This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Management of offenders
26/10/2006
With just over five months to go before taking on their new responsibilities for managing offenders, members of the Community Justice Authority for the Lothians and Borders will today join the Justice Minister and criminal justice experts for a national conference in Crieff.
This the first national event for Scotland's eight CJAs since they were set up in shadow form in April this year to transform the way councils, Scottish Prison Service and other local agencies work together to improve the management of offenders.
Since April each CJA has been drawing up their joint local plans to tackle re-offending and improve the safety of local communities - plans which have now been submitted to the Executive for approval.
The conference will discuss how those plans are taken forward, how efforts are progressing to transform working practices in the criminal justice system to improve the management of offenders in prison and in the community, and examine what approaches are working well so success can be shared and replicated elsewhere.
Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson said:
"Crime is falling. That is good news for decent, law-abiding people who want to feel safe in their homes and in their streets. Last year there were 20,000 fewer crimes recorded by the police and violent crime is at its lowest level since devolution. But we still face a major challenge in reducing the number of repeat offenders in Scotland.
"For too long, too many people are sent to prison on short sentences only to end up back behind bars weeks or months after their release. Too many women are caught up in the downwards spiral of petty crime to feed a drug habit.
"In the past year great strides have been made locally and nationally to reform the way different parts of the criminal justice system work together to address those problems. We now have eight CJAs responsible for working with local authorities, Scottish Prison Service and other partners to tackle re-offending at a local level. They will be overseen by the new National Advisory Body on Offender Management, and driven by the new National Strategy on Offender Management.
"The CJA for Edinburgh, the Lothians and Borders has now also produced its local plan on tackling re-offending, which has real potential benefits not just for individual offenders and their families, but local communities who want to experience reduced crime and a reduced fear of crime.
"The challenge is now to turn that plan into action. That's what this conference is all about. Building momentum towards each of these new CJAs taking on their full responsibilities next April. By working with local partners in health, employment, housing and other services, and by sharing effective practice with other CJAs through events like this, I believe it can and will deliver tangible results.
"People want to see crime falling, offenders punished, and individuals taking responsibility for their own actions. We have listened to those concerns and we are delivering reforms and results that demonstrate we are on their side."
There are eight CJAs across Scotland who have been operating on a 'shadow capacity' since April this year, before formally being established from April 1, next year.
They are made up of the following local authorities:
- Glasgow
- Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City, Moray, Highland, Orkney, Shetland, Eilean Siar
- Angus, Dundee City, Perth and Kinross
- Fife, Clackmannanshire, Falkirk, Stirling
- City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, West Lothian, Midlothian, Scottish Borders
- Argyll and Bute, East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire, Inverclyde
- North and South Lanarkshire
- East, North and South Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway
CJAs are responsible for:
- Working with local authorities, the SPS and other partners to prepare local joint area plans focused on tackling re-offending, which will require to be submitted to Minister for approval
- Monitoring and reporting on the effectiveness of joint working between all local partners, including police forces, NHS Boards, relevant voluntary organisations, the Scottish Courts Service and the Crown Office
- Supporting better information-sharing and the sharing of good practice
- Distributing funding for criminal justice social work services in local areas and ensuring this is used effectively to improve the management of offenders, and tackle Scotland's high re-offending rates
The two-day conference in Crief is Scotland's first national CJA event. Each of the eight CJAs invited representatives from local partners to attend.