Please release me, by Gary Sturgess

Please release me, by Gary Sturgess (PF 23/11/07)

Presents a dynamic contracting model, respecting managerial professionalism, as an alternative to central planning and government targets. Eg. Prisons, where contracting and benchmark competition have been used to raise standards across the sector. Contract make managers more autonomous and more accountable, and make it possible to enforce service standards.

Prison and probation agency to be scrapped

Prison and probation agency to be scrapped (Guardian 28/9/07)

National Offender Management Service to be scrapped in a reshuffle of the Ministry of Justice’s structure. NOMS has been tainted by a series of mistakes (IT programmes, over-large HQ).

Existed as an end-to-end management system on top of the separate prison and probation services

Also discussion of general structure: two parts of MOJ are not well aligned culturally.