>Bedfordshire IOM works with the worst re-offenders to address the root causes of their criminal behaviour and help them make life changes that will break their cycle of re-offending.

The countywide team, with bases in Luton and Bedford, are resourced by professionals from public, private and voluntary services. Bedfordshire IOM supports re-offenders in the areas that influence the likelihood of re-offending such as housing, employment, training, drugs, alcohol, mental health and family counselling. Work to rehabilitate offenders is supported by close monitoring to ensure that offenders who re-offend are swiftly caught and convicted.

Bedfordshire IOM is delivered through three programmes based on offender profile. All offenders are managed through risk assessment to ensure an appropriate balance between rehabilitation and supervision.

1. Prolific and Other Priority Offenders (PPO) – Offenders who predominantly commit serious acquisitive crime e.g. car theft, burglary.
2. Prolific and Other Priority Offenders Intensive (PI) – Intensive community order package for prolific non-violent serious acquisitive crime offenders who are ready to change their lives and admit their full criminal history. Likely to involve 20 offenders per year.
3. High Volume Offender (HVO) – Other prolific offenders most at risk of offending.

Bedfordshire IOM does not manage registered sex offenders, serious violent and other types of sexual offenders. These offenders are managed under the existing Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). Bedfordshire IOM will work with MAPPA teams where linkages occur.

The key partners in Bedfordshire Integrated Offender Management are

• Bedford Borough Council
• Bedfordshire Police
• Bedfordshire Probation Trust
• Bedfordshire Youth Offending Team
• Central Bedfordshire Council
• Community Resettlement Support Project (CRSP)
• Crown Prosecution Service
• Drugs Intervention Programme (DIP)
• Her Majesty’s Court Service
• HMP Bedford, Job Centre Plus
• Langley House Trust
• NHS Bedfordshire
• NHS Luton
• Luton Borough Council
• Luton Youth Offending Team
• SERCO
• Supporting Others through Volunteer Action (SOVA)

Partnership work to develop and deliver Bedfordshire Integrated Offender Management is led and monitored by:

• Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Luton’s Community Safety Partnerships
• Bedfordshire Criminal Justice Board
• Bedfordshire Chief Executives Forum

This new programme puts non-violent offenders who commit large numbers of burglaries and vehicle crime through an intensive schedule of rehabilitation and punishment to tackle the root causes of their offending.

Called PI, short for Prolific and Other Priority Offenders Intensive, the programme targets serial criminals who would otherwise face a prison sentence. Potential PI offenders are identified by Bedfordshire Police and Probation Trust. However, all final decisions about sentencing and selection on the programme remain the responsibility of Crown Court Judges.

Offenders must admit all their previous crimes and demonstrate a genuine desire to stop offending.  If they commit a crime while on PI - or fail to complete it - they will be sent back to court and sentenced for all the crimes they have confessed to.

While on PI, offenders will be subject to strict supervision and monitoring while they undergo extensive rehabilitation such as drug and alcohol treatment and support in gaining employment.

Similar approaches to PI have seen excellent results in other areas of the country. For example, in Hertfordshire, an independent cost/benefit analysis of their Choices and Consequences (C2) programme revealed savings of up to eight times the investment.  Based on an average offending rate of 112 crimes per year, the costs to society of one prolific offender committing crime per year is £178,640, the costs of imprisoning an adult for a year is around £45,000 while the C2 scheme costs around £3,000 per offender per year.  More importantly the programme has been demonstrated to reduce the numbers of victims for burglaries and other serious acquisitive offences over the long-term.>

PI is one of three strands of the recently launched Bedfordshire Integrated Offender Management approach, which works with offenders to look at why they commit crime and help them make changes to lead a crime-free life.

Linda Hennigan, Chief Executive of Bedfordshire Probation Trust and Chair of Bedfordshire Integrated Offender Management said, “The public needs a long-term solution to the reduction of crime rather than the vicious cycle of offending, prison, reoffending.  PI is a demanding programme that challenges offenders to make difficult lifestyle changes with swift and tough retribution if they don’t."

During the first 6 months, offenders will be strictly supervised and monitored while they undergo extensive rehabilitation aimed to remove the causes of their offending such as drug and alcohol treatment and life skills training.

If the offender has successfully completed the 6 months, then Crown Court Judges will consider a community order for a further 3 years. The community order can include orders such as supervision, unpaid work or a curfew. During the 3 years, the offender’s conduct is kept under review by periodic meetings in court and with Probation.

If at any time the offender commits a crime or refuses to engage in PI, they will be returned to court to be sentenced for the full extent of their criminality.

There is likely to be around 20 offenders on PI each year.