Integrated Offender Management: Impact evaluation report
A report providing findings from an impact evaluation of Integrated Offender Management.
Applies to England and Wales
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Integrated Offender Management (IOM) was first introduced in 2009 as a cross-agency response to crime and reoffending threats faced by local communities, focusing on the most persistent and problematic offenders. The IOM underwent a refresh in 2021, partly in response to a joint inspection by HM Inspectorate of Probation and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services which had found that IOM had ‘lost its way’. The refresh aimed to provide a unified approach to offender supervision in the community focused on neighbourhood crime, whilst retaining discretion for local priorities. The strategy stressed the importance of effective governance structures and a consistent approach to supervision and support.
The impact evaluation sought to assess the impact of IOM on reducing reoffending and to explore the conditions under which IOM supports desistance from crime. The research used a realist approach incorporating a mixed methods design. This included a combination of interviews, focus groups, and observations with IOM staff and people receiving IOM, alongside quantitative analysis to estimate the effect of IOM on reoffending and progress across desistance pathways.