Independent inspection of probation and youth offending work
Liz Calderbank
HM Chief Inspector of Probation
6th Floor, Trafford House
Chester Road
Stretford Road
Manchester M32 0RS
Tel: 0161 869 1300
Fax: 0161 869 1350
Mob: 07973 384751
Email: Liz.Calderbank@hmiprobation
28 February 2012
Mike Smith
Lead Commissioner Disability Harassment Inquiry
Dear Mike,
Re: Hidden in Plain Sight
Thank you for sending me the report on your inquiry on disability related
harassment.
In response to the questions that you raise in your letter, both the
circumstances leading to your inquiry and the inquiry itself, with its seven core
recommendations, have already raised our awareness about the importance
of disability related harassment.
As you will be aware, our inspectorate examines primarily work undertaken
with those who offend and so is more likely to focus on those who commit
such harassment offences rather than directly on the victims themselves.
Nevertheless, all seven of the core recommendations are of relevance for us
and we are considering how we can best take them forward. We are currently
engage with our colleague inspectorates, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary
and HM Crown Prosecution Services Inspectorate, in a joint inspection
looking at disability related crime; although the fieldwork for this inspection is
only in its early stages, the inspection is already raising issues about how
such crimes are identified and relevant information passed between agencies
so that the behaviour of the offenders may be properly managed and
addressed.
In response to the first two of questions raised in your letter, the seven
recommendations will give impetus to the work that we undertake already to
address discrimination in all its forms by providing a particular focus on
disability related crimes. We already undertake Equality Impact Assessments
on all our inspection processes, giving attention to disability, and will continue
to do so, The ongoing joint inspection mentioned above is already highlighting
the importance of the second of your core recommendations, relating to the
availability of data, and is raising concerns that we will pick up and address in
our future inspection programmes and with out colleague inspectorates. We
anticipate that the inspection will highlight the importance of accurate
information flows between agencies, specifying explicitly the nature of
disability related harassment so that probation trusts can be held to account
for addressing the issue with the offenders concerned.
It will clearly be important, but relatively achievable, to ensure that frontline
staff receive training and guidance in recognising and responding to disability
related harassment. We have already plans in hand to run a training event for
all HMI Probation inspection staff to ensure that all inspectors are sensitive to
issues of disability related harassment and consistently identify recognise the
signs so that they can raise the issue appropriately with field staff during
inspections. Training for field staff themselves will be equally important but
will need to be followed up by managers to ensure its effective
implementation.
Achieving the changes required by the inquiry will inevitably require sustained
effort by all the criminal justice and local agencies involved. We are therefore
particularly concerned that data about both individual perpetrators of disability
related harassment and of trends in the prevalence of such offences is
collated and acted upon. From the very early findings of the joint inspection,
we believe that even when information is available, disability related
harassment is often not recognised as such, with the consequence that
individual offences are not addressed and that patterns in offending
behaviour go unrecognised.
We also strongly support the recommendation that more attention should be
given to the perpetrators of disability related crime. This could be addressed
in two ways: by greater intervention to address anti-social behaviour and by
interventions with individual offenders convicted of harassment and hate
crimes against those with a disability. This latter work could also usefully
encompass other work to address hate crimes involving visible difference.
Such interventions are already used in some probation trusts, and it is our
intention that to ensure a wider knowledge and use of these interventions
through our inspection programmes.
In response to your penultimate question, I am happy to support all the
recommendations.
Finally and in summary, we are seeking to support your work through our
contribution to the ongoing joint inspection on disability related crime. We
anticipate that this will reveal concerns about practice which we will pick up
and address in our later performance inspection programmes of both
probation trusts and youth offending teams. Dependent on the findings of the
joint inspection, we may also consider further inspection activity, possibly
looking at either work to promote victim safety or with the perpetrators of such
crimes. Finally, we will ensure that inspection staff have the skills necessary
to complete this work.
I hope this provides you with the information you require. If I can assist you in
any way further, please contact me again.
Yours sincerely,
Liz Calderbank
HM Chief Inspector of Probation