Derbyshire Probation, Reducing Re-offending

The Trust aims to reduce reoffending by working with offenders to change their behaviour and by dealing with those things that may lead them to commit more crimes. This aim is handled under various banners and the logic behind them is pretty simple:
Accommodation: If you have somewhere to live and can get support, you will lead a  more stable life.
Education, Training and Employment: Offenders often do not have the basic skills they need to find and keep a job and the probation trust will help those people to get those basic reading, writing and maths skills. They will also help with finding a job if you need one.
Health: Often poor health is a result of not being able to get health and social care. Primary Care Trusts are now responsible for healthcare in most of our prisons and the trust will help you get that care.
Drugs and Alcohol: A high proportion of offenders have drug or alcohol problems, with about 2/3 rds of people arrested testing positive for drugs. The trust has set up  set up treatment courses to deal with alcohol and drug abuse. These make sure that there is early help and ongoing care for offenders under sentence, and support after sentence.
Finance, Benefits and Debt: while money may not be the root of all evil, lack of it is a real problem for many people, especially those just released from prison. Ex-offenders can face serious money problems, including getting Benefits and the trust will assess an offender’s financial problems quickly, so that they can get help and gain the skills to look after their own finances.
Children and Families: It is not just the offender who suffers from their behaviour, it is their friends and family who often share the burden. However your family and friends can be a great support . The trust aims to strengthen family links and support your children and families and can help families to keep in better contact with prisoners and to visit you while in custody.Attitudes, Thinking and Behaviour: The Probation Service runs around 40 independently accredited courses about thinking and judging decision making.  These courses include general work about offending behaviour and more specialist courses such as for sexual and violent offending, and drug or alcohol abuse.

 

Alcohol awareness program

This order is offered by local alcohol services and Derbyshire Probation Trust. It is a condition of a Community Rehabilitation Order to receive and comply with treatment for your alcohol misuse.

The program aims to:

  • reduce the nature and extent of alcohol misuse
  • stabilise alcohol misuse and related lifestyle issues
  • establish sustainable positive change
  • reduce alcohol related reoffending

Treatment Orders are intended for offenders:-

  • when alcohol plays a significant part in their  life
  • when their  alcohol misuse has caused or contributed to the offence(s) for which they are charged
  • when it is agreed that the nature and extent of their alcohol misuse can be helped by their active participation with the treatment order.

It is an opportunity to examine the nature and extent of alcohol misuse and how it affects offending and other aspects of life. It provides an opportunity to come to terms with the problems related to alcohol misuse, and to control and reduce alcohol misuse/offending. It provides advice and information on the risks associated with alcohol misuse, and it provides appropriate clinical treatment. The treatment at the beginning will last three months. If help is still required with alcohol related problems at the end of the order, a voluntary treatment can be agreed by the alcohol service.

 As this order involves treatment it cannot be made unless consent is given. To participate in the treatment order, you must agree to allow the alcohol service to share information on your attendance and progress with your probation office. This information may be used to inform the court of your progress. Normally it is required to keep weekly appointments at the alcohol service with the key worker, and the probation officer will be informed if there is failure to attend appointments and enforcement/breach action will be taken if you fail to attend without good reason.  Progress on the Order will be reviewed regularly by the Probation Officer and key Worker and there is the opportunity to discuss the treatment and progress on the programme. If the Court sentences you to a Community Rehabilitation Order with alcohol treatment the treatment service will be specified in the Order.

C A L M – Controlling Anger and Learning to Manage it Information for Offenders

CALM is a groupwork programme of 24 sessions each lasting 2 hours. There will usually be 2 sessions per week. There will be between 4 and 12 people in the group with 2 staff. At the start and end of the group you will complete a number of questionnaires. They are not hard and you will be given help if you need it. The questionnaires help us to see if the group is working.

