AQW 4424/22-27

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 11/10/2022
Answered On Date: 20/10/2022
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Justice to outline how her Department considers (i) accommodation; (ii) relationships; and (iii) employment issues when supporting people to not reoffend.

Answer:

The point at which an individual leaves the care of the Prison Service can be a particularly difficult and testing time. My Department is focused on improving outcomes, reducing reoffending and making communities safer by ensuring people resettle successfully on leaving custody. I have met with the Ministers of Health and Communities to discuss how the housing, health and justice sectors can improve collaboration to tackle homelessness for those with complex lives.

I am committed to working with others to ensure the accommodation needs of those being released from prison are appropriately addressed.

As part of current pre-release planning arrangements, support is provided by both prison staff and partner organisations to ensure that people in our care have accommodation in place on release. However I recognise that there is a need to improve the provision of sustainable accommodation and my officials are working with the Department for Communities, Department of Health and NI Housing Executive, to consider the potential expansion of the Housing First model.

In November 2019, the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) launched a new Strengthening Family Relations Strategy for 2019-2024. The aim of the strategy is to set out how NIPS, working in partnership through a multi-agency approach, will strengthen family relationships. Due to Covid progress was delayed however, work is now ongoing to deliver the actions emerging from the Strategy.

I recognise that securing employment on release from prison can be one of the critical success factors in reducing a person’s likelihood of reoffending. My Department is taking forward a range of initiatives linked to enhance employability opportunities for people with convictions. Aside from the investment in learning and skills provision through Belfast Metropolitan and North West Regional Colleges, these include the introduction of Department for Communities work coaches into the prison setting; utilising social clauses and employment schemes to provide work experience and employment for those with convictions, and supporting the Business In The Community Ban the Box campaign, which aims to remove the criminal record checkbox from job applications at the initial stage of applying for a job.