Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Reoffending

Tuesday 19 May 2026 · 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 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Government are providing offenders with tools to move away from a life of crime through evidence-led initiatives addressing housing, employment, and substance misuse.
  • Lord Timpson is leading efforts to improve support for inmates, including collaboration with health services.
  • Restorative justice is being promoted in the criminal justice system, with recent appointments and announcements in youth courts.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Tim Farron Lib Dem Westmorland and Lonsdale
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

The question addresses the need to reduce reoffending rates, focusing on the support given to offenders for rehabilitation.

Question

What steps he is taking to help reduce levels of reoffending. The Government are being asked about measures in place to assist individuals moving away from a life of crime and preventing them from reoffending.

Answer from Jake Richards

The Government are giving offenders the tools to move away from a life of crime. We are led by the evidence when addressing needs such as housing, employment and substance misuse treatment and support in order to develop personal skills and behaviours. We are also investing £700 million in probation and expanding intensive supervision courts for prolific offenders.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific steps taken by the government to address reoffending without concrete details on how these measures will be implemented or timelines.

How: Led By Evidence, Investing £700 Million In Probation

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Q2 Tony Vaughan Lab Folkestone and Hythe
Justice & Courts NHS Employment

Question

Reach Out and Recover Kent, a brilliant organisation that I met in Folkestone over the weekend, helps people, including ex-offenders, to recover and stay away from addiction so they can gain skills and work to reintegrate into society. However, Ministry of Justice figures show that at the six-month post-release point, the reoffending rate is twice as high for unemployed adults as for those in employment. What are the Government doing to ensure that more ex-offenders in my constituency get tailored and timely support, particularly for addiction, to get them back into work and enable them to leave offending behind them once and for all?

Answer from Jake Richards

My hon. and learned Friend is right to raise those issues and the good work that is happening in his constituency. As he knows, Lord Timpson is leading work on what happens when inmates are in custody. That means working with health services to ensure that our prisoners are getting the support they need, as well as with private sector employers to ensure that there are opportunities afterwards. I will ask Lord Timpson to write to him with the specifics about what is happening in his area.

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Q3 Tim Farron Lib Dem Westmorland and Lonsdale
Justice & Courts
Context

The question arises from the honourable member's personal experience volunteering in a restorative justice programme at HMP Haverigg, which demonstrated reduced reoffending rates by up to 28%. Studies highlight the effectiveness of such programs.

Question

I had the honour of taking part as a volunteer in a restorative justice programme at His Majesty's Prison Haverigg in Cumbria. Restorative justice gives victims the opportunity to share with offenders the real impact of their crimes and gives offenders the opportunity to take serious responsibility. Studies show that restorative justice reduces reoffending rates by up to 28%, so what is the Minister doing to ensure that restorative justice programmes are delivered in every prison?

Answer from Jake Richards

The hon. Gentleman is right that there is an important role for restorative justice in our criminal justice system. Just yesterday we made an announcement on the use of restorative justice in our youth courts, as well as the appointment of Jacob Dunne as an expert adviser. There is more to do in the adult estate, and the Government will announce measures on re:hub, which is an essential cog of the restorative justice system, in due course.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not specify concrete actions or timelines for ensuring restorative justice programs are delivered in every prison.

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Q4 Jessica Brown-Fuller Lib Dem Chichester
Justice & Courts Employment
Context

A recent analysis has found a significant decrease in core education hours in public sector prisons, particularly affecting female prisons with a 30% fall. This raises concerns about the effectiveness of prison education in reducing reoffending.

Question

The Government are talking a good game on reducing the cycle of reoffending, but meaningful prison education plays a key role in that objective. Recent analysis has found a significant decrease in the core education hours in public sector prisons. That has been seen most acutely in female prisons, where there has been a fall of 30 30%. What is the Minister doing to reverse that decline in education hours across all prisons, end the postcode lottery that we see currently, and ensure that obligations to equality are met?

Answer from Jake Richards

The hon. Member is right to raise the importance of education in our prisons. The scandal with education in our prisons is that there are classrooms and workshops that are left empty day in, day out, because the prison system remains unstable and capacity is going through the roof. This Government have been rightly focused on getting stability into the prison system. We will make announcements about investment into education, but we will also be using the private sector and the third sector, not just Government contracts. Again, Lord Timpson will be making announcements on that in due course.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide specific commitments or timelines for reversing the decline in education hours or addressing disparities.

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