Public affairs and communications management

A roundtable discussion, which is free to attend and by invitation only, will be an essential opportunity for senior policymakers and providers to share ideas and to discuss their vision for the future of prisoner rehabilitation services. We are delighted that Jonathan Aitken - ex-minister and prison reform campaigner, Alan Duncan MP - Shadow Prisons Minister, Anne Owers - HM Chief Inspector of Prisons and Frances Crook - Director of the Howard League for Penal Reform, will be joining us to give brief presentations to inform the discussion. The event will involve key stakeholders in criminal justice policy, from central and local government, public bodies, voluntary and private sector organisations.

Prison populations are spiralling out of control, with an estate groaning under the pressure of approximately 83,900 inmates. Many commentators have argued that too many inmates experience prison as a short term restriction, returning to a life of crime upon release and ending up 'back inside' after a few years. This 'revolving door' operates against a backdrop of illiteracy, addiction and a history of unemployment.

Political parties are jostling to be both tough on crime and innovative on rehabilitation. New ideas include a 'rehabilitation revolution' to break the current criminal justice cycle, reforming the function of prisons and focusing on 'local justice' administered through independent fee-earning 'Prison and Rehabilitation Trusts', responsible for offenders after they are released as well as in prison. Both government and opposition parties are currently examining their plans for offender rehabilitation. The Bradley review, along with the forthcoming Conservative Victim Green Paper, shows the importance of this issue on the policy agenda. A general election is imminent and whatever the result, it is certain that the face of prison services is changing and offering potential for a blurring of the lines between prison in-reach and community rehabilitation.

These potential policy changes will result in a rapidly developing landscape for prison service providers, who may have to adapt their services to meet new objectives and models within the rehabilitation sphere. Greater freedoms for prison governors may also lead to changes in commissioning practice and diverse approaches to provision within the criminal justice system.

It is therefore timely that Westminster Advisers, a public affairs consultancy specialising in home affairs, is organising a roundtable discussion forum focusing criminal rehabilitation and how it will be affected by forthcoming changes in social and economic policy. This is the first of two events Westminster Advisers is holding on criminal justice reform; the second will examine policing reform and take place in April.

Specific areas for discussion and learning at the roundtable include:

• What impact will the need for reducing the public deficit have on funding for prison services and how will a tighter spending plan limit the plans for new models of rehabilitation?
• Will an increased role for the private and voluntary sectors in rehabilitation enhance service delivery?
• What role will 'local justice' play in the near future and what will the effects be on prisoners, service providers and communities?
• What will the likely differences be in the function of rehabilitation services in relation to: health, drugs, skills and work, family breakdown and what new services will prisons be requiring?
• How does justice benefit from the "Big Society" agenda?
• How will an increasing focus on victims impact on the delivery of prison in-reach services and will the community be encouraged to play a wider role?