Pan-Dorset Reducing Reoffending Strategy 2024 to 2027

The overall vision of the Dorset reducing reoffending strategy group is to cut crime, reduce harm and protect victims by reducing re- offending through joint working and rehabilitation. 

 

The information and data used in this section has come from the main agencies responsible for managing those people who offend and are subject to court orders or out of court disposals; HM Prison Probation Service, Dorset Combined Youth Justice Service and The Ministry of Justice.

Nationally, recent statistics1 from January to March 2022 show the following:

• the overall proven reoffending rate was 25.5%, with adults having a proven reoffending rate of 25.1% and children (aged 10-17), 34.2%
• male offenders reoffended at a higher rate of 26.1% compared to female offenders who reoffended at a rate of 21.1%
• the age group with the highest reoffending rate was 15 to 17 year-olds, at 33.4%, followed by the 10 to 14 year-old offenders, with a reoffending rate of 28.8%

Dorset Adult Offending and Reoffending

Analysis of data in Dorset gives a more detailed and specific understanding of offending and reoffending patterns within the local area, allowing partners to identify local needs and highlight which targeted interventions are most in need, providing comprehensive support to individuals.

In Dorset, there is a notable gender disparity among adult offenders, with a significantly higher number of males who offend compared to females.

The age distribution of adult offenders in the pan-Dorset area, shows the largest group of offenders are in the 25-34 age ranges, followed by the 35-44 age bracket.

Needs data extracted from October 2023, shows a caseload of 1651, and of these 83% were assessed.

The average number of needs per individual was 4.77.

This indicates that for the majority of individuals, relationships inform their offending, followed by the way they think and then lifestyle.

Of note is that 35% were assessed as having needs in relation to drugs, compared to 30% for alcohol, suggesting a substantial focus on addressing substance-related issues in the assessment process.

Table - Criminogenic Needs

Type	Number of cases	% of cases
Relationships - family, partner, domestic violence etc.	1052	77
Thinking and behaviour - temper control, problem solving, etc.	927	68
Lifestyle - criminal associates, easily influenced etc	914	67
Pro-Criminal Attitudes - pro-criminal, anti-authority, discriminatory etc.	855	62
Education, Training & Employment	539	39
Accommodation	520	38
Drug Use	477	35
Alcohol Use	417	30

Overall, this background information serves as a crucial foundation for the reducing reoffending strategy, equipping partners with a data-driven understanding of the current landscape, and informing the targeted initiatives needed to address reoffending in the pan-Dorset area.

Pan-Dorset Youth Offending and Reoffending

The analysis provided offers valuable insights, facilitating a comprehensive understanding of the challenges inherent in the youth justice system, and pinpointing specific areas that require targeted focus.

An examination of the gender breakdown among first-time entrants to the youth justice system (ages 10-17) reveals a relatively stable pattern, with approximately 17-18% of these individuals being female.

Furthermore, the analysis delves into the age demographics of first-time entrants into the youth justice system, revealing notable variations.

The data highlights that the majority of first-time entrants fall within the 14-16 age brackets, closely followed by 17-18 year olds, with the lowest incidence observed among 10-13 year olds.

This nuanced breakdown sheds light on the critical periods in which interventions may have the most significant impact, guiding the development of strategies tailored to specific age groups.

Child reoffending rates and number of offences per child that reoffends

In 2021 the pan-Dorset area was above the national average for England and Wales for those reoffending (36.4% in the pan-Dorset area, compared to 31.4% in England and Wales).

This also shows a 7.5% increase from the Year 2020, when we were below the National average in England and Wales.

In 2021 the pan-Dorset area was below the national average for the number of further offences by each child who reoffends (3.09 in pan-Dorset area compared to 3.98 in England and Wales).

This also shows a 0.19 decrease from the year 2020 when we also remained below the National average in England and Wales

Early Intervention and Targeted Support

Identify at risk individuals

Probation and DCYJS will initiate proactive measures to identify at-risk of reoffending individuals early and offer tailored interventions to prevent reoffending, with a particular emphasis on children.

Specialised support for vulnerable groups

Provide tailored interventions for vulnerable groups and families, breaking the cycle of criminal behaviour, and addressing intergenerational offending.

