What is ISSP?

ISSP stands for Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme.  It is the most rigorous, non-custodial intervention available for young offenders. As its name suggests, it combines unprecedented levels of community-based surveillance with a comprehensive and sustained focus on tackling the factors that contribute to the young person’s offending behaviour. Responsibility for delivering ISSP in Stoke-on-Trent rests with a dedicated team in Stoke-on-Trent Youth Offending Services.

Most young people will spend six months on ISSP. The most intensive supervision (25 hours a week) lasts for the first three months of the programme. Following this, the supervision continues at a reduced intensity (a minimum of five hours a week and weekend support) for a further three months. On completion of ISSP the young person will continue to be supervised for the remaining period of their Order.

Community Surveillance:

A key element of the programme is community surveillance, which makes sure that the offenders themselves are aware their behaviour is being closely monitored and brings together the supervision structure to their often chaotic lifestyles. The surveillance element also helps demonstrate to the wider community that the behaviour of these young people is being tackled.

ISSP schemes will tailor individual packages of surveillance to the risks posed by each offender. Stoke-on-Trent uses a mixture of tracking and electronic tagging as well as intelligence-led policing.

Intelligence-led Policing:

This is where the Police can provide overt monitoring of the movements of these young offenders to reinforce the programme as well as share information with the ISSP staff in Youth Offending Services.

The minimum requirement is for two surveillance checks per day, but this can be increased to 24 hour monitoring.

Supervision:

The supervision element of the programme has the following features:

• Rigorous assessment of the offender’s background, behaviour and needs.
• A minimum of 25 hours carefully scheduled contact time each week, for three months, with support during evening and weekends. The scheduled contact time then continues at a reduced intensity for the remainder of the programme.
• Core elements covering:
  • Education and training (especially basic literacy and Numeracy).
  • Interventions to tackle offending behaviour.
  • Reparation to victims and/or the community.
  • Help in developing interpersonal skills.
  • Family support.
• Plus the flexibility to access support for individual problems for example, homelessness, substance misuse or mental health problems.