Speaking on 21 August, the chief inspector of probation, Martin Jones, explained how important it is to have accurate information on offenders before their release:
“If you are looking to release somebody from prison, a most important thing is to understand the risk that person represents. Are they a high-risk offender or are they a low-risk offender? What are their needs? Do they have mental health difficulty? Do they have drug addiction problems? If you do not understand that at the point that person is released, it is a recipe for failure and quite often will result in recall to prison or increased reoffending.”
That is a brilliant summary of our reasons for creating SONAR – and the role it will play in achieving the Government’s aims on prison capacity and rehabilitation.
Early release
The new Government’s first two months have been dominated by the need to free up prison places. An updated early release programme – by which prisoners are freed 40 per cent of the way through their sentences instead of 50 per cent – will begin next month. It is expected that 2,000 prisoners will be released early on 10 September, followed by up to 1,700 more offenders on 22 October.
The overall programme is expected to create 5,500 extra spaces. (On 23 August, there were 89,383 prison places against a total prisoner population of 88,234.)
Reductions in reoffending
While the early release programme is the first step, Ministers have said that their most important goal is to reduce reoffending – which is at the heart of SONAR.
On 5 July, Keir Starmer warned that, “For so many people who come out of prison, they’re back in prison relatively quickly afterwards.” He concluded: “That is a massive problem that we have in this country, that we do need to break.”
On 12 July, in the same speech that she announced the early release programme, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “We will also reform the system and drive down reoffending. Our prisons today create better criminals, not better citizens. Eighty per cent of offending is reoffending – at immense cost to communities and the taxpayer. A goal of my time as Lord Chancellor will be to drive that number down.” She set out plans to recruit over 1,000 additional trainee probation officers by March 2025, aiming to provide greater oversight and management of offenders once they leave prison.
The Government also appointed James Timpson as his prisons minister. James Timpson had been CEO of Timpson Group which has an outstanding record in employing ex-offenders. In his maiden speech in the House of Lords, the new Minister said: “We have to make prisons rehabilitative and make sure that, when offenders are given a second chance, they can seize it. That is good for society because it reduces crime.”
The role of SONAR
As Martin Jones said, successful rehabilitation depends on accurate knowledge of the needs of the offender. This is at the heart of the SONAR offer.
SONAR is designed to allow the best possible entry of healthcare information, so that records are accurate. It is also the first criminal justice health information system to allow health information to be shared across settings, including post-release. Our aim is that, for the first time, prison custody staff can easily access and update a record that is up to date with NHS information. Prison staff can access the same record, up to date with any changes in police custody. Post-release healthcare staff can do the same. It aims to solve exactly the challenge that Martin Jones set.
SONAR aims to go further by providing additional support post-release. It will help offenders find jobs by providing an appointment diary. It will inform all relevant agencies, and key family members, if appointments are missed – which can also be an important risk factor.
We look forward to engaging with the Government and with the wider Health and Justice community as we all contribute to ensuring better outcomes for those in a system under pressure.
John White
Founder and CEO
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