PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
THROUGH THE GATE RESETTLEMENT SERVICES (25 June 2017)

That this House is concerned by the findings in the joint inspection report by HM Inspectorate of Probation and HM Inspectorate of Prison regarding Through the Gate Resettlement Services which was published on 21 June 2017; notes that Through the Gate resettlement services were introduced in 2015 to bridge the gap between prison and community; is further concerned by the findings in the report which suggest that community rehabilitation companies (CRCs) are making little difference to the prospects of prisoners due for release; further notes that the report indicates that the primary focus of CRCs is to meet contractual arrangements instead of helping offenders within the service; notes that inspectors found prisoners were no better served than eight months ago noting that should Through the Gate services be removed tomorrow the impact on prisoners would be negligible; is concerned that Through the Gate services have never fully or successfully integrated into the prison system and that communication between all organisations responsible for carrying out Through the Gate services is almost non-existent; understands that a key role of Through the Gate services is to assist released prisoners in securing appropriate accommodation; is aware that of the 98 cases observed by inspectors only two prisoners were found accommodation via these services; is further aware of the concerns raised by organisations during the implementation of the Transforming Rehabilitation programme; and calls on the Government urgently to review the performance of CRCs and the National Probation Service as well as the Transforming Rehabilitation programme.

Sponsored by:
Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru)