Question
Many ex-prisoners experience challenges after prison, particularly when trying to reintegrate into society, which is really difficult to do. We know that 40% of prisoners reoffend within one year, and that reoffending costs £22.7 billion per year; at the same time, 97% of prison capacity is taken. Will the Secretary of State ensure that ex-prisoners are properly supported, so that they can positively integrate into society, and reoffending can be reduced?
Answer
That is an important point. It is great to start Question Time on a note of unanimity, and I am sure that one view that we all hold in common in this place is that when people leave prison, we do not want them to return and reoffend. The key to that is a multi-agency approach locally, starting before individuals leave prison. We are working closely with local government partners to ensure more effective pre-release planning work.40% vibes
Verdict: AMBER (68/100)
The reply addresses the single question component directly. It names two concrete mechanisms for supporting ex-prisoners' reintegration: a multi-agency approach that starts before release, and closer work with local government partners on pre-release planning. It gives no detail on timescales, funding or how these measures will be measured, so a member of the public may still want more specifics.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will the Secretary of State ensure that ex-prisoners are properly supported to reintegrate into society, with the aim of reducing reoffending. | Addressed | Direct | The reply names concrete mechanisms for supporting ex-prisoners' reintegration: a multi-agency approach starting before release (statement 4) and closer work with local government partners to improve pre-release planning (statement 5). Statements 3 and 1 are largely vibes or acknowledgement, but the substantive answer is in 4 and 5. |