Every parliamentary written question tabled by Claire Young this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 1–7 of 7 · Ministry of Justice
What steps he is taking to help decrease the number of short-term sentences which lead to rapid turnover in prisons.
The Sentencing Act, which received Royal Assent on 22 January 2026, makes reforms to reduce the use of short custodial sentences, tackle the cycle of reoffending and place the criminal justice system on a more sustainable footing.The Act introduces a pres...
What steps he has taken to ensure there are sufficient paid employment opportunities for prisoners in Open Prisons.
Securing employment is a key factor in reducing reoffending with evidence showing that finding work can reduce the likelihood of reoffending by 9 percentage points. Open prisons play a key role in supporting this as they enable suitable, risk-assessed pri...
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of short custodial sentences on the reoffending rate.
Evidence published in both 2015 and 2019, which matched groups of offenders, found that short sentences were associated with higher reoffending compared to court orders by approximately 4 percentage points. We have followed this evidence and the Sentencin...
What steps she is taking to support (a) prison officers and (b) probation service staff.
The Government is committed to making sure that all prison and probation staff have a safe place in which to work, the time and capacity to do their job well, and the right support, training and equipment to help them.It is important that we have enough people to enable this vital work to be undertaken effectively. We are committed to recruiting and training the prison and probation staff we need, particularly in areas with the most significant staffing challenges, and we are constantly monitoring staffing levels and retention. We have implemented measures to attract and retain staff, including pay increases, extra funding for probation staff, and mentorship programmes. We are also working to improve staff safety and to address wellbeing concerns arising from the pressurised nature of the work. In addition, we are actively seeking ways in which technological innovation can ease the burden on our hard-working staff.Prison and probation staff play a vital role in protecting the public and reducing re-offending. To help them to cope with the challenges this work involves, we provide extensive mental health support, including a 24-hour helpline, confidential counselling, and online wellbeing services. A new wellbeing support model has been established across HM Prison & Probation Service, with staff support and wellbeing champions for both prison and probation.
Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of incentivising people serving non-violent custodial sentences to undertake more community service work.
Prisoners serving non-violent custodial sentences currently can access community service work through Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) during the custodial element of their sentence. Prisoners are eligible to be considered for ROTL once they have serve...
What steps her Department is taking to ensure that prisons are safe workplaces for staff.
Staff must be able to expect a safe and decent work environment. We will not tolerate any violence against prison officers and prisoners who are violent towards staff will face the full consequences of their actions.The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Court...
What (a) protections and (b) support mechanisms are in place for whistleblowers in prisons.
The Ministry of Justice has a comprehensive whistleblowing policy which all staff can access via the intranet. The policy sets out the protections and support available to a whistleblower. Protections include protection under the Public Interest Disclosur...