on release is stark and yet strategic direction, service oversight and quality provision has not kept pace.  It is unacceptable that any person assessed as Category Two or Three should be released back into the community as homeless,” said the Chief Inspector.

While no data was available, Ms Durkin said inspected organisations and stakeholders agreed with Inspectors that the focus on ending violence against women and girls and the implementation of the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (Northern Ireland) 2021 had probably led to more demand for services.

“The outstanding work needed to deliver these inspection recommendations now needs to be gripped by all of the organisations we inspected.  They need to work together to recognise and agree what needs to be done to develop and support quality approved premises services that meet the current and future needs of men and women who require enhanced supervision on leaving prison, to create safer communities, not just where one organisation’s responsibilities start or stop,” she concluded.