Police and Crime Commissioner Jane Kennedy has praised the Merseyside Community Rehabilitation Company after reports showed it is leading the way in reducing reoffending.
The Government created 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRC) to deliver rehabilitative services to low and medium risk offenders in 2015. Interserve Group Limited, the international support services, construction and equipment services group, runs five CRCs – including Merseyside Community Rehabilitation Company (M CRC).
Each quarter the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) publishes statistics which illustrate the impact each CRC is having. The most recent figures show that M CRC, which has 210 staff, supervised 4,089 offenders during the 12 months from April 2016 to March 2017. During that period M CRC achieved the best re-offending rates of any CRC. A total of 1,453 offenders supervised by M CRC reoffended – 35 per cent – while the national average was 43 per cent. The CRC was also one of only two nationally to hit the Government’s reoffending target.
The Commissioner, who chairs the Merseyside Criminal Justice Board which reviews and monitors the entire criminal justice system in the region, said: “Reducing reoffending is a complex issue, but one that is at the heart of making our communities safer.
“Merseyside’s Criminal Justice Board keeps reoffending rates under close scrutiny and, as Chair, I was particularly pleased to see the statistics produced by the MoJ which confirmed the CRC was one of the best performing in the country. This is testament to the hard working men and women who staff this service and do their best to turn lives around. I would like to congratulate them on their success.
“It must be remembered, these aren’t just numbers – they represent real people on probation or on licence from custody who are choosing a more peaceful, more productive future, rather than returning to a life of crime. That makes Merseyside safer for everyone.”
M CRC works with partner agencies across the criminal justice, health and voluntary sectors to provide the best possible service to people on probation. The organisation runs a wide range of behavioural change programmes aimed at stopping people from committing crimes such as: domestic abuse; violent offences; acquisitive crime and drink driving.
Chris Edwards, M CRC’s chief executive, said: “I am delighted the Police and Crime Commissioner has praised the work undertaken by our dedicated staff.
“It is impossible for any organisation to reduce reoffending in isolation. We work with a wide range of agencies to ensure our service users get the support they need to make positive changes to their lives. We also ensure that when the people we supervise fail to stick to the terms of their court orders, then they are recalled to the courts to face the consequences of their actions.
“Our aim is to make Merseyside safer by reducing reoffending and we are proud of the work that we do.”
M CRC leads the regional Reducing Reoffending Group and undertakes pioneering work via its women’s centres to support female offenders.
The most recent figures show 79 per cent of offenders supervised by M CRC successfully complete their community sentences against a Government target of 75 per cent.
M CRC currently supervises:
• 1199 service users on licence from prison
• 496 service users on Post Sentence Supervision
• 3340 service users on Community Sentences and Suspended Sentence Orders
OTS News on Social Media