In October of last year, I was elected as a member of the Justice Committee. The Justice Committee examines the policies and spending of the Ministry of Justice and associated public bodies. This includes courts, legal aid, prisons, probation, and the rule of law. The Committee also advises on sentencing guidelines.
Before Parliament, following a career as a trauma surgeon, I retrained as a barrister specialising in healthcare law and clinical negligence. So, when I was elected to the green benches, it felt natural to use that expertise and seek election to the Justice Committee. Having been successfully appointed to the Committee, I have been using my own personal experiences to help make our Justice System work better for my constituents. To date, I have had the opportunity to scrutinise, amongst others, the Attorney General, the Lord Chancellor, and the Prisons Minister.
Recently, the Committee began its inquiry into the rehabilitative regimes of those in prisons and on probation. This inquiry will examine Government policy, and whether the offering is sufficient to deliver successful outcomes and lower reoffending rates.
There is a moral duty on society to get rehabilitation right. It enables offenders have a second chance at life. To return to their families and, crucially, make a meaningful contribution to society. If we fail to get it right, it comes at a steep cost to not only the economy but to society as a whole.
The Committee has looked at reoffending rates in England and Wales; assessing the current approaches to rehabilitation within different types of prisons - including training, education, and purposeful activity. Next month, I will be visiting another prison to see first hand the education and preparation inmates receive, in advance of their release, to help them successfully integrate back into ordered life.
In addition, the Committee will be exploring the adequacy of support provided to ex-offenders on release. This will include homelessness prevention, employment opportunities, and health and wellbeing services. Further workstreams include the review of the role of non-custodial sentences in promoting rehabilitation, amid the wider Sentencing Review.
For the year ending December 2023, 78% of all offenders cautioned or convicted for an indictable offence had at least one prior caution or conviction. This illustrates why ending the cycle of reoffending is critical for the sustainability of our prison system.
Outside of the Commitee, I am working with cross party colleagues to improve our family courts, to protect children who, by no fault of their own, can have their future detrimentally impacted by arbitrary court rulings.
Currently it can take up to 44 weeks for a family case to be listed. During this lengthy period, children are left in a state of uncertainty. The decisions of the courts will have a significant and lasting impact upon any child. Moving family court hearings from the responsibility of magistrates to specialist family judges would not only alleviate pressure from Magistrates Courts but lead to more consistent outcomes.
