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WQ.514/2019
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS BY THE CONNÉTABLE OF ST. LAWRENCE
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 25th NOVEMBER 2019
Question
Following the recent review of Jersey's Prison and Probation Services, will the Minister explain –
• The purpose of the review?
• Who undertook the review?
• How and on what basis the persons who undertook the review were selected?
• The cost of the review?
• Whether the report arising from the review will be made public and if not, why not?
Answer
The purpose of the independent review was to examine the effectiveness and extent of a coordinated approach in managing offenders across Jersey Probation and After Care Service and the Prison Service. The review included an analysis of how the departments work together to provide services for offenders in custody and the transition between custody and the community. The review also focused on how both organisations operate in managing offenders, the extent of collaborated or integrated working and whether opportunities for joint working are being fully exploited.
The review was also focused on identifying areas for improvement, opportunities to work more closely and whether, and to what extent, the island could benefit from a whole systems' approach. The review was tasked with providing an assessment of the effectiveness of the current working arrangements compared to other similar jurisdictions.
The review was carried out by Mr Max Murray and Mr David Matthews. Mr Murray served in the Northern Island Prison Service for 37 years, carrying out several senior roles including Governor, Director of Offender Management and secondments to the UK. Upon retirement he became a member of the Northern Island Probation Board. For his services to Criminal Justice, Mr Murray was awarded a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) by Her Majesty the Queen in the New Year's Honours in 2015.
Mr Matthews recently retired as the Prison Governor in Guernsey, serving 8yrs there following a long career in the UK Prison Service. He has gained extensive experience working within the complexity of an island environment and understands the difficulties in running a multifunction prison within a small island community.
I agreed, with the Probation Board, to identify a small team of suitably experienced professionals who could carry out the review independently from Jersey. Both the Jersey Probation Service and the Department of Justice and Home Affairs explored possibilities and between them identified the two individuals, which were subsequently agreed by me and the Probation Board.
The cost of the review was £9,110.00
The report is for internal use only at this stage. The report will inform me, the Probation Board and officers of options, opportunities, areas for improvement and challenges to be considered and discussed. This will help inform policy and operational decisions that need to be discussed amongst several stakeholders before any decisions will be made on the way forward.