5 February 2004 - Publication of DWP research report 198: Evaluation of the community sentences and withdrawal of benefits pilots
Research published today by the Department for Work and Pensions presents findings of the evaluation of the pilot scheme to withdraw benefits from offenders found by the courts to be in breach of their community sentences. The scheme was piloted in four Probation Service areas. The evaluation, carried out by The National Centre for Social Research, took place between 2001 and 2002. The report details the experience of implementation and operation of the policy. Interviews were held with offenders, and focus groups were carried out with staff in the Probation Service and Jobcentre Plus. A survey of sentencers was also carried out as part of the evaluation.
The key findings are as follows:
- It is estimated that the policy led to a small increase (1.8%) in compliance among those on the relevant benefits. This is based on a change over time comparison between those on relevant benefits and those not.
- This implies that for every 50 community sentences given to those on relevant benefits, one fewer resulted in breach initiation as a result of the policy.
- Offenders did not always see the policy as a major influence on their behaviour. Its impact was constrained by limited awareness of it and by general attitudes to compliance.
- There was some evidence that the policy could have helped improve the attention paid to probation requirements and the priority given to attending. It had less potential to influence non-compliance where there were difficult personal issues, substance abuse, a rejection of probation or little personal motivation to comply.
- Whilst there were fears of widespread change in enforcement practice among Probation Service staff, there was no evidence to support this.
- Fears of changes to sentencing practice were not found to be the case. However, most sentencers said they definitely or possibly would take the sanction into account in setting the level of fines for breach of a community sentence.
- The experience of the sanction had a range of impacts on offenders which varied in their intensity and were experienced particularly by offenders without access to informal support.
- Some offenders reported that they were already committing crimes during their community sentence, and some reported additional or renewed offending which they linked directly with the policy.
- The sanction provided an added reason to look for work where offenders were already doing so, but otherwise did not appear to influence labour market behaviour.
Notes for editors
- Under the community sentences sanctions policy, piloted since October 2001, social security benefits are sanctioned if offenders are found by the courts to have breached their community sentence. The objective of the policy is to link the receipt of benefit more closely to the fulfilment of responsibilities to society and to encourage greater compliance with community sentences.
- The policy applies to offenders serving community punishment orders, community rehabilitation orders and community punishment and rehabilitation orders, aged 18-59, and in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support or certain Training Allowances. The period of sanction is four weeks. Jobseeker’s Allowance is withdrawn 100%; Income Support is reduced by 20% or 40%, depending on the offender’s circumstances.
- The policy was piloted in four Probation Service areas: Teesside, West Midlands, Derbyshire and Hertfordshire. The evaluation was carried out by the National Centre for Social Research and Colin Roberts of University of Oxford, for the Home Office and the Department for Work and Pensions.
- The aims of the evaluation were to assess the operational impact of the policy; to assess its impact on compliance and on offenders more generally; and to identify issues relevant to any national implementation. The study involved analysis of administrative data on attendance and breach rates, 55 in-depth interviews with offenders, 31 in-depth interviews and 18 focus groups with staff in the Probation Service and Jobcentre Plus, and a postal survey of sentencers (with a response rate of 49% and an achieved sample of 213).
- “Evaluation of the community sentences and withdrawal of benefits pilots” (DWP Research Report 198) is published on 5 February 2004. A summary of the report is available on the DWP website: www.dwp.gov.uk on the Statistics & research page.
- A separate Ministerial press release has been issued on the extension of the Community Sentences & Withdrawal of Benefits pilot.
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