Community Sentencing
Making it Work!
A multi–agency conference organised by Infomed Research and Training,
on Monday 9 February 2009, at the Local Government Association,
Conference Centre, Smith Square, London WC1P 3HZ

This conference is for leaders and members, decision-makers and practitioners from Local Government, Police, Probation, Magistrates, Criminal Justice, partnerships such as CDRPs and YOTs, Children Services, CPS, and Third Sector.

Keynote speaker: Rt. Hon Jack Straw MP, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

Conference chair: Rt. Hon Alun Michael MP,
Member of the Justice Select Committee, Former Deputy Home Secretary

The Conference:

Takes a fresh look at the issues around Community Sentencing in the light of recent updates on Government reforms, recently published Government Reports, All Party Committee Reports, research findings and current best practice. This will be presented by a range of keynote policy makers, strategists and implementers from key organisations and partnerships involved in making Community Sentencing work.

Discussion Forums led by practitioners

■Restorative Justice in CS - Making it work
■Community Payback with the Metropolitan Police
■Public Purse Payback

■Partnerships and Community engagement –
The Mayoral Projects
■The Lodge Hill Challenge Project

■Local Crime Community Sentence - Magistrates and probation working together with the community

• Identify key issues for stakeholders, holistic approaches, and scope for working within existing and emerging partnership at all levels.
• Give delegates the opportunity to discuss issues on partnership, funding, making the case to the community and ways of working with magistrates, police, third sector and other partners
• Offer the opportunity to attend best practice forums and discuss projects that are being successfully developed and implemented by local and national partnerships. Delegates will be encouraged to discuss the role of stakeholders in terms of offering community unpaid work and the need for sustainable solutions to reduce reoffending
• Highlight the need for, and outline the how, local authorities, Probation, Police, the third sector and other organisations can make available more community based projects that bring benefits to all parties involved.

Speakers and forum facilitators include:

• Roger Hill, Director of Probation

• John Thornhill JP, Chairman of the Magistrates’ Association

• Frances Crook, Director, Howard League

• Baroness Linklater, Chairman of Rethinking Crime & Punishment

• Cllr Les Lawrence, Chair of the Children’s & Young People Board, LGA

• Sir Charles Pollard QPM, Chairman of Restorative Solutions Community Interest Company and former Chief Constable, Thames Valley Police

• Supt. Robin Jarman, PSAEW, NEC Member, Head of Criminal Justice, Hampshire Constabulary

• Richard Garside, Director, Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, King's College London

• Peter Woolf, Former offender, Author of the The Damage Done, published in May 2008

Target Audience

• Local Government:
  • Council leaders and other elected Members
  • HR Officers
  • Commissioning Officers
  • Community Safety
  • Anti-Social Behaviour
     

  Police Authorities and Police Services:

  • Authority Members
  • BCU Commanders
  • Youth Liaison
  • Neighbourhood Inspectors
  • Community Safety
  • Officers working in Criminal Justice Projects
     
• Offender Management and Probation Officers
   
• Children and Young People’s Services
  • Children’s Services and Youth Services
  • Local Safeguarding Children Boards
  • Youth Offending Teams
  • Schools
  • Education Welfare
  • Behaviour Support

• Magistrates

• Crown Prosecution Service

• CDRPs and other relevant Partnerships

• Third Sector organisations

About the Conference:

This conference builds on recently published Government Reports, All Party Committee Reports, research findings and current best practice from a variety of stakeholder organisations.

• Community sentences provide a combination of punishment and rehabilitation which is most effective in terms of reducing offending and changing offenders’ behaviour.

• The only way to prevent recurrent crime is by showing offenders that the community cares and persuading them that they must also care for the community.

• The Community Payback projects have seen many local authorities providing projects for offenders who have been given a community sentence.

• Recent statistics show that the frequency of reoffending for community sentences has fallen sharply by 13%. This means fewer offenders retuning to crime and safer streets. It also means that resources are used most effectively.

• One tool in community sentencing is restorative justice, recent research has shown that it helps offenders to better understand the effects of their offending on their victims and reduces the risk of reoffending.

• Recent RCP’s work suggests that for community based sentences fulfil their potential as alternatives to prison; improvements are needed in strengthening community supervision, improving liaison with sentencers and developing stronger links with the public.

Conference Programme for Download ▼