Prisons minister Lord Timpson met with a client supported by Turning Point services in Bristol as part of his review into the pilot of a new criminal justice intervention programme called Intensive Supervision Courts (ISCs).
Lord Timpson spoke to 28-year-old Kane Lawrenson, who is currently on a recovery programme at Turning Point’s Horizons: Bristol’s Drug & Alcohol Partnership.
Working with Turning Point to tackle his drug use was one of the conditions of his sentence to a two-year ISC. He is required to regularly meet with the judge alongside his probation officer and substance use recovery worker.Â
In an interview with the BBC, Lawrenson said that he was ‘feeling the most positive I have for years’. The judge noted that Lawrenson’s progress has been ‘incredibly impressive’.
‘I’m really excited for the future, to be honest,’ said Lawrence.
‘Now I’m waking up thinking, right, let’s have me a protein shake. Let’s have me a bowl of oats. ‘What gym am I going to?’
‘Every day I can go to sleep and think, ‘you’ve actually made something productive out of the day’.’
Lord Timpson told the BBC that these intensive programmes were ‘often tougher than going to prison’.
He added: ‘They’re having to work every day to prove that they’re not taking drugs, they’re not drinking, and they are going through all the courses that we’re putting them through.’
ISCs are designed to reduce reoffending by supporting individuals with a range of different needs depending on their circumstances.Â
The individuals in the scheme are typically those who are at high risk of reoffending, have not complied with standard probation or have needs around things like substance use and mental health.
Those under an ISC order are given tailored rehabilitation plans that provide support from multi-agency teams including drug and alcohol workers, housing providers, mental health support workers among others.Â
Together with a judge and the person under order, a plan is made a periodically reviewed to check in on the persons progress and to unlock any barriers.Â
This approach provides a high level of support with a focus on long term rehabilitation for offenders with the aim of keeping people out of prison and reducing the effects of crime on society.Â
Since starting in April, the Ministry of Justice says there is ‘clear evidence that the model is working’.
Justin Hoggans, Senior Operations Manager at Horizons – Bristol’s Drug & Alcohol Partnership said: ‘This ISC pilot offers a holistic and collaborative approach to supporting people engaged with probation. We’ve seen this approach make a real difference for the people we support through the scheme and our workers in the criminal justice team at Horizons have found it to be an overwhelmingly constructive intervention that offers people a bit of hope.’
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