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Original poster

Only 1 in 13 jailed sex offenders completed the course aimed at tackling their offending

32 replies

IwantToRetire · 07/10/2025 18:01

Figures published last week show that 1,098 people completed an accredited offending behaviour programme targeting sexual offending during 2024/25. The number of sentenced prisoners convicted of sexual offences in March 2025 stood at 14,863.

The figures, issued by the Ministry of Justice and covering England and Wales, show that the number of people taking part in sex offending courses in prison has still not recovered to the level seen before the Covid pandemic in 2021, when most courses were suspended due to prisoners being isolated in their cells.

More than half of the sex offenders taking courses were placed on the Horizon programme. The next most commonly used was Kaizen, followed by Healthy Sex Programme.

Article continues at https://insidetime.org/newsround/just-1-in-13-jailed-sex-offenders-took-a-course-last-year/

Just 1 in 13 jailed sex offenders took a course last year

Only 1 in 13 people serving prison time for a sexual offence completed a course aimed at tackling their offending behaviour last year. Figures published last week show that 1,098 people completed a…

https://insidetime.org/newsround/just-1-in-13-jailed-sex-offenders-took-a-course-last-year

OP posts:
MurkyWeather2 · 07/10/2025 18:29

IwantToRetire · 07/10/2025 18:28

Unfortunately I agree with (what I think is) your point that rehabilitation is not high on the Prison Service agenda. I don't think it's really that high on the general public's agenda either, so I wouldn't expect much change. Though I think everyone would like society better if we could get to grips with it and do something that worked well.

Yes that was part of the point, but also we (or the authorities) aer alwaus setting up schemes, talk about lessons learned, and then in practice nothing changes. Not just the Prison Service but just about everything, local councils, the NHS, and on and on and on ...

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Tru dat

Original poster
IwantToRetire · 07/10/2025 18:28

RawBloomers · 07/10/2025 18:19

I am also skeptical about the efficacy of such courses. IIRC there was a bit of a scandal a while ago where a woman tasked with assessing how well a course used with VAWG inmates raised concerns that it appeared to increase offending - she was disciplined, discredited and sidelined while the course continued to run for years. Eventually (I think after she left and raised her concerns with journalists?) the Prison Service was forced to admit they were problematic and vowed to change them. I understood that these courses rose out of the ashes of that disaster but still have no evidence of being effective.

Unfortunately I agree with (what I think is) your point that rehabilitation is not high on the Prison Service agenda. I don't think it's really that high on the general public's agenda either, so I wouldn't expect much change. Though I think everyone would like society better if we could get to grips with it and do something that worked well.

Unfortunately I agree with (what I think is) your point that rehabilitation is not high on the Prison Service agenda. I don't think it's really that high on the general public's agenda either, so I wouldn't expect much change. Though I think everyone would like society better if we could get to grips with it and do something that worked well.

Yes that was part of the point, but also we (or the authorities) aer alwaus setting up schemes, talk about lessons learned, and then in practice nothing changes. Not just the Prison Service but just about everything, local councils, the NHS, and on and on and on ...

OP posts:
MumoftwoNC · 07/10/2025 18:25

Rehabilitation isn't high on the general public agenda because many people (like me) don't believe that it can work for sex offenders. (I get that it would be impossible to prove a negative which is why I class it as a belief.)

RawBloomers · 07/10/2025 18:19

I am also skeptical about the efficacy of such courses. IIRC there was a bit of a scandal a while ago where a woman tasked with assessing how well a course used with VAWG inmates raised concerns that it appeared to increase offending - she was disciplined, discredited and sidelined while the course continued to run for years. Eventually (I think after she left and raised her concerns with journalists?) the Prison Service was forced to admit they were problematic and vowed to change them. I understood that these courses rose out of the ashes of that disaster but still have no evidence of being effective.

Unfortunately I agree with (what I think is) your point that rehabilitation is not high on the Prison Service agenda. I don't think it's really that high on the general public's agenda either, so I wouldn't expect much change. Though I think everyone would like society better if we could get to grips with it and do something that worked well.

Original poster
IwantToRetire · 07/10/2025 18:12

I dont this that is the point!

They probably are useless, but what this also shows is that in terms of how the authorities thinks prisons should be run aren't actually happening.

And therefore are happy to release prisoners who have not undertaking any sort of rehabilitation.

The issue of which course is another aspect.

OP posts:
Imnobody4 · 07/10/2025 18:05

There's no evidence they work. A waste of time and money,

MumoftwoNC · 07/10/2025 18:04

Are these courses proven to actually work? Do they significantly reduce reoffending rates? The article just calls them accredited, which doesn't necessarily mean effective.

I'm so sceptical that they can work

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