What are the aims of the ISSP?
The Youth Justice Board is investing approximately £60 million in 74 ISSP schemes to deal with the most active repeat young offenders, and those who commit the most serious crimes. Between them the schemes cover all the Youth Offending Services in England and Wales.
The programme aims to:
- Reduce the frequency and seriousness of offending in the target group
- Tackle the underlying needs of offenders which give rise to offending, with a particular emphasis on education and training
- Provide reassurance to communities through close surveillance backed up by rigorous enforcement
What is ISSP?
ISSP is the most rigorous, non-custodial intervention available for young offenders. As its name suggests, it combines unprecedented levels of community-based surveillance with a comprehensive sustained focus on tackling the factors that contribute to the young persons offending behaviour. Responsibility for delivering ISSP rests with a dedicated team within your local Youth Offending Service (YOS), (or partnership of YOS).
ISSP can last for 12 months, although most young people will spend 6 months on ISSP. The most intensive supervision (25 hours per week) lasts for the first 3 months of the programme. Following this, the supervision continues at a reduced intensity (a minimum of 5 hours per week and weekend support) for a further 3 months. On completion of ISSP the young person will continue to be supervised for the remaining period of his/her order. There is also provision for a medium intensive stage of 15 hours per week if it is felt necessary.
Community surveillance - a key element of the programme is community surveillance, which ensures the offenders themselves are aware their behaviour is being closely monitored, and brings some structure to their often-chaotic lifestyles. The surveillance element also helps demonstrate to the wider community that the behaviour of these young people is being tackled.
ISSP teams will tailor individual packages of surveillance to the risks posed by each offender. Each scheme is using a mix of the following types of surveillance:
Tracking - undertaken by staff whose job it is to track the whereabouts of young offenders throughout the week, reinforcing participation in their supervision programme by accompanying them to appointments, providing support and advice, and following up any non-attendance.
Tagging - electronic monitoring of the young offender (for example to reinforce a night time curfew if that is when they are most at risk of offending).
Voice Verification - voice verification works by checking the voice print of the young offender over the telephone at times specified in a contact schedule, in order to confirm that they are where they are supposed to be. It therefore provides additional flexibility above and beyond traditional curfew approaches.
Intelligence-led policing - the police can provide overt monitoring of the movements of these young offenders at key times to reinforce the programme, as well as share information with the ISSP staff in the YOS.
The minimum requirement is for two surveillance checks per day, but this can be increased to 24 hour monitoring.
Supervision - the supervision element of the programme has the following features:
- Rigorous assessment of the offender’s background, behaviour and needs
- A minimum of 25 hours carefully programmed contact time each week for 3 months with support during weekends
Core elements covering:
- Education and training (especially basic literacy and numeracy)
- Interventions to tackle offending behaviour
- Reparation to victims and/or the community
- Assistance in developing interpersonal skills
- Family support
Plus the flexibility to access support for individual problems, for example homelessness, drug misuse or mental health problems.
Who is ISSP designed for?
The Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme is targeted at 2 main groups of young offenders:
The small group of prolific young offenders (aged 10-17) whom Home Office research suggests commit approximately a quarter of all offences committed by young people.
Those young people who are not prolific offenders, but who commit crimes of a very serious nature and who would benefit from an early and intensive intervention.
ISSP is based on the best evidence as to what will reduce the frequency and seriousness of offending. It promises to bring some structure to offender’s often-chaotic lifestyles, while systematically addressing the key risk factors contributing to their offending behaviour, such as educational deficits, weaknesses in thinking skills or drug misuse. For serious offenders who do not meet the definition of persistent, it plans to address their behaviour before they become habitual and persistent offenders.
Who is eligible?
Young offenders are eligible for ISSP if they are appearing in court charged or convicted of an offence, and have previously been charged, warned or convicted of offences committed on four or more separate dates within the last 12 months and received at least 1 community or custodial penalty.
In addition young offenders can also qualify for ISSP if they are at risk of custody because:
- The current charge or sentence relates to an offence, which is sufficiently serious that an adult could be sentenced to 14 years or more
- They have a history of repeat offending on bail and are at risk of a secure remand under section 130 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001.
However not all the young offenders meeting these criteria will be suitable for an intensive programme. Generally Youth Offending Services will only urge courts to consider the option in the context of a pre-sentence report where:
- The young offender fits the criteria for ISSP
- They are not considered to pose an unacceptable risk to the community if placed on ISSP
- The current offence before the court is of sufficient gravity for the court to be considering a custodial sentence or remand
- There is a place available
The Youth Offending Service will assess suitability, check that they have capacity for an ISSP, and make a recommendation to the court. It is then for the courts to sentence (or make remand decisions) as they see fit.
