Disclosure Team
Ministry of Justice
102 Petty France
London
SW1H 9AJ
Millie Whittaker
xxxx.xxxxxx@xxxxxxx.xxx.xx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
10th July 2020
Dear Ms Whittaker,
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request – 200612017
Thank you for your request dated 12th June 2020 in which you asked for the following
information from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ):
1) How many participants are actively taking part in the Healthy Identity Intervention
Programme (HII)?
2) What is the average length of time an offender takes to complete the programme?
3) Please could I receive an updated number of offenders who have completed the
programme since the last update (2013) and additionally have this broken down by
number per year
4) How is completion measured?
5) Of those who successfully completed the programme (per request 3), how many
didn't?
6) Of those who failed to complete, what is the protocol? e.g. do they get reenrolled or
listed on a new programme, if so, which?
7) How many, and which, prisons are actively hosting the HIIP? Your request has been handled under the FOIA.
I can confirm that the MoJ holds the information that you have requested and it has been
provided it below.
1) How many participants are actively taking part in the Healthy Identity Intervention
Programme (HII)?
As of the time of your request, we have 22 HII cases recorded as open.
2) What is the average length of time an offender takes to complete the programme?
The average length of time taken to complete HII is 3 to 4 months. The total length of
delivery can vary greatly depending on the risks and needs of service users and their level of
engagement and identification with an extremist group, cause or ideology.
3) Please could I receive an updated number of offenders who have completed the
programme since the last update (2013) and additionally have this broken down by
number per year[?]
Outside of the FOIA, and on a discretionary basis, we use interventions – psychological,
ideological and theological – to help encourage and facilitate desistance and
disengagement, support reintegration into society, and reduce the risk of further offending.
HII is one of a number offending behaviour programmes, and interventions available
depending on the risks and needs of the service users that require addressing.
More widely, governors and frontline staff are being given the training, skills, and authority
needed to challenge inappropriate views and take action against them. Over 29,000 prison
staff have received enhanced extremism awareness training which shows them how to
recognise aspects of an offender’s behaviour which might indicate terrorist sympathies.
Unaccredited HII Completions: Custody & Community
Year completed
Count of Completions
2013 – 14
17
2014 – 15
22
2015 – 16
21
2016 – 17
24
2017 – 18
25
2018 – 19
42
2019 – 2020
29
2020 – Present
1
Grand Total
180
A number of individuals are in the process of completing.
The HII was accredited in 2018. Figures for the number of accredited custody completions of
HII from 2019 onwards are collected and released by the Prison and Probation Analytical
Services (PPAS) on an annual basis. The first publication of accredited HII figures for 2019 -
2020 will be included within the HMPPS Digest. However, it is exempt from disclosure under
section 22(1) of the FOIA, because it is intended for future publication.
Under section 22(1) of the FOIA, we are not obliged to provide information that is intended
for future publication. This is a qualified exemption which means that the decision to disclose
the information is subject to the public interest test. When assessing whether or not it was in
the public interest to disclose the information to you, we took into account the following
factors:
Public interest considerations favouring disclosure
Publication would encourage and promote transparency and accountability,
demonstrating that HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) uses public funds in
an appropriate way.
Public interest considerations favouring withholding the information
It is in the public interest to ensure that data used in the compilation of official
statistics comply with the
Code of Practice for Official Statistics and that resulting
outputs are produced to the highest quality. Statistics of high quality are produced to
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sound methods, with all users having easy and equal access that is fair and open,
and are managed impartially and objectively in the public interest. Premature
publication could undermine the principle of making the information available to all at
the same time through the official publication process.
It is in the public interest to adhere to the existing publication process for official
statistics, which includes time for the data to be collated and properly verified before
placed in the public domain. This ensures that accurate information is available to all
members of the public at the same time. Premature publication could result in the
release of unverified data and data that has not been through appropriate quality and
assurance checks.
On balance, we have determined that it is in the public interest to withhold this information
from disclosure until it is published officially. The figures are due to be published at the end
of July and you will be able to access these at this address:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmpps-annual-digest-2019-to-2020
4) How is completion measured?
HII cases are officially recorded as “complete” once the individual has successfully
completed all necessary sessions in the programme and the post-programme report
completed by the programme facilitator has been disclosed.
5) Of those who successfully completed the programme (per request 3), how many
didn't?
Based on our records, there have been 20 individuals recorded as not completing HII once
they have begun participation in the programme.
Please note that regardless of recommendation status, this figure does
not include those
individuals who have not started the programme, nor does it include those individuals whose
failure to complete the programme was due to reasons outside of their control.
6) Of those who failed to complete, what is the protocol? e.g. do they get reenrolled or
listed on a new programme, if so, which?
Reasons for non-completion can vary depending on the specifics of the case in question. In
such an event, the case will be handled according to sentence management procedures
wherein the rehabilitative needs of the individual are considered and the most appropriate
rehabilitative pathway recommended.
7) How many, and which, prisons are actively hosting the HIIP?
While many rehabilitation programmes across the estate are commissioned for delivery at
particular sites, the Healthy Identity Intervention is available to be delivered at any site where
there is a need for the programme.
Appeal Rights
If you are not satisfied with this response you have the right to request an internal review by
responding in writing to one of the addresses below within two months of the date of this
response.
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xxxx.xxxxxx@xxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Disclosure Team, Ministry of Justice
You do have the right to ask the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to investigate any
aspect of your complaint. However, please note that the ICO is likely to expect internal
complaints procedures to have been exhausted before beginning their investigation.
Yours sincerely
Interventions Services Business Enquiries Team
HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS): Interventions Services
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