Introduced in England and Wales under the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act, 2000, Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) were specifically designed to improve and strengthen the monitoring of convicted sexual and violent offenders in the community.
Under the MAPPA framework, the Police, the National Probation Service and the Prison Service, along with other agencies who have a ‘duty to cooperate’, are legally required to work together to monitor and manage the risk posed by such offenders.
Currently, the number of offenders in England and Wales subject to MAPPA stands at 80,983, representing a 7% annual increase since 2009. This year on year increase in caseload is set against a backdrop of substantial cuts to the public protection budget, brought about as a result of government austerity programmes.
Given this, the importance of a holistic, evidence-based understanding of the effectiveness of the MAPPA framework as a practitioner tool for reducing reoffending has never been more acute.
The aim of this research is to examine the process and outcome effectiveness of MAPPA in order to provide a robust evidence base to inform decision-making regarding its future structure and operation.
In collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) and Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), this two year research project will utilise two complimentary and overlapping work packages which integrate practitioner, academic and offender knowledge.
Utilising a mixed methods approach, the ultimate aim of the research is to identify whether MAPPA works. In order to achieve this aim a number of additional questions will need to be answered. The results will be used as the baseline data on which all future decisions, and further developments, of MAPPA, is based.