Resettlement
Resettlement is the focus of everything that's done in our prisons. It is also central to the prison service statement of purpose which talks about "…helping prisoners to lead law-abiding lives in prison and on release".
Central to successful resettlement will be ensuring that a released prisoner has somewhere to live and either a job or a training place to go to. Experience and common sense tells us that without these there is a much greater likelihood of his re-offending.
Resettlement staff will see all prisoners soon after they arrive to assess their resettlement needs and to draw up a resettlement action plan or a sentence plan for those serving longer sentences. This will focus on what they need to do whilst in custody to make it less likely that they will come back. Where appropriate attention is also given to factors such as family ties, health, substance misuse, social and life skills and financial management. Specialist staff such as those delivering programmes and those addressing substance misuse issues are also drawn into the team effort that is resettlement.
A series of offending behaviour programmes help prisoners to look at the attitudes and thinking which lie behind their offending and give them the opportunity to make changes. Much hard work is required as long-established attitudes, values and ways of living are not easily changed.
The prison service has put resettlement at the heart of its agenda. It gives every person held in custody the opportunity to plan for and work towards a crime-free life on release.
Probation
National Probation for England and Wales
What we do
Much of the work of the probation team involves identifying the triggers to a prisoners past offences and assessing the risk they pose both of re-offending and of harm to the public. In practical terms this means that the probation team:
- Contributes to sentence planning
- Prepares parole reports
- Prepares release on temporary licence reports
- Prepares re-categorisation reports
- Prepares home detention curfew assessments
- Contributes to procedures relating to the management of schedule one offenders (including those set out in Prison Service Order 4400 to monitor letters, phone calls and visits) in order to minimise the risk these prisoners pose to children
One of the probation officers works as part of the CARATS (counselling, assessment, referral, advice and throughcare) team to strengthen links between the prison drugs service and the sentence planning process.
The team also work with prisoners to reduce risk through an eight session alcohol and violent offenders programme.
Drug support service
The drug support service works to the CARAT model offering support, advice, information and low-threshold counselling concerning drugs related issues. It is a service for problematic drug users and/or prisoners who have previously used and need ongoing support.
This is achieved by the use of three basic principles:
- Supported detoxification
- Supply reduction
- Reducing demand