Over £700K to reduce domestic abuse and reoffending

The Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, is investing a further £735K into two interventions that are successfully tackling reoffending and breaking the cycle of crime.

Project CARA and JUNO are interventions that can be used as part of a Conditional Caution (Out of Court Resolution). Used as an alternative to going to court, they aim to prevent more offending and have a significant impact on reducing crime.

What is Project CARA?

Between April 2023 and March 2024, there were 25,806 domestic abuse incidents in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, accounting to 16.11% of all recorded crime. Two independent studies for Project CARA both report a 35% reduction in domestic abuse offending with 85% of perpetrators saying that CARA changed their attitude towards their partner/children.

PCC Donna Jones said: “Domestic abuse takes hold of relationships, families, and communities. When I became Police Commissioner, I made a commitment to develop a greater understanding of the root causes of serious violence and to make sure that effective diversionary support services stop offending in its tracks.

“Out of Court Resolutions provide life-changing and meaningful support. They address the root causes of behaviour, offenders are held accountable for their actions and victims are heard. It’s also important that for first time offenders that there is an effective barrier in place before offending escalates.”

Project CARA (Cautioning and Relationship Abuse) provides awareness raising workshops for people who have committed domestic abuse offences. The Police Commissioner has committed to funding the programme for up to three years at £125K per year.

What is JUNO?

JUNO supports women who have offended and looks at how their past experiences have impacted on their offending behaviour. The intervention is £90K per year for up to four years. Data for 2022-2023 and the first quarter of 2023-2024 reveals 87% of women had not reoffended in the 12 months since completing the programme.

PCC Donna Jones said: “It’s essential that women in the criminal justice system are supported and provided with coping strategies to move forward, to free themselves from the cycle of offending and turn their lives around.”

New contracts for both interventions, provided by the Hampton Trust, began this month. The Trust’s Chief Executive is Chantal Hughes: “We have been delivering CARA in collaboration with Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary for 13 years since first piloting it here and we’re looking forward to continuing to contribute our expertise and experience in this area.

“Our evaluations continue to show that intervention not only increases the offenders’ motivation to address their behaviour, but also delivers for victims, with the majority of those who were still in contact with the offender reporting a positive change in their behaviour.

“One of the key challenges facing women in the criminal justice system is that traditional approaches fail to recognise and address their unique circumstances and needs, particularly their experiences as both victims and offenders. Many women involved in the criminal justice system have experienced complex trauma, including domestic and sexual abuse from a young age. JUNO’s gender-responsive, trauma-informed approach creates a safe space to address these underlying issues with great success. Since 2022, more than 80% of women who completed JUNO did not reoffend.”