Lord Timpson’s Keynote Address

[Opening]

Thank you to Robert, for that introduction…

And a huge thanks to everyone involved in putting this event together…

And to Rand, for their report – which I really welcome. 

It’s great to be here at the Old Bailey. Not something most people who get an invite here would say, I suspect.

Last time I was here as Prison Reform Trust Chair – and Sir John Major spoke about how rehabilitation should be our focus, mercy, and the role of the state in punishment versus rehabilitation.

And I remember thinking how fitting it was to have this debate at the heart of one of the most recognisable symbols of justice, not just in this country, but the world.

So let’s get right to our essay question. What do we mean by ‘justice for all’? 

Because justice can’t simply mean punishment alone – important though punishment absolutely is.

Justice also means protecting the public. Supporting victims. Holding people accountable for the harm they have caused. 

But if we stop there, we fail. Because we also have to ask: what happens next?

What happens after the sentence is passed?

Do people leave prison more likely to create future victims – or less?

That is the real test.

And it means looking at the people in our prisons. 

People who have done terrible things. Who have caused enormous harm.

Some who absolutely need to be separated from society, for the safety of everybody else.

But also people who grew up surrounded by violence. People who spent time in care. People battling addiction, homelessness, trauma, and severe mental illness.

And every time one of those people leaves prison unchanged, unrecovered, untreated, unemployable, homeless or, indeed, hopeless – 

We are creating future victims.

Nearly eighty percent of offenders are reoffenders, costing society billions – around £22.7bn every year.

As today’s report rightly acknowledges – money that could otherwise be invested in public services, and prevention.

And if we get more offenders into work, starting businesses, becoming productive members of society…

 

Then the multiplier effects could be huge…

 

The result would be more growth, higher employment, greater tax revenues, and a stronger economy.’

But the true cost is, of course, measured in the countless lives damaged, and communities harmed.

That is why – if we are really to achieve justice for all – we have to rehabilitate. 

We have to drive down reoffending…

And we have an economic impetus…

A social impetus …

And also a moral impetus to do so. 

[Why reducing reoffending matters]

That’s something I care about deeply. 

You’d expect that, as Minister for Prisons, and Probation, and Reducing Reoffending. I even asked for the last bit to be added to my job title. 

But the power of second chances is something I came to understand early, long before I became a government minister. 

This isn’t just a brief, to me. It’s part of who I am – because it’s how I grew up.

As some of you might know, we were a family that fostered. And my brilliant parents, John and Alex, looked after more than 90 children across three decades. 

It was, at times, pretty chaotic. It was very noisy. 

But our home was filled with so much love for these kids. Many of them troubled, many who had experienced the most appalling start in life. The kind of childhood most of us would struggle even to imagine.

My mum and dad offered them a fresh start. 

This included the babies my mum would foster for the women in our local prison, HMP Styal. And often, she would take them into prison, so their mothers could spend time with them.

While all this went on, I’d sit outside in the car – listening to the radio, fighting with my siblings. But I’d wonder what was going on inside. 

Who were these women? What had they done that was so terrible, so awful, that it meant they couldn’t be with their children? What would happen to their babies? 

I didn’t realise it then – but it was the start of a life-long interest in prisons, and rehabilitation. 

Then, years later, after taking over the Timpson business, I visited a local prison and met a man called Matt. He ended up in prison over a fight shortly after his A-levels. And instead of going to university, he went to jail.

Matt showed me around the wing, and I immediately liked him. He was bright, clearly capable, personable – exactly the sort of person we’d want working in the business. 

So I said to him – “when you get out, I’ll give you a job.” 

And so, Matt came to work for us. And he turned out to be brilliant. In fact, he became one of our best branch managers in a shop just a stone’s throw from the prison he served time in. 

He’s still there today. And while geographically he hasn’t travelled very far, in every other sense he’s travelled a huge distance – because he had the will to turn his life around, and that extra support to get into work.

I knew there must be more great people like Matt in our prisons. People who are not defined entirely by the worst thing that they have ever done, and whose future need not be mapped out. 

Not only that – people who were great workers, and great for my business. 

It was the start of an unconventional recruitment strategy. Now, over 10 percent of colleagues at Timpson Group are ex-offenders.

It was easy to start with – now it’s a competitive business. Everyone from Greggs to the Co-op are doing it – and there’s a good reason for that. Because they know these are often loyal, hardworking people, who are desperate to prove themselves.

Later, I set up prison training academies across the country, so that offenders were getting trained up in the business even before they left the prison gates. 

And that eventually prompted me to set up Employment Advisory Boards, to build those vital links between prisons and local employers – the forerunner to the Employment Councils this Government created. 

And I’m telling you this not to be misty eyed, or to reminisce.

I’m telling you because every bit of experience I’ve had in the business of prisons has shown me the deep power of rehabilitation. The deep power of second chances. The deep power of hope and mercy – to someone who has reached rock bottom. 

[Inheritance]

So the best way to prevent future victims, is through punishment that genuinely cuts crime. But none of this can happen if the prisons system is permanently in crisis mode. 

