{"id":5784,"date":"2010-01-24T22:05:41","date_gmt":"2010-01-24T22:05:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/?p=5784"},"modified":"2016-10-04T18:25:37","modified_gmt":"2016-10-04T18:25:37","slug":"radical-scheme-using-ex-offenders-to-help-prisoners-is-huge-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2010\/01\/radical-scheme-using-ex-offenders-to-help-prisoners-is-huge-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Radical scheme using ex-offenders to help prisoners is huge success"},"content":{"rendered":"

A radical pilot scheme that uses ex-offenders to rehabilitate prisoners has almost trebled the rate of those going into work or training on release.The first evaluation of the Scottish Government-supported scheme revealed that more than 2000 prisoners signed up to the pilot project, which uses reformed inmates to provide advice and support and ensure prisoners are put in touch with health and education services on release.<\/span><\/p>\n


\nThe scheme was open to those serving sentences of four years or less and managed to get almost one in five into training or employment \u2013 a significant figure, considering that most of those involved had committed violent offences and that traditionally fewer than 7% of those leaving prison go into work or education. \u00a0Of the 2861 who signed up to the project in prison, almost half continued meeting their life coach in the community. Only 25 of them had been in work before they were locked up, and more than half had 10 or more previous convictions.<\/span><\/p>\n


\nThe Routes Out Of Prison project, run by the Wise Group, uses reformed ex-offenders to meet people at the prison gates on release and to act as a bridge between them and housing, health and drugs rehabilitation services.\u00a0The life coaches meet the prisoner at the gates and offer them support and advice\u00a0Lawrie Russell, chief executive of the Wise Group Early results with just a small number of the prisoners involved indicated that they were not offending six months after release.
\nThe results are expected to come under close scrutiny by ministers who are desperate to cut Scotland\u2019s re-offending rates. Cara Jardine, one of the authors of the report, done by Edinburgh University, said: \u201cOverall we felt that the evaluation was encouraging and that the model is an effective way of reaching a client group that is often difficult to engage with due to their often chaotic lifestyles and previous experiences of the criminal justice system.<\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u201cRe-offending rates are something we will try to get some measure of in this next phase of the evaluation.\u201dThe pilot began in 2006 in four prisons in the west of Scotland, including HMP Barlinnie. The prison service said it has had positive results and is now being rolled out across seven jails.
\nThe report states: \u201cOnly 21% of clients stated that their offending was their only \u2018barrier\u2019 to desistance from crime, while the remaining 79% had at least one other issue in their lives. For 38%, their secondary barrier was drug misuse; for 34% it was alcohol misuse; in 31% of cases it was a health issue; and for 27% it was homelessness.<\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u201cTwo-thirds of clients had been in prison at least once before, while around a fifth had been imprisoned on 10 or more occasions. The vast majority also had numerous convictions with 59% having 10 or more previous convictions.\u201d Official figures show that Scotland locks up more people per capita than almost any other European country, and almost two-thirds of them reoffend within two years. Research has shown that the two biggest factors in reducing re-offending are having a job and being in a stable relationship.<\/span><\/p>\n


\nIn the first two years, the pilot received \u00a31 million from the Scottish Government, \u00a3200,000 from the European Structural Fund, and \u00a360,000 from Glasgow City Council. It is currently funded through the Big Lottery Fund and local authorities.<\/span><\/p>\n


\nLawrie Russell, chief executive of the Wise Group, said: \u201cThe project provides a bridging service to link people to the services they need on release. The life coaches offer to meet the prisoner at the gates and then offer them support and advice in the community whilst making sure they have access to the services they need. We hope to roll it out across Scotland.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n


\nJamie carries the scars of his past on his face. They\u2019re as indelible as his prison record, but he is hoping to make a different mark with the remainder of his life. He is 37 and cannot remember how many times he has been to prison. In the past few weeks, he has stabilised his drug use and next week plans to begin an intensive detox. He would like to try to help others who have come through a similar situation.<\/span><\/p>\n


\nJamie, one of more than 2000 Scottish prisoners who have been through Routes Out Of Prison, was in his final weeks at Barlinnie when he heard about the project and met Jason Meechan, the life coach who now sits next to him.<\/span><\/p>\n


\n\u201cI\u2019d heard that they could help with housing and thought why not? A lot of people knock it back \u2013 even the chance of an interview \u2013 but I thought I\u2019d try it. I\u2019m getting old and I want to see my family. A lot of people don\u2019t want help. Without the support I\u2019ve had though, I don\u2019t know what I would have done.\u201d Jamie says one of his greatest regrets lies in not attending secondary school. He started taking cannabis when he was 13 and slipped too easily into a cycle of gangs, residential schools, and secure units.<\/span><\/p>\n


\nHe spent his 16th birthday in Polmont Young Offenders\u2019 Institute. He cannot remember receiving the scar that still splits his cheek in two.\u201cI needed Jason to motivate me,\u201d he says. \u201cI really clicked with him and I listen to all his advice. It helped that he knows where I\u2019m coming from.\u201d
\nMr Meechan, like most of the life coaches, is an ex-prisoner. He was in and out of jail for almost 10 years before he realised he needed to change. Most of the charges related to assault and robbery. He was addicted to alcohol and drugs.\u201cThey say you become your own best customer,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen my son was born, I was shocked into changing. I got help with my addiction and started up a construction business but realised I had a real passion for helping people. Now I\u2019m paid to do something I love.
\n\u201cIt is about empowering the client to take decisions and getting them the help they need by putting them in touch with the right agencies. Going back into the prisons felt strange at first but it\u2019s not an issue anymore. It helps that I can say to clients I have been there too.\u201d
\nSource: Herald Scotland 9th Nov.2009<\/em>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A radical pilot scheme that uses ex-offenders to rehabilitate prisoners has almost trebled the rate of those going into work or training on release.The first evaluation of the Scottish Government-supported scheme revealed that more than 2000 prisoners signed up to the pilot project, which uses reformed inmates to provide advice and support and ensure prisoners […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-crime-violence-prison","category-social-affairs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5784"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5784\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}