Efforts will be directed towards facilitating multi-agency identification of offenders and their families.

This aims to enhance communication among agencies, enabling them to recognise instances where multiple agencies are working with the same family.

Efficient Resource Allocation and Integrated Approach

Focus resources for impact

Partners will focus resources on areas and individuals where interventions can have the most significant impact in reducing reoffending.

Multi-agency needs assessment for accommodation

Accommodation impacts hugely on the success of other interventions aimed at reducing reoffending. Partners will undertake and respond to a multi-agency needs assessment to help better understand issues, determine current provision, and identify gaps in relation to accommodation for adults and children.

Outcome-Oriented Monitoring

Data analysis

Partners will develop a greater understanding of reoffending in the pan-Dorset area through data analysis, whilst continuously assessing the effectiveness of interventions, particularly in relation to accommodation, and employment support and supervision which have been identified as key factors.

Through this analysis partners will be able to enhance rehabilitation programmes to better address the underlying causes of criminal behaviour and support successful reintegration into society.

Partners’ approach to reducing reoffending is based on a number of strategic principles.

The principles recognise the importance of understanding the negative influences on the lives of offenders and their needs to prevent them reoffending. When delivering the objectives, the pan-Dorset area will strive to employ these principles:

• localised - delivering at a local level supported by countywide agencies, to reintegrate offenders back into their local communities
• integrated - working together to reduce re-offending using co-commissioning where possible, to increase joint accountability
• targeted - effort and resources are used efficiently and are targeted to where they can make the most impact
• holistic - working with not just those who offend, but their families and the communities in which they live, which is crucial in supporting offenders to stop offending
• restorative - adopting a restorative approach designed at repairing relationships, fostering social responsibility and shared accountability
• evidence-based – local re-offending priorities will be based on evidence of local issues. Work to reduce re-offending should use evidence-based interventions and practice methods
• preventative - supporting preventative approaches including evidence based early years intervention and parenting to reduce the impact of adverse childhood experiences on offending and reoffending behaviour

The principles enable a focus on offenders but recognise that there will also be a positive benefit to victims.

They also allow for a preventative as well as a reactive approach.

There are numerous services, programmes and initiatives operating in the pan-Dorset area that specifically aim to tackle reoffending based on the pathways to reduce reoffending. 

The Probation Service

The Probation Service is a statutory criminal justice service that manages offenders throughout their time in the criminal justice system, while protecting the public.

The service is responsible for sentence management in both England and Wales, along with Accredited Programmes, Unpaid Work, and Structured Interventions.

In sentence management their focus is on strengthening the probation practitioner’s relationship with people on probation, using the right key skills, activities and behaviours to achieve the most effective outcomes and enable offenders to make positive changes to their lives.

This includes more consistent management and delivery of sentence plans, better assessment and management of risk and more balanced caseloads and an improved case allocation process to support this.

For Unpaid Work, Accredited Programmes and Structured Interventions they aim to make placements and programmes available locally, with a thorough assessment and induction process, regular reviews of active cases and ongoing professional development for staff delivering interventions.

Other interventions that meet rehabilitative and resettlement needs are delivered by Commissioned Rehabilitative Service providers with cases managed according to the risk, need and sentence type.

For resettlement, they have an enhanced pre-release system.

A community responsible officer leads on all the pre-release activities, undertaking a comprehensive assessment and developing a sentence plan aligned to need, risk, and victim issues.

This applies to offenders prior to release during the final phase of prison, through to transition, and post-release.

Integrated Offender Management (IOM)

Integrated Offender Management (IOM) brings a cross-agency response to the crime and reoffending threats faced by local communities.

The most persistent and problematic offenders are identified and managed jointly by partner agencies working together.

IOM helps to improve quality of life in communities by:

• reducing the negative impact of crime and reoffending
• reducing the number of people who become victims of crime
• helping to improve the public’s confidence in the criminal justice system

The Dorset Combined Youth Justice Service

The Dorset Combined Youth Justice Service (DCYJS) works across the pan-Dorset area to provide statutory youth justice services, including advice to police and courts, and supervision of youth out of court disposals and youth court orders.

The service aims both to prevent offending and to reduce reoffending and protect communities from crime.