When we took office prisons were close to collapse. At the lowest point, we had fewer than 100 spare cells available in the entire estate. That’s just one bad day – one surge in remand away – from the entire collapse of the criminal justice system.

For over a decade, firefighting had become the norm. And when I took this job – I did it because I wanted to end that cycle of crisis management.

It’s the only job in Government I’ve ever wanted to do – and I want to be here for as long as I‘m needed – because meaningful reform in criminal justice doesn’t happen overnight. 

In fact, after less than two years in the job, in July I’ll be the third longest serving prisons minister in the last two decades – which doesn’t say much about the previous government’s resolve to fix things… but a lot about how hard the job is!! 

What our prisons need now is consistency, long-term thinking, and sustained reform. That’s my goal, and that is what I’m doing.

[Education / employment]

First, through prisons themselves. We’re changing what it means to serve time in custody – with a sharper focus on rehabilitation, and getting offenders ready for work.

Our prison estate is old. Around 25 percent of it is Victorian. HMP Preston began life back in 1840. HMP Stafford dates back to 1793. And it’s harder in those aging spaces to put in the facilities we need to turn lives around. 

So, we’re pressing ahead with the largest prison expansion programme since the Victorian era, with new prisons that are purpose-built for education and rehabilitation – like HMP Millsike and Welland Oaks.

These modern prisons are secure, smart, purpose-built to cut crime. They have space for workshops, education, training and rehabilitation – including the support people need to get off drink and drugs – but they are expensive to build, not far off £1bn per prison.

The fact is that all the evidence points to work as being the single most powerful tool to stop reoffending – something today’s report shows, too.

This isn’t just about the wages. It’s about stability, and dignity. And we know that offenders who are in work shortly after release are around half as likely to reoffend as those who remain unemployed.

And as Rand set out – there’s a strong economic argument here, too. Because employers across the country are struggling with labour shortages and skills gaps. There are over 700,000 vacancies in the UK right now. And there is huge, untapped potential sitting in our prisons.

So the Prison Service’s network of employment brokers is working with employers to help them fill these vacancies.

And we’re increasing the quality and quantity of work provision, delivering qualifications linked to real work experience, and building stronger relationships with employers to support prisoners once they’re released. 

We’re also rapidly expanding our prisoner apprenticeship programme, working with major employers such as Greene King, GXO, 1st InRail and Hilton. The programme combines vocational training with real work experience, and has directly linked jobs on release. 

We’re also very aware that a criminal record can make it much harder for someone to have a job, even many years later. So we’re considering ways to make sure the process is clear and proportionate, particularly in relation to childhood offences.

And for offenders nearing the end of their sentence, I want to see more use of effective release on temporary licence – something today’s report champions, too.

Like the impressive regime at HMP Hatfield, an open prison. There isn’t much point going to visit during the day, there’s basically nobody there – because they’re all out working. Getting into good routines, learning new skills, and getting ready for life after release.

All of this is backed with the work of our regional Employment Councils, which build on the work of the EABs I set up.

They are doing a brilliant job of bringing probation services, prisons and local businesses together – helping people gain skills, prepare for interviews, improve their CVs and access training opportunities.

We’ve got some really great businesses involved in this, including Co-op, Oliver Bonas, Greggs, Iceland – I know Paul Cowley is on our panel today – and COOK. 

By working hand in hand with employers, we can steer more people away from offending, and towards a better future.

And we’re making progress. In 2021, just 14 percent of prison leavers were in work six months after release. Now that’s more than doubled, to 38 percent – a huge step forward, and I know there’s more to come.

[Accommodation]

But we can’t just focus on employment alone. 

If someone walks out of prison carrying everything they own in a plastic bag, with nowhere safe to sleep that night – the odds are they are going to fall right back into crime. It’s incredibly difficult to rebuild your life without a roof over your head. 

That’s why reducing homelessness among prison leavers is such a priority for me. I’ve got agreement across Government to halve the number of people leaving prison with no fixed abode by the end of this Parliament…

And we’ve expanded our Community Accommodation Service, which gives thousands of prison leavers a safe place to stay in the critical weeks after release, providing the stability they need to engage with probation, comply with their licence conditions, and start rebuilding their lives.

We’re also improving the planning that goes on before release – identifying accommodation needs earlier, so fewer people don’t fall through the gaps at the prison gate.

[Safety / staff]

But none of this work means very much if our prisons themselves aren’t safe and stable.

 

Rehabilitation is almost impossible when prisons are full of violence and drugs. If staff are constantly firefighting, if prisoners are trapped in addiction, and embroiled in crime even behind bars, then that puts pay to any kind of meaningful change.

So, before anything else, our prisons must be places of order, safety and purpose. That’s the springboard from which we can do everything else. 

And we are doing that by tackling threats to safety, including the drones which deliver drugs, weapons and contraband into the hands of prisoners.

And I just want to mention our amazing frontline staff. Prison and probation staff do one of the toughest jobs in public service, and I’m grateful for what they do every single day. They join up to change lives, not to be attacked, or worse. 

