MOJ PRAISES DEVON AND CORNWALL COURTS SCHEME
The CASS desk in actionA Ministry of Justice report today cites our CASS project at Plymouth and Bodmin Magistrates' courts as an example of best practice partnership work between government and the voluntary sector.
The Community Advice and Support Service (CASS), based in Plymouth and Bodmin Magistrates' Courts, exists to help offenders and their families with a range of problems, such as debt, homelessness, alcohol, drugs, or unemployment. pact runs the service in partnership with the Devon and Cornwall Criminal Justice Board.
The aim of the scheme is to tackle the causes of individuals' offending behaviour, and thereby over time, reduce crime in the local area.
The report says, "The Devon and Cornwall Criminal Justice Board is in partnership with pact to provide professionally managed community advice desks (CASS) in the Plymouth and Bodmin Magistrates' Courts, staffed by local volunteers, to connect defendants and their families into community resources. This venture is targeted particularly at those defendants who have a range of needs but are low risk offenders."
"The desk also offers advice to prisoners' families and partners on the day of a custodial sentence being made, with follow up. The Plymouth scheme also provides mentoring to those signposted to services ensuring that vital links between offenders and agencies are maximised."
pact's Director, Andy Keen-Downs, said, "This citation is important recognition for the forward -looking approach taken by Probation and the Courts Service in Devon and Cornwall to joining forces with community organisations like pact to tackle crime."
"We are delighted that our partnership with them has been recognised by the government as a beacon of excellence. We're working hard together to find more effective ways of reducing crime in the region. We hope this will bode well for funding decisions from central government to secure the future of the service."
The CASS initiative was first launched by Baroness Scotland, when she held the position of Lord Chancellor, and was praised by her for its innovative community-based approach.
It was later visited by her successor, Lord Falconer, who also praised the scheme, and who went on to provide short term funds to support it as one of ten national 'Community Justice' pilots.
Andy Keen-Downs added, "The government is quite rightly taking a cautious approach and carrying out further analysis of our scheme to gather more evidence of its effectiveness before deciding whether to recommend it as a model for national replication. However, this recognition or our work is very welcome. At local level, the scheme is hugely valued by frontline agencies who are tackling the issues of crime on a daily basis, and there is a strong belief here in Devon and Cornwall that it is working."
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