DCYJS is a multi-agency partnership between:

• the local authorities
• Dorset Police
• the Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner
• the Probation Service
• NHS Dorset
• Dorset HealthCare University H+NHS Foundation Trust.

DCYJS prioritises building positive, pro-social relationships with children who have committed an offence.

DCYJS is a multi-agency partnership which includes a health team comprising of Speech and Language Therapists, a Psychologist and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) nurses.

Specialist assessments and advice from these health workers enable team members to adapt their work to meet children’s individual communication needs and their experiences of past traumatic events.

The multi-disciplinary DCYJS team also includes education specialists and parenting workers, enabling the service to support the child to access suitable education and to provide support for parents and carers.

Restorative Justice practitioners work with victims to keep them informed, offer them restorative justice opportunities, and pass on their views to inform the service’s work with the child who harmed them.

In recent years DCYJS has been developing its work to build on children’s strengths and to support them into pro-social activities.

This remains a development priority, with plans to strengthen links with community organisations and to develop positive activities and employability activities for children working with the Youth Justice Service (YJS).

The activity of the YJS, including its work to reduce reoffending, is overseen by the YJS Partnership Board, comprised of senior leaders from the YJS partner agencies.

Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangement (MAPPA)

Multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) are in place to ensure the successful management of violent and sexual offenders.

There is a Statutory Strategic Management Board (SMB) which oversees the joint management of risk between partners. Dorset MAPPA report 2022-2023.

Police, National Probation Service and Prisons are responsible authorities.

Other agencies have a duty to co-operate and can become involved in cases, for example:

• Youth Justice Services in the case of young offenders
• Health, including mental health and Specialist Services
• Housing
• Children’s, and Adults Services provided by the Local authorities

Management of Sexual Offenders & Violent Offenders (MOSOVO)

The MOSOVO Team are part of Dorset Police.

They manage registered sex offenders (RSOs), violent offenders under MAPPA and offenders who are identified by Dorset police as being potentially dangerous persons (PDPs).

The Team works closely with partner agencies, especially the Probation Service.

Out of Court Disposal

Out of Court Disposals (OoCD) allow the police to deal quickly and proportionately with low-level, often first-time offending which could more appropriately be resolved without a prosecution at court.

Using out-of-court disposals allows offenders to be directed into rehabilitative or educational services to tackle the causes of offending behaviour and reduce the likelihood of re-offending.

Youth out-of-court disposals provide the opportunity to assess and put in place interventions to prevent further offending.

Perpetrator Programmes

There are several established programmes working with perpetrators of domestic abuse across the pan-Dorset area. They include:

• Up2u,
• Choose2Change
• Time to Change

Up2u Family Practice Model

Is a therapeutic ‘behaviour change’ programme to support individuals in recognising and  managing thoughts and feelings and having healthier relationships.

It is aimed at parents/carers who have unhealthy relationships with children, partners, family members, professionals or other adults .

Up2u Creating healthy relationships

Is a programme for people who use domestically abusive behaviours in their intimate partner
relationships.

This can be tailored to work with both males and females from the age of 16 and can be delivered to people who use domestically abusive behaviours in same sex relationships.

Time to Change. 

Is a 1:1 behaviour change programme working with females who are responsible for domestic abuse and/or violence towards their male partners and ex partners.

Choose2Change

Is a group work behaviour change programme working with males who are responsible for domestic abuse or violence towards their female partners and ex partners.

High Harm Perpetrator Panel

Is a multi-agency tasking forum to discuss and share information relating to high risk VAWG offences.

It also consists of management of high-harm offenders, focusing on the most severe and recurrent cases of domestic abuse, stalking, and individuals who have consistently exhibited sexually harmful behaviours (SHB).

Substance Misuse Treatment Services

Local substance misuse treatment services can offer multi-disciplinary interventions to people who use alcohol and drugs involved in the criminal justice system, managing them from the point of arrest (drug testing on arrest / out of court disposals/ arrest referral/ support to probation court officers / pre-sentence planning) to release (assertive support on release from custody and prison/ working with prisons for the smooth transition of individuals back to the local area) and on to specific programmes aiming to reduce alcohol and/or drug related crime throughout treatment.

There are a variety of different options for treatment on offer across the pan-Dorset area, based on substance, dependency, and age.