CALM is based on the idea that behaviour, thinking and emotions are related. It will help you understand why aggressive behaviour happens and how you can control it in future. The group will help you to:-

  • Reduce aggression by managing your emotions better
  • Understand what triggers your anger and aggression
  • Learn how to prevent getting too worked up
  • Resolve conflict better in future
  • Manage negative emotions that are linked to aggression
  • Identify ways to stop offending in future

 

CSOPP

In Derbyshire the Community Sex Offender Groupwork Programme (CSOGP) is provided by the National Probation Service, Derbyshire and the NSPCC DOVE Project in partnership.  The C-SOGP is a programme approved as suitable for persons convicted of contact or non-contact sex offences against child or adult victims of either, or both sexes. The aim is to prevent further sexual reoffending, by looking at how thoughts, attitudes and emotional  responses are linked to abusive behaviour. For offenders  given a community sentence participation is normally a condition of a Community Order, but for someone given a custodial sentence it can be a requirement of a Licence after release.

 For anyone who has not already completed a Sex Offender Treatment Programme (SOTP) in prison there are two main ways through the C-SOGP. For most it involves attendance at 240 hours of groupwork taking more than 2 years to complete; for some the groupwork lasts for 100 hours and can be completed in about a year. It is important to recognize this will make major demands. These include:

  • Regular reporting to a Probation Officer to complete work that forms part of the Programme;
  • Daytime attendance to complete progress questionnaires;
  • Daytime attendance at meetings with the Probation Officer and NSPCC staff before, and at key stages through the programme;
  • Consistently attending and contributing usefully to the groupwork sessions run by the NSPCC DOVE Project in Derby.

At the start of the programme you will have to attend during the daytime for one full week, and then for further individual days each week, if possible. The rest of the Programme usually uns for 2½ hours on a weekday evening, although sessions during the daytime may also be arranged. If you have taken part in a SOTP during sentence you will probably attend either 190hours of groupwork, or a 50 hour Relapse Prevention group.

 

Drink Impaired Drivers Programme

Drink Impaired Drivers Programme is a group of 16 sessions each lasting 2 hours. There will usually be between 4 and 12 people in the group with 2 staff. The aim of the Drink Impaired Drivers Programme is to reduce the likelihood of committing another drink drive offence by improving your knowledge, awareness and ability to tackle problems in other ways. By the end of the programme you will have had an opportunity to learn to:

  •  Understand how alcohol affects the body
  •  Challenge attitudes towards drinking and driving
  •  Consider the consequences to others of drinking and driving
  •  Examine the alternatives to drinking and driving
  •  Understand how alcohol affects the skills required to drive a car
  •  Monitor your own drinking patterns and to understand why you drink
  •  Recognise how emotions can affect making decisions
  •  Consider the reasons why you committed the offence

 

Enhanced Think Skills

ETS is a group of 23 sessions each lasting up to 2½ hours. There will usually be 2 sessions each week. There will be between 4 and 12 people in the group with 2 staff.  ETS is based on the idea that behaviour and thinking are linked. This group can help you to learn new ways of thinking about the choices you face in your everyday life and will help you stop offending. The new skills offered are:

  • Not being so impulsive,
  • Thinking in a creative way
  • Thinking logically
  • Finding alternative ways forward
  • Considering how your behaviour affects other people
  • Learning to listen to others
  • Learning how to convince others
  • Learning how to negotiate00
  • Making better decisions

 Female Violence

The Programme lasts for six sessions. Each session should take approximately 1½ hours You will be required to attend for every session as a National Standards Appointment. You will be expected to engage in the module and to complete the necessary work that is required of you. Should you fail to comply with the One-2-One Programme as part of the Specified Activity you will be returned to court.  The aim of this programme is to help you better understand the reasons (issues) which led you to committing an act of violence. It will also work with you on a number of skills to assist you to avoid violence in future.

The New Directions Programme

There will be 6 group sessions, each lasting up to an hour. The sessions are designed to raise awareness in the given subjects and help you know where to seek further advice or support. Each session will be delivered by 2 members of staff. As The New Direction Programme is a rolling programme the group members and staff may change. 

The 6 Sessions are:

  • Job Search and Skills: To maximise employment and training opportunities and to raise awareness of the service provided by the Employment, Training and Education team.
  • Thinking Skills: To look at how thinking effects behaviour and how to challenge thinking.
  • What’s Available:To explore what facilities are available in the community, particularly in relation to housing
  • Alcohol and Drugs:  To raise awareness of how substances effect behaviour
  • Consequences: To explore the impact of crime on victims
  • Health and Relaxation: To explore healthy lifestyles and how to register with a doctor

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