Introduction
Reducing reoffending is about helping people who have already committed crimes to avoid doing so again.
According to the 2020 Neighbourhood Crime IOM Strategy (opens in new window), around 80% of crime is committed by people who have offended before – so tackling reoffending is essential to building safer communities and improving lives.
Safer Somerset Partnership and the Reducing Reoffending Board
Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) are legally established multi-agency groups that bring together organisations like the police, local councils, health services, probation, and fire services to tackle crime, anti-social behaviour, substance misuse, and reoffending in their local areas.
In Somerset, our Community Safety Partnership is called Safer Somerset Partnership.
Since 2010, CSPs have had a legal duty to develop and deliver strategies to reduce reoffending. This came from changes to the Crime and Disorder Act (1998), introduced by the Policing and Crime Act (2009).
In 2017, the Safer Somerset Partnership joined the Avon and Somerset Reducing Reoffending Board. This regional collaboration recognises that crime doesn’t stop at council borders – and neither should our efforts to prevent it.
Reducing Reoffending Strategy 2025–2028
The Avon and Somerset Reducing Reoffending Strategy sets out how partners across Avon and Somerset will work together to reduce reoffending among adults and young people. It brings together statutory partners, community safety partnerships, and the voluntary sector to improve outcomes for individuals and communities.
Key Focus Areas:
- Resettlement support – helping people rebuild their lives after custody, with a focus on housing, health, and financial stability
- Integrated Offender Management (IOM) – a co-ordinated approach to managing repeat offenders
- Restorative approaches for children – supporting young people to take responsibility and make positive changes
- Trauma-informed practice – recognising how past experiences affect behaviour and tailoring support accordingly
This strategy aligns with the Police and Crime Plan and local Youth Justice Plans, ensuring consistency across the region.
Integrated Offender Management
Integrated Offender Management (IOM) is a national approach to working with individuals who repeatedly commit crimes. It’s led by police and probation services, with support from recovery workers, councils, and other partners.
IOM recognises that a small number of individuals are responsible for a large proportion of crime in our communities. These individuals often face a combination of challenges that are deeply connected and difficult to separate. Reoffending is rarely the result of a single issue – it is usually the outcome of several overlapping problems that reinforce each other.
Common factors include:
- Unstable housing – without a safe and secure place to live, it’s harder to maintain routines or access support
- Substance misuse – drug and alcohol dependency can drive offending behaviour and make recovery more difficult
- Unemployment – lack of work or training opportunities can lead to financial instability and limit future prospects
- Family pressures – responsibilities or breakdowns in relationships can add emotional and practical strain
- Mental and physical health issues – poor health can affect decision-making, resilience, and access to services
These issues don’t exist in isolation—they often interact in ways that make them harder to address. That’s why IOM takes a joined-up approach, aiming to understand the full picture and co-ordinate support across services.
In Somerset, the IOM Services page provides a directory of local support services that complement the IOM approach.
Somerset Youth Justice Partnership
The Somerset Youth Justice Partnership co-ordinates services to prevent offending and reoffending among children and young people.
It is led by the Youth Justice Partnership Board and includes:
- Somerset Council (Children’s Services & Public Health)
- Somerset Integrated Care Board
- Avon & Somerset Police
- Probation Service
The partnership works to ensure the effective contribution by partnership agencies to support the principal aim of the Youth Justice System, as defined by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 – the prevention of offending by children and young people.