May 2017
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This seminar brought together policymakers with stakeholders to consider the future for prison reform in England and Wales.
It was timed to facilitate engagement on the impact of government’s prison reform agenda from the last Parliament - looking at the building of new prison estate infrastructure, and the piloting of new commissioning powers for prison governors - and also considered options for policy following the election.
Discussion focused on the impact of increases to prison officer pay and staff numbers on reducing violence in custody, as well as the options for government and HMPPS for meeting the diverse needs of service users - including those of BAME and female offenders - and for addressing rising numbers of deaths in custody. Particular emphasis was placed on the challenges for addressing the problems raised by new psychoactive substances, and for ensuring prisoners maintained a sense of purpose to avoid common mental health issues.
As policymakers proceeded with a programme of governor empowerment, delegates discussed the implications of empowerment for prison performance and operational flexibility, the priorities for developing an assessment framework, as well as the impact of reforms on the quality of education and healthcare services.
This conference brought together members of both Houses of Parliament, senior government officials involved in this area of public policy, together with prison governors and staff representatives, local government officials, service and outsourcing providers, charities, employers, training providers, health practitioners and service-user networks, as well as academics and reporters from the national and trade press.
