Social Inclusion Innovation

Improving lives and life chances for the most excluded people and communities through the use of technology

Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Multi Agency Prolific and Priority Offender Management Team Case Study: ‘Prolific and Priority Offender Management’

Set-up, Planning and Preparation

The innovation process was commissioned by the Multi-Agency Prolific and Priority Offender Management Team (MAPPOM) for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. The aim of the process was to find new ways to support prolific and priority offenders.To inform this work existing research commissioned by the CLG Digital Inclusion Team was utilised[1]

The innovation process was viewed by the Strategic Manager of MAPPOM as an opportunity to explore the role that technology might play in the lives of the offenders they work with and consider new ways of approaching their core business, focusing on some of the tasks they perform that could be changed in a way that had not previously been considered.

FSquared Ltd[2] was commissioned to facilitate the innovation process. They helped to plan for and facilitate the innovation event and they also supported the subsequent development of the project ideas emerging from the process.

To provide stimulus material for the innovation event, FSquared Ltd interviewed the Strategic Manager of MAPPOM and key workers from the organisation to identify the issues and opportunities impacting the offender group. They created a video of the interviews to identify some key themes for discussion and to explore the offenders’ current uses of, and attitudes towards, technology.

Innovation Event

Some key issues that emerged during the research are outlined below. These were presented in a video shown by FSquared Ltd at the innovation event to stimulate participants’ thinking:

  • Long offending history of core crime: PPOs have committed robbery, burglary and car theft or theft from vehicles and have poor compliance history with previous supervision.
  • Complex needs: PPOs have a history of poor attendance at school, employment issues, are often homeless or in unsuitable accommodation.
  • Drug and alcohol misuse: offenders habits and daily dependence on drugs has a significant financial impact on what money they need to ‘score’ drugs.
  • Social and family networks: the relationships the offenders have with families are impacted by their lifestyle. Relationships break down and contact is lost with children, and friends turn their backs on them.
  • Social stigma: offenders have high levels of anti-social behaviour and driving offences which has an impact on people’s quality of life and on the communities where they live.
  • Aspiration: PPOs have a lack of self-esteem and their association with others leads them into a cycle of events where they are going in and out of custody. They have no positive role model in their lives.

A broad range of stakeholders took part in the innovation event, including representatives from national government, local government policy officers and service providers (from both county and borough councils), local youth services, local employment services, local health services, police, prison and probation services, local and national charities, private sector technology experts and academia.

Following group reviews of the issues emerging from FSquared’s research, ideas were generated for new projects and services to support Prolific and Priority Offenders. A few of the ideas that emerged include:

  • Virtual Home – online storage of documents
  • GP consultations online
  • Online supervision of PPOs
  • Online mentoring by peers
  • Extension of existing mentoring programme using online methods
  • Internet access at MAPPOM

These ideas were further defined during the workshop into more detailed solutions.

Project Definition

The solutions emerging from the innovation event were assessed by the project team against pre-agreed criteria to identify those that were strongest and most feasible. Short project definition statements were written for the shortlisted solutions.

  • Virtual Home: provide PPOs with an online secure document store where they can store all confidential and identity information that will help them gain access to services such as banking and housing.
  • On Line Mentoring by peers: the transition between being a Youth Offender and becoming a PPO is often the most difficult time for many young people under MAPPOM supervision with 80–90% young offenders re-offending. Successfully rehabilitated PPOs can serve as mentors to help individuals in the transition stage. Access to mentoring can be provided over the internet and via text messages using safe, supervised online mentoring sites.
  • On Line Mentoring by existing volunteers: MAPPOM’s existing mentoring programme for adult offenders using volunteers from organisations such as Futures Unlocked and Action for Children could benefit from the introduction of online/text message based mentoring.

Key workers within MAPPOM reviewed and provided feedback for the proposed solutions and discussed them with offenders over a period of a week during their ‘normal interviews’.

Business Case

Two projects,Virtual Home and On Line Mentoring for youth and adult offenders, were then taken forward and business cases developed collaboratively with key stakeholders and potential delivery organisations. At this stage it was already agreed that both projects should go ahead.

What happened next…

The Virtual Home project idea was taken forward by MAPPOM. MAPPOM’s existing IT System already has the provision for scanning and storing documents securely within each offender’s profile. Procedures for MAPPOM employees were drawn up to offer the service to offenders effectively and safely.

The Online Mentoring scheme was further investigated by MAPPOM with a view to working with The Brightside Trust to provide the online website facilities. A partnership with Wakefield Probation Team was formed to share the set up costs.

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[1] Profile of Ex – Offenders. 2008,

[2]