Locked up and locked out

Lord Ramsbotham: 'In all the years I have been looking at the treatment of offenders, I have never found anything so capable of doing so much, for so many, at so little cost, as the work that speech and language therapists carry out.'

IT IS A SHOCKING statistic: over 60% of offenders have speech and language impairment with significant communications support needs.

Communication difficulties for offenders mean issues around expressing themselves through speaking and non-verbal communication and writing though to understanding what is being said and interpreting facial expressions. It also encompasses listening skills, remembering, and expressing feelings appropriately. Indeed, because their needs are not catered for, some offenders may resort to violent behaviour. In addition, offenders with communication difficulties often find it difficult to benefit from and access verbally-mediated interventions such as anger management and drug rehabilitation courses. It is a vicious spiral of lack of support and inappropriate behaviour.

There is also a particular issue around youth offenders and children, and there is a known correlation between speech and language difficulties and factors like poor literacy skills, low self esteem, behavioural problems, anti-social behaviour that can lead to truancy and exclusion from school, mental health problems, and risk factors for offending.

All those years ago, Labour promised to be tough on the causes of crime. Recently, however, the UK Government Minister Phil Hope MP was bold enough to say that offender health is one of those causes that up until now, Labour haven’t been tough enough in dealing with.

Having said that, policy developments are moving in the right direction. In Wales we’ve seen the recent Communities and Culture Committee inquiry into Youth justice, which received evidence from the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists on this critical issue. The Prison Reform Trust published No One Knows, which explored and publicised the experiences of offenders with learning difficulties who come into contact with the criminal justice system. In December last year, the Bercow Review recommended that the UK Government’s forthcoming Youth Crime action plan should consider how best to address the speech language and communication needs of young offenders in the criminal justice system, including those in custody.

While policy makers are starting to grapple with this issue, how should it be moved forward?

Our response was a recent conference organised in Cardiff by the RCSLT. It heard new research in this field, feedback from staff at Parc Prison in Bridgend, and contributions from senior health and justice officials at the Welsh Government and from the National Offender Management Scheme (NOMs) Cymru. The audience of justice, health, education policy makers and professionals were all focused on supporting reductions in offending and helping young offenders in particular get the help they need. Coming out of the conference was a programme of action aimed at the Welsh Government:

Furthermore, there has been significant other policy, training and best practice developments to progress this agenda. SLT professionals are now signing up for RCSLT training to enable them to work in the secure estate and are working with probation and other community services to provide support for young offenders. Finally, at a UK level, the Westminster Government has recently agreed for the Intermediary scheme (to help those with communication needs) to be extended for defendants.

Early years interventions are seen as crucially important. Links have been drawn between social deprivation and preventing the development of offending behaviour. Speech and language therapy intervention is shown to help prevent and reduce the re-offending rates by increasing oral communication skills. This can allow individuals to access education and wider range of (rehabilitation) programmes which subsequently empowers them to alter and review their life choices.

Over the next few months a campaign coalition will be established to move this agenda forward. A number of objectives have already been highlighted including showing the value of SLT intervention for young offenders with communication disability, supporting further research and increasing awareness of the problem so momentum is increased.

Key supporters have already been identified across the UK. At Westminster Lord Ramsbotham, a former Chief Inspector of Prisons is a firm supporter. He recently said: “I have to admit that in all the years I have been looking at prisons and the treatment of offenders, I have never found anything so capable of doing so much, for so many, at so little cost, as the work that speech and language therapists carry out.”

In Wales, Carwyn Jones, our First Minister and a former barrister, familiar with the Swansea courts and Parc Prison, spoke at the Cardiff conference about “the vital role that Speech and Language therapists have in tackling communication problems of those children and young people, within, or at risk of entering the youth justice system….it is an issue which needs to be tackled in partnership with other agencies that are crucial to delivering youth justice services”. Given the interest shown at the Cardiff conference, changes may be in the pipeline. Importantly, because this is an area of deep complexity, with the need for cross departmental working and personalisation of services to individuals, the engagement of the new First Minister is very helpful.

A commitment to protect vulnerable young people and an emphasis on joined up working across agencies is key. Recognition that earlier intervention is crucial too may mean that one day, young people at the risk of offending will get the appropriate support they need when they need it. Join our coalition to take this important agenda forward.