Reducing Re-Offending
Reducing re-offending is a key priority for the Council, Hackney Police, the Probation Service, the Prison Service and the voluntary and community sector.
It is estimated that re-offending costs the criminal justice system £11 billion every year. Ensuring offenders and those coming out of prison are properly supported helps offenders resettle back into the community, and this reduces their likelihood of re-offending.
To help offenders avoid re-offending, Hackney Council and its partners aim to provide them with:
- help with any drug and alcohol problems they may have
- access to health services
- support with mental health issues
- advice on education, training and employment opportunities.
- advice on housing issues
- advice and support on money-related issues (such as reducing outstanding debts and claiming benefits)
- support with developing and improving family relationships and life skills
Agencies working with adult offenders
There are a number of agencies in Hackney working with adult offenders to help them avoid re-offending and to help them access resettlement services. You can read more about them below.
The Probation Service
The Probation Service delivers a range of services for offenders who have
- been sentenced to a community order
- have a suspended sentence order
- have been released on licence from prison and will serve the rest of their sentence in the community.
Every year Hackney's Probation Service works with approximately 2,500 offenders who are in prison or serving a range of community sentences.
To contact the Probation Service, please call 0207 241 9900 or email safercommunities@hackney.gov.uk. The postal address is: Assistant Chief Officer, 34 Englefield Road, London, N1 4EZ.
Prolific and Priority Offender scheme
A relatively small number of people cause a disproportionate amount of crime - it is estimated that 10% of offenders are responsible for 50% of all crime in the UK.
Prolific and priority offenders tend to be drug users who commit crimes to help pay for their drug addiction. The Prolific and Priority Offender (PPO) scheme is a partnership between the Police, Probation Service and other local agencies which targets the small number of known prolific offenders. It does so by combining assertive policing and offering intensive support to resettlement services, such as support around substance misuse, and advice on housing and benefit issues.
Due to the nature of crimes committed by PPOs, it is anticipated that working closely with this group of offenders and targeting their drug use will help reduce crime in the borough.
45 prolific offenders have been identified in the borough and the partnership organisations are working with them to reduce their re-offending.
You can contact the PPO team by emailing PPOUnit-GD@met.pnn.police.uk.
Drug Intervention Programme (DIP)
The DIP brings together the courts, the Prison Service, the Probation Service, Hackney Council and local drug treatment providers to ensure offenders are tracked and offered drug treatment services at all stages of the criminal justice system, e.g. from point of arrest, sentencing at court and release from prison.
Hackney DIP team has drug workers based at
- Hackney police stations
- Thames Magistrates Court
- the community drugs service in Tudor Grove.
The team's prison link worker engages with people while they are in prison to ensure tailored support packages are available on their release from custody.
Further information is available from the Drugs and Alcohol Action Team website or via email from Phillip.Harris@hackney.gov.uk.
Diamond Initiative
Hackney is one of six London boroughs piloting the Diamond Initiative, an innovative multi-agency approach designed to break the cycle of re-offending. Based at Hackney Police Station, the project brings together staff from Hackney Police, the Probation Service and Hackney Council and targets four wards in the borough: Leabridge, Springfield, Kings Park and Cazenove.
The Diamond team offer support and guidance for anyone who receives a custodial sentence of less than 12 months. Providing support gives the offenders an opportunity to resettle back into the community and start a new life.
The Diamond Initiative is a two-year pilot which ends at the end of 2010/11.
For more information, please email hackney.diamondteam@met.pnn.police.uk or call 0207 275 3384.
More information
For more information about how Hackney Council aims to reduce re-offending, please contact us using the details at the top-right corner of this page.
Page updated: 5 Jul 2010
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