Chris Grayling: Using same old probation services to cut reoffending is madness - Telegraph.co.uk

Under the proposals in the "Transforming Rehabilitation" consultation document, probation services will be split up into areas similar to those overseen by local authorities and the new police and crime commissioners, before being put out to competition on a payment by results basis.

"We know across the public, private and voluntary sectors there is a wealth of expertise and experience – we need to unlock that so we can finally begin to bring down our stubbornly high reoffending rates," Mr Grayling said.

"Our proposals will see all of those sentenced to prison or probation properly punished while being helped to turn away from crime for good.

"They will also mean we only spend taxpayers' money on what works when it comes to cutting crime."

Private and voluntary sector organisations will be encouraged to work together to reduce reoffending and only paid in full if they achieve results, the consultation document will say.

Mentors, including reformed offenders, will meet those leaving jail at the prison gates and help with issues like housing, education, getting a job, and tackling drug and alcohol problems.

The final reforms will be set out in spring next year, with the new system expected to be rolled out across England and Wales by spring 2015.

Sadiq Khan, the shadow justice secretary, said the move was a "reckless gamble with public safety" which "risks importing all of the failures of the Work Programme into our criminal justice system".

"Our probation service does a good job in difficult circumstances on very stretched budgets," he said.

"Pilots were already underway to see if payment by results worked and to ensure any problems were ironed out before a full scale roll out.

"The new Justice Secretary, Chris Grayling, has demonstrated a breathtaking arrogance in choosing to ignore or simply cancel the pilots.

"Rushing into payment by results in probation is a danger both to the offenders themselves who might not receive the rehabilitation support they require, and to the safety of communities up and down the country."

Extending probation services to prisoners serving less than 12 months will mean about 60,000 extra offenders each year will need supervision, Labour said.

Harry Fletcher, assistant general secretary of the probation union Napo, added that the "highly controversial" proposals were coming at a time when the Probation Service was performing "better than ever".

"There are real dangers in fragmenting probation," he said.

"The introduction of multiple agencies will lead to confusion and could compromise public protection."

The Government has also been "scant on detail" and there were "likely to be considerable delays before any of this becomes a reality", he added.

But Max Chambers, head of crime and justice at the Policy Exchange think-tank, said: "Payment-by-results will mean the taxpayer only paying for what works – reducing reoffending and cutting crime, or your money back."