After horrific incidents like those we’ve seen recently at Frankland, and Preston PDU, we owe them not just gratitude, but action to keep them safe.

And that’s what we’re doing – reducing violence across the estate – investing in protective equipment for staff, and supporting prisoners with the most challenging behaviour before situations escalate.

And it’s why improving recruitment, vetting, training and standards is so important, too. 

Through programmes like Enable, which builds on the independent review of prison officer foundation training I carried out before getting this job, we’re transforming how we recruit, train and support our officers…

So we have a workforce that feels valued, confident, and proud of the job they do, and are more effective at doing it. 

And while there is still a very long way to go, we are starting to see some green shoots of progress.

Breathing room in capacity…

Inspection results very much moving in the right direction…

An improving trend in recent Ofsted inspections, recognising the work to improve education…

And more offenders leaving custody with jobs to go to.

[Sentencing reform]

But we can’t stop there.

If we genuinely want fewer victims and safer streets, then every part of the system has to be focused on one question: does this reduce offending, and create fewer victims?

That principle is right at the heart of the Sentencing Act, and the reforms we’ve taken forward following David Gauke’s Independent Sentencing Review – and I’m hugely grateful to David for the work he did on this.

These reforms are about making sure sentences really work – for punishment, for public protection, and for cutting crime. 

One of the biggest changes is the introduction of the progression model, which strengthens the link between behaviour in custody, and how offenders move through their sentence. 

It means an earliest possible release point of one third of the custodial sentence – with prisoners who behave badly in prison being kept in for longer through the adjudications process.

At the same time, we’ve introduced a presumption against short prison sentences.

Because for too many offenders, these short stints inside are little more than a revolving door back to crime. 

Locked up for long enough to lose a job, lose housing and lose stability – but not long enough to address addiction, trauma or offending behaviour.

While judges will still have the option to hand them down where they are needed – this presumption will mean more offenders get the kind of tough community sentence and support they need to get their lives back on track. 

And that’s why our new model will also expand Intensive Supervision Courts, which don’t just punish – but address what drives crime in the first place, whether that is addiction, homelessness, or unemployment. 

These courts provide long term support to help people reform – not sticking plasters, with people’s progress closely monitored by a single judge, who holds them to account.

[The role of probation]

And none of this will be possible without a bolstered Probation Service.

Rehabilitation has to continue in the community: helping somebody stay in work, stay off drugs, rebuild relationships, keep a roof over their head and avoid falling back into old patterns. In addition to ensuring people can make reparation to their communities.

Often seen as the poor relation of prisons, probation is simply the other side of the same coin. In many ways, it is where the heavy lifting of the criminal justice system is done.

Prison’s twin, not its poor relation.

That is why we are making major investments in the Probation Service – £700 million over the next 3 years, a 45 percent increase – to support more recruitment, training and technology.

That includes the brilliant ‘Justice transcribe’ tool, which our probation staff are using a massive 10,000 hours a day – making a record of conversations they have so they don’t have to type up notes…

So they can spend their time doing the face-to-face work they joined the Service to do. 

So, ironically, tech is making us more human – not less. 

Because it’s those human relationships – with challenge, support, and accountability – where lives are changed.

[Women and youth justice]

And we also have to recognise that different groups within the justice system need different responses.

Take women offenders. 

I mentioned earlier sitting outside HMP Styal as a child while my mum took babies in to visit their mothers. 

I have returned there as Prisons Minister three times already. 

We know that so many women in prison are carrying enormous trauma long before they ever offend. 

Many have experienced domestic abuse – around 50 percent of them suffering brain injuries from that abuse. Many have suffered violence, exploitation or addiction. 

A huge number were victims before they became offenders. 

That doesn’t excuse criminal behaviour. But if we ignore those realities, we will never reduce reoffending.

And it’s why we’ve made a commitment to have fewer women entering custody unnecessarily, while making sure those who do are properly supported to turn their lives around.

The same is true for young offenders. 

Most prolific adult offenders – 80 percent – started offending as children. 

That means if we step in early, with the right support, the right boundaries and the right opportunities – we’ll not only prevent future victims, we can change the path of someone’s whole life.

We’ve already achieved so much in reducing the number of young people in custody,

but there is more to do. 

And I’m really excited that we have just published a new youth justice white paper to overhaul the system, with more early intervention, an updated sentencing framework, and reform on criminal records.

[Conclusion]

So we’re making really good progress.

We’ve laid the groundwork.

Now the rebuilding effort has started in earnest.

So let’s finish by going back to our essay question.

Safer communities come from fewer crimes, fewer victims and fewer people returning to prison.

And achieving that means believing that people can change – 

Giving them hope…

But hope that is backed by accountability, structure, discipline and support.

Not everybody leaving prison will succeed. But many can, and do, if given the right opportunity.

I’ve seen that throughout my whole life.

We have to make sure people get those opportunities.

And every time someone does turn their life around, every time somebody breaks the cycle of offending, every time a future victim is prevented – all of us benefit.

That, to me, is what justice for all really means.

Thank you.