Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Prison Leavers: Resettlement

Tuesday 11 March 2025 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Bobby Dean praised Sutton Night Watch for their work with prisoners to help them reintegrate into the community.
  • Andy Slaughter highlighted effective projects like Revolving Doors and Peer Support that use ex-offenders as mentors to prevent reoffending.
  • Dr Kieran Mullan expressed concern that the Government might release offenders who should be in prison, citing a recent sentencing review.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Bobby Dean Lib Dem Carshalton and Wallington
Justice & Courts Housing
Context

The MP referenced a local homeless charity, Sutton Night Watch, that has been working with prisoners before and after their release to help them reintegrate into the community. The charity needs more space and additional volunteers.

Question

At my surgery a couple of weeks ago, I had two fantastic volunteers show up from Sutton Night Watch, a local homeless charity. They had been working with prisoners, both before and after they left their cells, to help them reintegrate into the community. They are doing fantastic work, but they now need to expand. They need more space and more people. Can the Minister explain what support is available to volunteers like them to help them do their work with prisoners?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Sir Nicholas Dakin)

I applaud the work that the hon. Member describes. It is certainly the sort of work that needs to continue. Overall, the levels of homelessness and rough sleeping that we have inherited are far too high. We are working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to develop a long-term strategy to put us back on track to end homelessness. If he wishes to write to me about that particular case, I will follow it up.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific details on support available for charities like Sutton Night Watch

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Q2 Andy Slaughter Lab Hammersmith and Chiswick
Justice & Courts
Context

The MP mentioned successful rehabilitation projects such as Revolving Doors, Peer Support, Key4Life, and the Right Course restaurant which has a high employment success rate among ex-offenders.

Question

As part of the Justice Committee’s work on rehabilitation, I have come across some excellent projects on preventing reoffending, such as Revolving Doors, Peer Support and Key4Life, that use reformed ex-offenders as mentors. On a visit to Wormwood Scrubs prison last month, I saw the Right Course restaurant, which gets almost 60% of its trainees into employment on release. What are the Government doing to support and expand successful rehabilitation projects like these?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Sir Nicholas Dakin)

I thank the Chair of the Select Committee for his identification of these very good actions that are going on within the prison estate. The Prison Service is keen to encourage all this sort of activity, and I will follow this up with my hon. Friend directly.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific details on how the government supports rehabilitation projects

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Q3 Kieran Mullan Con Bexhill and Battle
Justice & Courts
Context

The MP expressed concern that the Government's sentencing review does not adequately address the expectations of victims of crime.

Question

I welcome the efforts to help prison leavers to reintegrate, but I am concerned that this Government will soon be keeping people out of prison who should be there as proper punishment for offending. The Government commissioned a sentencing review running on that very premise, and that review recently released its interim report. Can the Minister point to anywhere in that entire 65-page report that has anything to say about the evidence of what victims want?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Sir Nicholas Dakin)

We heard fully the commitment from the Under-Secretary of State for Justice, my hon. Friend the Member for Pontypridd (Alex Davies-Jones), and the Lord Chancellor that victims are front and centre of our approach to fixing the mess that the Conservatives left us. There is a victims representative on the panel, as the hon. Member well knows. Victims were fully involved and engaged in this.

Not addressed: Did not provide information from the sentencing review's interim report regarding victim expectations

How: Carping From The Sidelines, Cheap Soundbites

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