Restructuring of the National Offender Management Service

Book excerpt: The National Offender Management Service, an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Justice, faces substantial financial and operational challenges, including a vulnerability to unexpected changes in the prison population. The Service achieved value for money in 2011-12, as it hit its savings target of £230 million while restructuring its headquarters and it has broadly maintained its performance, such as in reducing reoffending. As a result of some sentencing reforms not going ahead, the Ministry of Justice lost around £130 million of savings. Given the loss of these reforms, the prison population is now unlikely to fall significantly over the next few years, which limits the plans to close older, more expensive, prisons and bring down costs. The savings target for 2012-13 of a further £246 million is challenging and an overspend of £32 million is forecast. The Service currently has a £66 million shortfall in the £122 million needed over the next two years to fund early staff departures aimed at bringing long-term reductions in its payroll bill. The Service has restructured its headquarters, reducing staff numbers by around 650 from around 2,400. Most stakeholders generally regarded the restructure positively, considering it produced a more efficient organisation with greater clarity on accountability. The Service relies on the probation profession to deliver reforms and to reduce costs, but there are some tensions in the relationship. The NAO recommends the Service continues to engage with probation trusts to address their perception it lacks understanding of probation issues.