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Lord McNally: "It's about making sure that we don't have the revolving door of people reoffending"
An overhaul of the probation service in England and Wales will see low-risk offenders supervised by the private sector, the government is to announce.
Justice Secretary Chris Grayling will unveil plans to let security firms and voluntary groups manage probation on a "payment by results" basis.
Prisoners serving short sentences will also have to undertake compulsory rehabilitation for the first time.
Trade unionists fear that the move could "compromise public protection".
Most released prisoners and people serving community sentences are currently managed by the public sector probation service - provided by 35 trusts across England and Wales.
But under the Ministry of Justice's proposals - which are subject to a six-week consultation period - responsibility for monitoring some 200,000 medium- and low-risk offenders will transfer to the private sector.
Private companies and charitable bodies successfully bidding for contracts will be paid according to their results in cutting re-offending.
However, the public probation service will continue to supervise some 50,000 high-risk offenders, including all serious violent and sexual offenders.
Met at prison gatesIn an attempt to curb reoffending, Mr Grayling has also indicated that all those serving short custodial sentences will undergo rehabilitation following their release.
Prisoners serving under 12 months only currently undergo voluntary rehabilitation and are otherwise freed without support or supervision.
The Ministry of Justice says those serving more than 12 months are subject to statutory supervision on release - this can involve regular meetings with an offender manager, curfews and a requirement to attend drug or alcohol rehabilitation courses.
A scheme is also being introduced where similar offenders are being met at the prison gates by a mentor offering support in finding accommodation, returning to work and coping with drugs or alcohol.
The new proposals would see all freed prisoners subject to both the mentoring scheme and also statutory supervision.
Mr Grayling said: "What we do at the moment is send people out of prison with £46 in their pocket, and no support at all.
End Quote Liz Calderbank Chief inspector of probation for England and WalesIf you have someone who's convicted of a serious knife crime, and then they re-offend by stealing a jar of coffee, is that a failure or a success?"
"No wonder we have such high levels of re-offending. It is madness to carry on with the same old system and hope for a different result."
"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 re-offending rates," he added.
"We won't look at it per individual, it'll be the block of people you work with - do you reduce steadily the rate of reoffending among that group?"
The government will offer £500,000 to voluntary and community sector groups to help them as they prepare to bid for probation contracts.
Justice Minister Lord McNally told BBC Breakfast that the proposed changes are not about cutting costs, but "about making sure we don't have the revolving door of people re-offending".
Harry Fletcher of probation officers' union Napo described the overhaul as "astonishing" and "purely ideological".
"It is being rushed through without proper thought to the consequences," he said.
He added: "Re-offending rates for the individuals that probation does supervise are much improved; those who participate in programmes have a re-offending rate now of 35%. This is a success story that the government should be building on, not destroying".
'Public at risk?'Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: "When it comes to cutting re-offending, Ministry of Justice figures show that community sentences are outperforming short jail sentences by almost 10%.
"Why not build on the success of joint work by probation, police and voluntary organisations, rather than break up the probation service and put the public at risk?"
Liz Calderbank, chief inspector of probation for England and Wales, told the Today programme that offenders posed "particular challenges" for those handling their probation.
She questioned how, for example, a positive result for someone on probation could be measured.
"If you have someone who's convicted of a serious knife crime and then they re-offend by stealing a jar of coffee, is that a failure or a success?" she said.
In 2011, a record number of offenders sentenced for serious crimes were found to have committed previous offences, according to government figures.
Some 90% of those sentenced in England and Wales had offended before - and almost a third had committed or were linked to 15 or more crimes.
Final reforms for the probation service are expected to be set out later this year and implemented across England and Wales by spring 2015.
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