Intensive Supervision Courts will increase from five to 11 sites, with repeat offenders monitored by the same judge and facing sanctions if they breach conditions
The government is investing £9m to more than double the number of Intensive Supervision Courts operating across the country, as part of an effort to reduce repeat offending by addressing problems such as addiction, trauma and poor mental health.
The number of sites will increase from five to 11, with the expanded programme focusing particularly on prolific offenders, women and people whose offending is linked to substance misuse. The Ministry of Justice has described the model as a tough, Texas-style approach to sentencing.
Intensive Supervision Courts impose community orders under which offenders attend weekly sessions and regularly appear before the same judge, allowing their progress and compliance to be closely monitored. Participants may also be required to undertake treatment intended to address the underlying causes of their offending.
Those who fail to attend court, continue to misuse drugs or alcohol or refuse to engage with mandatory treatment may face escalating sanctions, including electronic monitoring or imprisonment for breaching the conditions of their order.
The model is principally aimed at prolific, low-level offenders whose needs may be addressed more effectively in the community. The government said prison would continue to be used for serious offenders who present the greatest risk to the public.
Deputy prime minister and lord chancellor David Lammy said: “Prolific offending often goes hand in hand with addiction and trauma, and tackling that can help cut crime. These tough new courts ensure offenders are held to account while giving them the tools they need to turn their lives round for good, reducing reoffending and making our streets safer in the process.”
The Ministry of Justice said problem-solving courts operating internationally had produced a one-third reduction in further arrests compared with standard sentences. It also cited Texas, where it said the approach had contributed to a 29% fall in crime and a significant reduction in the prison population.
The expansion builds on pilot courts operating in Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool and Teesside. A fifth Intensive Supervision Court has already been announced and is due to open in Liverpool later this year.
An evaluation of the pilots found that two-thirds of offenders did not breach their orders. Among participants with significant addiction problems, clean drug tests were recorded on around two-thirds of occasions.
Probation staff, judges and local organisations providing services such as drug treatment also reported reductions in drug and alcohol use. The government said participants requiring mental health support were increasingly receiving treatment intended to help reduce their risk of further offending.
Baroness Gillian Merron, parliamentary under-secretary of state for women’s and mental health, said custody alone often did little to rehabilitate people whose offending was driven by addiction or mental health problems. She said the programme would help participants address those issues, reduce reoffending and contribute more positively to society.
The government highlighted the particular circumstances faced by women in the criminal justice system. It said more than two-thirds of women in custody reported having experienced domestic abuse, while more than half had sustained a brain injury and a similar proportion had a drug addiction.
Dr Tom McNeil, chief executive of the JABBS Foundation for Women and Girls, welcomed the expansion, arguing that too many people remained trapped in a cycle of imprisonment at substantial cost to the taxpayer and public services.
The Ministry of Justice estimates that reoffending costs taxpayers around £18bn overall. It said addressing the factors behind repeat offending would prevent further victims while reserving prison capacity for dangerous offenders.
The expansion forms part of wider investment in probation and community supervision. Probation funding is due to increase by up to £700m by 2028-29, with at least 1,300 additional probation officers expected to be recruited over the next year.
The government is also spending £100m on an expansion of electronic monitoring, under which thousands more domestic abusers, thieves and burglars are expected to be placed on GPS or alcohol-monitoring tags.