Treatment services can assist and support family members as well.

Treatment services can offer several specific interventions for offenders (adults and children) with substance misuse issues either through an out of court disposal, via a Court order or on release from prison.

Substance Misuse services will also work with offenders not on orders who would like to address their substance misuse issues voluntarily.

As part of a Community Sentence, courts can impose either a Drug Rehabilitation Requirement (DRR) or Alcohol Treatment Requirement (ATR) instead of receiving a custodial sentence.

If a court order is given, the offender must engage with both the probation service and the nominated treatment service.

Failure to comply with this order results in the individual going back to court to be re-sentenced.

Services also engage with multidisciplinary work such as Integrated Offender Management (IOM) and MAPPA meetings as required and attend weekly meetings with Probation Officers.

The Dorset Combating Drugs Partnership (CDP) co-ordinates partners’ work to tackle substance misuse issues. The CDP has several sub-groups including one dedicated to treatment.

Restorative Justice

Restorative justice brings together people harmed by crime or conflict with those responsible for the harm, to find a positive way forward.

The approach gives victims the chance to tell offenders the real impact of their crime and get answers to their questions.

Restorative justice holds offenders to account for what they have done. It helps them understand the real impact, take responsibility, and make amends.

The Safe Schools and Communities Team not only provides restorative justice interventions but also engages officers trained as restorative justice practitioners.

These professionals actively participate in restorative justice conferences addressing issues such as bullying, shoplifting, and drug possession.

Additionally, they contribute to retail and drugs workshops as integral components of the rehabilitative measures associated with youth conditional cautions.

The DCYJS offer restorative justice to the victims of all offences committed by children who work with the YJS.

The YJS team includes Restorative Justice Practitioners who are trained and accredited in facilitating Restorative Justice Conferences, including for complex and sensitive cases such as offences involving domestic abuse or sexual harm.

Most children working with the YJS also undertake reparative activity to help repair the harm from their offence.

Restorative Justice Dorset (RJ Dorset) operates under the umbrella of Restorative Solutions CIC and have been commissioned by the Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) to facilitate restorative justice processes for victims of crimes in the Dorset region, involving adult offenders (18+).

In 2022, RJ Dorset effectively managed and processed more than 250 referrals.

The activities encompass both direct and indirect restorative justice interventions.

These interventions span a wide spectrum, including cases associated with out-of-court disposals and post-conviction situations.

They cater to individuals who may be in custody or serving community sentences, ensuring that the restorative principles are consistently applied.

NHSE Non-Custodial Services

The prevalence of health and social problems among those in contact with the criminal justice system (CJS) is high.

Many individuals involved in the criminal justice system have underlying issues, such as physical and/or mental health problems, neurodiversity needs or substance abuse, that contribute to their criminal behaviour.

NHSE non-custodial services aim to support individuals to address these underlying issues, that may otherwise have reduced the effectiveness of other rehabilitative interventions.

Liaison and Diversion (L&D) services. 

These services identify people who have mental health, learning disability, substance misuse or other vulnerabilities when they first encounter the criminal justice system, usually in Police custody or at Court.

The service can then refer to, and help people to attend, appropriate health or social care and support services, to reduce the likelihood that people will reach a crisis-point and improve their overall health outcomes, thereby reducing the on-going incidence of reoffending by that individual.

Mental Health Treatment Requirement (MHTR)

This is an adult community order sentenced by a Court that requires an individual to undertake 12 sessions of cognitive based therapy support provided by a specialist delivery service.

This is co-commissioned by NHS England, Dorset Council, BCP Council, the Dorset PCC, and the Probation Service. MHTRs will:

• support a reduction in the mental health inequalities faced by an increasing number of vulnerable people in the criminal justice system
• provide an effective mental health treatment and evidence based sentencing option as an alternative to custodial sentences
• support rehabilitation and the move to a pathway of recovery and reduce reoffending

Reconnect

This is a ‘care after prison service’ providing a referral, assessment, liaison, and support service to improve the continuity of care of vulnerable people (those with physical or mental health needs) leaving prisons in Dorset or returning to the pan-Dorset area after being released by other prisons across England.

