Community orders and the Mental Health Court pilot: a service user perspective of what constitutes a quality and effective intervention

Improving the quality and effectiveness of one-to-one work with offenders in order to reduce reoffending has become a stated aim of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). A strategy to achieve this, as the Probation Circular 10/2006 (NPS, 2006) states, is through offender engagement via effective consultation and involvement of offenders in developing services: ‘Involving offenders and ex-offenders in shaping the services which affect them is likely to lead to greater responsiveness to offenders’ needs and learning styles. This is an important factor in improving retention and completion rates.’