10 September 2007
David Hanson, Justice Minister, visited HMP Birmingham and Victoria Law courts today to meet staff and see the work of an innovative pilot project to enhance prisoners' skills.
David Hanson, Justice Minister, visited HMP Birmingham and Victoria Law courts today (Monday 10 September) to meet staff and visit the work of an innovative pilot project in the prison to help offenders gain skills and employment both inside the establishment and in the community.
The West Midlands test bed at HMP Birmingham is one of two regional pilot schemes which aim to reduce re-offending by giving offenders better training in the skills employers are looking for. The cross-government initiative is a collaboration between the Ministry of Justice, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, and the Department for Work and Pensions.
The Minister also visited the court in the afternoon to speak to probation staff and sentencers about the robust community sentences the court uses in the area.
David Hanson said,
This is a great opportunity to see how the criminal justice system is operating in Birmingham and how staff are working hard to reduce crime and re-offending. I am particularly interested in looking at the community sentences carried out by offenders in the area. Prison will always remain the right place for violent and dangerous offenders. However, prison is not always the most effective way of punishing and rehabilitating offenders.
Community Penalties are punishments that are tough, safe and effective. Punishments that are hard work, that restrict liberty, but crucially which also encourage rehabilitation. They can have a significant impact both on the offender and on the community. Bringing about a reduction in re-offending, as well as reparation and benefits and for the community.
When prison is the best option, it is important that it address rehabilitation as well as punishment. The project at HMP Birmingham is a great example of what can be achieved in prison to rehabilitate offenders. It provides them with the skills they need to get jobs when they're released. Gainful employment is a key factor in reducing re-offending, and projects like this are hugely valuable both for society and the offenders themselves. I look forward to seeing the results.
David Lammy, Skills Minister from the Department of Innovation University and Skills is visiting the East of England to view their test bed progress on the same day.
Notes to Editors
The government's Next Steps strategy, published in December 2006, set out the substantial programme of reform already underway through the new offender learning and skills service (OLASS) and the establishment of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), and proposed to build on this with further reform into the next decade to improve skills and employment for offenders in order to get them to turn away from crime. In April 2007, two test bed regions the West Midlands and East Of England were announced to take forward the Next Steps work from September 2007.
For more information please contact Joanna Jacobson on 0207 210 8668 in the Ministry of Justice Press Office.