Reconnect will work with an individual for up to 12 weeks before they leave prison and support them, for up to 6 months, with their transition from prison to community-based health and support (specifically mental health, physical health, substance misuse, GP registration and dentistry) to maximise the opportunities for an individual to get the help they need to reduce their reoffending.

The success of the Pan-Dorset Reducing Reoffending Strategy will be measured through key performance indicators that reflect the strategy’s core objectives.

The following performance measures have been established to gauge the effectiveness of the strategy.

Employment Status

• the proportion of adult offenders employed six weeks after release: Monitor the percentage of released individuals who secure employment within six weeks
  • target: 19% or higher
• the proportion of adult offenders employed six months after release: Monitor the percentage of individuals maintaining employment six months post- release:
  • target: 38% or higher

Housing Stability

• the proportion of adult offenders housed on the night after release: Monitor the percentage of individuals with housing arrangements on the night immediately following their release
  • target: 90% or higher
• the proportion of adult offenders in settled accommodation 3 months after leaving prison: Monitor the percentage of individuals residing in stable and settled accommodation 3 months post-release
  • target: 80% or higher

Continuity of Care

• the proportion of adult offenders engaged in treatment after release from prison: Monitor the percentage of individuals who have a substance misuse treatment need who successfully engage following release from prison
  • target: 75% or higher

Youth Justice System

• the proportion of children who reoffend: Monitor the percentage of children who go onto reoffend following their involvement in the Youth Justice System
  • target: Less than National average (March 2022 – 34.2%)

Regular monitoring and analysis of these metrics can guide adjustments to the strategy and highlight areas for the improvement within the services and initiatives offered.

 

To reduce reoffending, it is imperative that we look at the ‘criminogenic needs’ of the offender, to address the core root of their criminal behaviour, providing the best possible support for individual needs, thus progressing their recovery back into the community.

Women in contact with the criminal justice system are amongst the most vulnerable in society.

Many experience trauma, domestic abuse, mental health problems or have a history of alcohol and drug misuse.

Factors that can lead men and women to commit crime, and to reoffend, can vary significantly.

The pan-Dorset area will focus on the following key social factors that need to be addressed for adults in order to reduce reoffending.

Accommodation

Having a clean, dry, and safe place to sleep at night provides a solid base to start reintegrating back into society.

Accommodation allows offender managers to provide the vital building blocks for a range of support services and employment.

Many ex-prisoners will have long-standing, complex housing problems and will need considerable help if they are to establish somewhere stable to live on release.

Education, training, and employment

Access to stable employment and educational opportunities can provide individuals with skills, purpose, and a legitimate source of income, reducing the risk of reoffending.

Education, work, and training should provide an integrated service too, based on needs.

Finance (including benefits and debt)

For many offenders, having the necessary finances to cover their living essentials and debt is an issue. Individuals who have the means to support themselves through legal means are less likely to return to crime.

Around half of prisoners report a history of debt, which gets worse for about a third when they are in custody.

More than 80% of prisoners claim benefits upon release.

Accessing advice on these areas is key.

Relationships

Maintaining strong relationships with families and children can play a major role in assisting prisoners make and sustain changes that help them avoid reoffending.

Women, often as the main carers for their dependants, should be given support and information to assist them in understanding the effects of their imprisonment on their separated children.

This should include how to tell their children of their imprisonment and how to support them.

Health

Offenders are disproportionately more likely to suffer from physical or mental health problems than the general population.

These issues can often be undiagnosed and needs unmet.

Alcohol, Drugs and Addictions

Around two-thirds of prisoners use illegal drugs in the year prior to imprisonment.

Intoxication by alcohol is linked to a significant proportion of crime, particularly crimes of violence (almost 50%), whilst drug misuse is linked to significant proportions of theft and acquisitive crimes, such as burglary, vehicle crime and shoplifting.

There is also a clear relationship between problem or disordered gambling and crime.

Attitudes, thinking and behaviour

Offenders can struggle with negative social attitudes and poor self-control.

Successfully addressing such attitudes, thinking and behaviour can help reduce reoffending.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

ACEs are traumatic events that affect an individual whilst growing up, such as suffering child maltreatment or living in a household affected by domestic violence, substance misuse or mental illness.

There are strong links between substance misuse and previous experience of trauma and a strong correlation between drug and/or alcohol misuse, previous abuse, and self-harm.

