This is a complex area of work and there is an extensive programme of work under way to better understand and meet the needs of offenders with learning disabilities. Much of this work is set out in a National Delivery Plan which was published by the Department of Health in November 2009 which is being overseen by a new Health and Criminal Justice Board. This plan builds on the Government’s response to Lord Bradley’s review of people with mental health problems or learning disabilities in the Criminal Justice System, and work already under way.
There is a commitment across Government to work together to improve the health and well being of offenders across the criminal justice pathway—in police, courts, probation and prison services, and in the community.
Detailed information on offenders with learning difficulties or disabilities is held in a number of places including individual case files or by those who have undertaken specialist assessments or are responsible for particular activities or data. Therefore to collate, validate and provide meaningful information for this question, and in many cases manually check records, could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.
Whether an offender requires a particular programme will depend upon the assessment of their risk and needs. All reasonable adjustments should be made to ensure programmes are accessible to those who could potentially benefit, and if not alternative provision should be made.
The National Offender Management Service offers a number of interventions to meet the needs of offenders including for example an adapted sex offender treatment programme. It has also recently been agreed to develop an adapted version of the Thinking Skills Programme, and a new programme for violent offenders to accommodate a broader range of learning needs.