Skills 'dramatically lower' re-offending rate

Prisoners are the best people for getting the disengaged engaged, a roundtable discussion on cutting crime and re-offending held in parliament last week was told.

Discussing one scheme where prisoners teach each other to read David Ahern chief executive of the Shannon trust, said:

"They were failed by the educational system, this is the first time that many of them will be giving something back to society."

The debate, held in association with Perspective and The House Magazine, looked at the how training and skills can dramatically lower the re-offending rate of prisoners.

Perspective chairman Jim Davis explained some of the problems that stop skills training from working effectively:

"Whilst training is available in institutions people often get moved and don’t get to finish the course."

George Hosking, chief executive of the WAVE Trust, agreed.

"Prisons are judged by the number of people starting programmes; we don't consider the amount of people who complete them," he said.

Perspective worked with Project Equal Engage, a regional project focused on providing pre and post-release support for individuals within the prison system intended to reduce prisoner re-offend rates.

Over the six month live period of the trial, 277 beneficiaries of the scheme were released from prison.

According to National Offender Management Service figures, the expected re-offending rate, for this period, was 35 per cent.

This was cut to 6.5 per cent - 18 re-offended instead of the expected 96.

Davis explained how relatively small moves, such as making sure that a prisoner has a bank account upon release, make a big difference and help lower re-offending.

"If you don't have bank account or a national insurance number then you want get any work and you'll start to re-offend," he said.

Lord Ramsbotham, former chief inspector of prisons, said:

"If there was a director of young offenders then these strategies would become common practice.

"The prison service doesn't have people responsible for each type of prisoner.

"We need someone who will take responsibility and turn good practice into common practice."

Ahern said some prisons officers can be very reluctant to get involved in education.

"There are times in prisons that are not being used efficiently," he added.

Alun Michael MP, a member of the justice select committee, spoke about how vital training is.

"Prevention of re-offending should not just be an add on; it needs to be the very core of the prison system," he said.

The panel discussed ways in which the media and public opinion affect the level of skills training that can take place.

"Labour and the Conservatives don't campaign for restorative programmes, they just promise to build more prisons," claimed Liberal Democrat spokesman for justice Lord Thomas of Gresford.

"You've got to keep people with you," said Andrew Turner MP, a member of the public accounts select committee. "People in the street need to feel that they're being looked after."

"All parties seem to have been driven by the Daily Mail,” responded Labour's Julie Morgan MP, a member of the justice select committee.

"Those in power need to take a robust stand," added Ahern.

"We need to push boundaries; we've become a victim of the press."

There was a general consensus that training and mentoring in professional and life skills was the most effective way of lower re-offending rates in the country.

Nick Perry, unit manager at Feltham Young Offenders institute, spoke of how a training and skills scheme caused a massive drop in violent incidents in the institute.

"We've had only two violent incidents since April," he said.

"That is totally unheard of."

Concluding the discussion, Christian Guy from the Centre for Social Justice, summed up the debate by stressing the importance of focusing on training in prisons, and the urgent need to have a system in place that allows prisoners progress to be properly tracked.