16 October 2008
Dedicated prison staff were honoured with top awards by Justice Minister David Hanson today (Thursday 16 October) for providing support and rehabilitation to offenders with substance misuse problems.
The minister was speaking at the Prisons and Beyond Drug Treatment Conference in Birmingham today where he presented awards to the Prison Substance Misuse Team of the Year.
Whilst in Birmingham the minister also visited West Midlands Probation to find out about the valuable work staff are carrying out on their Victim Awareness Programme which helps offenders to address the impacts of their crimes. He will also be speaking to staff who provide offenders with important skills to help them back into work and therefore cut reoffending in Birmingham.
During his visit, David Hanson said:
'These awards recognise the commitment and dedication of staff to provide high quality services to drug and alcohol misusing offenders.
'Addressing the drug problem is at the heart of the government's commitment to make our communities safer and protect the public from harm. Drugs not only cause obvious harm to health, but also hurt the children, the families and the friends around them. Drugs are a driver of crime - particularly acquisitive crime - which causes misery to victims and costs businesses and the taxpayer millions of pounds a year.
'Front line staff and treatment providers perform a vital role in implementing the government's response to drugs. One of the reasons I am here today is to recognise the hard work and impressive list of achievements.
'Work to understand the impact of victims is vitally important and I am pleased to see that West Midlands Probation is carrying out this innovative programme of work with offenders. Getting offenders into employment is also a key part of reducing reoffending and protecting the public. We want to ensure that offenders in prisons and in the community should, where appropriate, have access to opportunities which enable them to gain the skills and qualifications to hold down a job and to play a positive role in society, so that they are less likely to commit further offences. I commend West Midlands for their work in this area.'
Notes to editors
1. The minister will be available for interviews. If you are interested or require further information please contact the Ministry of Justice Press Office on 020 3334 3536.