The small number of offenders who have committed very serious offences against others normally receive lengthy periods of imprisonment followed by years of supervision in the community.
In order to deal with such offenders effectively, we ensure that we do the following:
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assess the risk of future criminal behaviour
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manage the risks that the assessment identifies.
Risk assessment
Every prisoner serving over four years must have a supervising social worker allocated to their case. The social worker is responsible for collating relevant information, working with both the prisoner and his family, as well as with the prison social work unit, on assessing risk and defining the activities or programmes the offender must undertake whilst in custody.
At least six months prior to the release of such an offender, a risk management meeting is held, which attempts to devise a plan to minimise future risk. The plans are then reviewed regularly during the course of the supervision.
Level of supervision
The government requires the Criminal Justice Service to see offenders weekly for the first three months after release and at least fortnightly for two years thereafter. Offenders identified as higher risk of further offending, or who are particularly vulnerable (e.g. those with mental health concerns) will be seen more often.
Falkirk Criminal Justice strives to ensure that offenders are seen several times a week by a combination of services. For example, once by the supervising officer, twice by Sacro Accommodation Services, and once by a community psychiatric nurse. The offender may also have groupwork programmes, employment advice, alcohol/drug treatment appointments, and failure to attend any appointment can lead to recall to custody.
Multi-agency liaison group
Provisions in sections 10 and 11 of the Management of Offenders etc (Scotland) Act 2005 place a statutory function on police, local authorities, and the Scottish Prison Service (the responsible authorities) to establish joint arrangements for assessing the risk from sex offenders and those convicted of serious violence - including the effective sharing of information. Health Services are included in relation to Mentally Disordered Offenders. The model for the joint arrangements is based on the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPAs) currently operating in England and Wales, whereby the level of scrutiny increases with the assessed risk posed by the individual:
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Level 1 applies to lower risk offenders whose monitoring can be safely managed by a single agency, e.g. police or Social Work.
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Level 2 covers all cases where inter-agency co-operation is an essential part of case management. Most offenders assessed as high, or even very high, risk can be managed at this level.
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Level 3 meetings are arranged as Multi-Agency Public Protection Panels and cover those (few) offenders whose management is so problematic that multi- agency representation at a senior level is required, together with the authority to commit exceptional resources to strengthen the risk management plan.
In Falkirk, the local group (Level 2), which meets fortnightly, is chaired by the Team Manager of the Criminal Justice Service and comprises the Police, child protection staff and housing staff. The group decides on appropriate addresses for the offenders, the obtaining of sex offender orders, and gives views on whether any form of disclosure is necessary. Then, based on the level of identified risk, plans are agreed for the monitoring and management of the offender.
Sacro Accommodation Service
The re-integration of serious sexual and violent offenders into the community must strike a balance between protecting the public and offering opportunities for offenders to change.
Falkirk Council's Housing and Criminal Justice Services work with Sacro Accommodation Services to identify up to ten properties at any one time. These are let by the Council as 'Short Secure Tenancies' and Sacro then offers additional supervision and support to the offender. If the offender can prove they can manage the responsibilities of being a tenant after an agreed period, the tenancy can then be made permanent.