by Inspector Matt Derrick, IOM Operations Manager, Staffordshire 180˚
I have over the past 12 months been working with a seconded governor from Stafford Prison to seek to embed our IOM approach in each of our region’s prison establishments. We have been seeking a single approach to the case management of IOM offenders adopted onto the Staffordshire scheme. Early work within HMP Stafford proved very successful for both the prison and the IOM and so we were presented with an opportunity to widen its use across the West Midlands estate both public and private sector.
The system is now routinely used to co-manage all imprisoned IOM offenders (approximately 200 at any one time). Prisons will regularly update the system of any significant events during the sentence of an offender and also to case manage the offender half of any RJ processes.
The position prior to the use of ECINS was that invariably the IOM would know very little about an offenders sentence and would often not be sighted on significant developments that could contribute towards a motivation to engage during and post sentence and also to determine risk posed as we near release. ECINS has completely revolutionised the way we operate within prisons now that they are involved in the joint management of those individuals and that we are routinely sharing information amongst the partnership to more effectively manage sentences. There is a dimension to an offender’s life that had always been missing once they cross the threshold of a prison but with the support of E-CINS we are able to easily and effectively share information and share each other’s priorities around ensuring the right support and the right interventions are sequenced properly to ensure the best possible outcome for the offender.
ECINS is now routinely being used to case manage IOM offenders in the following establishments: HMP Stafford ● HMP Dovegate (Serco) ● HMP Featherstone ● HMP Brinsford ● YOI Werrington ● HMP Drake Hall ● HMP Hewell ● HMP Swinfen Hall ● HMP Oakwood (G4S) ● HMP Stoke Heath
