Summary
This document sets out the Government's five year strategy to reform the criminal justice system in England and Wales, in relation to the management of offenders, focusing on measures to address the factors involved in patterns of re-offending. Proposals include: improved integration of prison and probation service roles under the National Offender Management Service; the introduction of 'going straight' contracts for offenders setting out a clear set of incentives and sanctions; the creation of a single community order to replace existing communities penalties, with a mix of 12 different requirements including unpaid community work as a 'community payback'; a new estates strategy for adult prisons with a plan for community prisons to be unveiled in Spring 2006; extended use of conditional cautions with variable fines based on ability to pay; a new indeterminate sentence for public protection to ensure dangerous offenders do not get parole; the introduction of a commissioning system that ensures the separation of those who buy services from service providers; and legislation to turn probation boards into trusts.