Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Prisons: Rehabilitation

Tuesday 3 June 2025 · 4 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government publishes and monitors performance metrics linked to rehabilitative programme delivery in prisons.
  • Minister saw trauma-informed activity at HMP Humber and recognizes its importance across the prison estate.
  • Third sector organizations like LandWorks deliver valuable rehabilitation services and partner effectively with HMPPS.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Danny Chambers Lib Dem Winchester
Justice & Courts Mental Health
Context

Concerns about high reoffending rates among prisoners, particularly within a year of release.

Question

Prisons have an important role in protecting the public and punishing criminals, but they are also vital to rehabilitation. Given that around half of prisoners reoffend within a year of being released, what steps are the Government taking to ensure that programmes to address mental health, addiction and education are not only available, but effective and consistently delivered across the prison estate, including in our prison in Winchester?

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

The hon. Member is right to emphasise all those programmes. They are clearly extremely important, and we publish and monitor a range of performance metrics linked to rehabilitative programme delivery, including employment at six weeks and six months post-release, or at the start of a community order, and engagement with substance misuse treatment. All those measures are in place and are properly monitored, but as always, there is more to be done in this area.

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Q2 Susan Murray Lib Dem Mid Dunbartonshire
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

Community justice team in Mid Dunbartonshire is having success with a trauma-informed approach.

Question

In my constituency of Mid Dunbartonshire, the community justice team are having some success in preventing reoffending by working with offenders in a trauma-informed way. Given the success of that trauma-informed approach to rehabilitation, what discussions has the Minister had regarding the differing approaches that are taken to offender rehabilitation across the UK?

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

The hon. Member is right to highlight the good work going on in her constituency. As I said, I saw trauma-informed activity in operation at HMP Humber. It is something we need to learn from across the prison estate.

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Q3 Alison Bennett Lib Dem Mid Sussex
Justice & Courts Mental Health
Context

Dyslexia is overrepresented among prisoners, with up to half of all prisoners potentially dyslexic.

Question

Dyslexia is vastly over-represented in the prison population. While 10% of the general population are dyslexic, it is thought that as many as half of all prisoners have dyslexia. Does the Minister consider rehabilitation programmes to effectively meet the specific needs of dyslexic prisoners?

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

The hon. Member is right to highlight dyslexia, and neurodiversity is common among people in our prisons. That is why we have neurodiversity officers in each prison to ensure that we are doing our very best for these people so that they can be rehabilitated and become better citizens when they come out of prison.

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Q4 Caroline Voaden Lib Dem South Devon
Justice & Courts Employment
Context

Third sector organization LandWorks has a reoffending rate of just 6%.

Question

The former chief inspector of prisons said that LandWorks in my constituency<br/>“provides one of the best examples in the country of how we can reduce reoffending, turn lives around and prevent future victims.”<br/>Its reoffending rate is just 6%. The Government have announced £2.3 billion towards prison builds over the next two years. When will they commit to investing in projects like LandWorks that can radically reduce the prison population, transform the lives of offenders and cut crime?

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

Third sector organisations like LandWorks deliver valuable rehabilitation, wellbeing support and advocacy services across England and Wales, and they partner effectively with HMPPS in many different ways. The work of key organisations like the one the hon. Member mentions is incredibly important and essential in reducing reoffending, and we continue to invest in it. I would be happy to meet her to discuss the matter further and see what more can be done.

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