Support and interventions for those offenders disclosing abuse and/or domestic abuse is essential.

Sexual Exploitation including Prostitution and Trafficking.

Individuals should be given every support if they ask for help to build a new life away from sexual exploitation.

Promoting awareness about available resources and encouraging a culture where individuals feel comfortable seeking help can play a pivotal role. This should also include staff receiving awareness training on the issues that face sex workers.

It is important to note that not only women are vulnerable to sex working, and all offenders should receive support if disclosing this need.

These pathways are all interdependent and successful rehabilitation is likely to require the provision of support along several, if not all of these pathways.

Services must be integrated in order to ensure that individual specific needs are addressed effectively.

 

The successes for reducing reoffending within the pan-Dorset area are reflected in the transformative outcomes achieved through partners adopting a whole systems approach and the effectiveness of the implemented measures in fostering rehabilitation.

Some highlights include:

• 70% of the IOM cohort relate to the index offence of dwelling burglary; in 2022/23 when the IOM focus was on dwelling burglaries there was a direct correlation of 6% decrease compared to in 2019/20 when the IOM focus was on domestic abuse
• there has been 0% reoffending among the IOM cohort who were tagged on release from September 2022 to July 2023
• Dorset (66%) and BCP (50%) are both above the National average (48%) and significantly higher than the regional average (41%) for Continuity of Care (Prisoners released with substance misuse issues that engage in community treatment)
• Dorset continues to demonstrate high performance against the MAPPA Key Performance Indicators. During 2022-2023, overall attendance by the Duty to Cooperate agencies was 99%, significantly higher than the target of 90%
• DCYJS has seen a reduction in its rate of children entering the justice system. The combined rate for the two local authorities has dropped from 288 per 100,000 under 18s in the year to September 2020, down to 239 in the year to September 2022, and down to 195 per 100,000 in the year to September 2023

Below are case studies of three individuals previously identified as reoffenders, along with the costs associated with their criminal activities. Since their involvement in IOM and RJ interventions, significant positive shifts have been observed in their behaviours, along with a substantial reduction in associated criminal activity costs.

Individual A

Committed 6 dwelling burglaries, 3 attempted dwelling burglaries, and 1 instance of going equipped, totalling £39,933 in the cost of crime.

Post intervention: Committed an affray (the specific cost is not included in the available figures yet but will presumably be lower than previous offences).

Individual B

Involved in 3 dwelling burglaries, 1 fraud case, and 1 breach of community order, totalling £13,065 in the cost of crime.

Post intervention: Has remained free from any charged offences since the intervention date of March 1, 2023.

Individual C

Engaged in 1 shoplifting, 1 burglary dwelling, 5 fraud cases, and 1 handling offence, totalling £14,953 in the cost of crime. (Handling not listed in available figures.)

Post intervention: Has remained clear of any charged offences since the intervention date of October 1, 2022.

These successes indicate a remarkable reduction in criminal activity post intervention for all individuals.

Notably, the absence of new charges for Individual B & C signifies a positive shift in their behaviours, emphasising the effectiveness of IOM & RJ strategies in the pan-Dorset approach to reducing reoffending.

 

Section 108 of the Policing and Crime Act 2009 places a statutory duty on CSPs to formulate and implement a strategy to reduce reoffending by adult and young offenders.

This strategy is owned by the two CSPs covering the pan-Dorset area and runs from 2024 to 2027.

The Reducing Reoffending Strategy Group (RRSG) is a sub-group of the CSPs and Dorset Criminal Justice Board (DCJB) and is responsible for developing plans and strategies and delivering initiatives that reduce reoffending.

Underpinning this strategy is a robust governance structure led by the Reducing Reoffending Strategy Group (RRSG).

The RRSG shoulders the day-to-day implementation and oversight.

This governance framework, rooted in statutory obligations, ensures accountability and concerted action across all involved parties.

The partners involved in the development and delivery of the Reducing Reoffending Strategy include:

• Bournemouth, Poole & Christchurch (BCP) Council
• Dorset Council
• Dorset Police
• Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) 
• NHS England
• The Probation Service
• Dorset Combined Youth Justice Service

 

This strategy was last reviewed in 2024. 

The net expected review date is 2025.