Press Release

£2 Million For Routes Out Of Prison

27 May 2008

The Wise Group and the Scottish Prison Service developed a pilot project in 2006, Routes out of Prison, a unique mentoring model that is having an impact in helping to reduce re-offending, increase employment and reconnect families. The pilot project was funded through the Scottish Government Multiple and Complex Needs fund and also involved Families Outside.

The project has been awarded £2 million from the Big Lottery Fund to expand the services to other Scottish prisons on a phased basis over the next three years. This award adds to the £502,000 already approved by the European Social Fund.

These resources will allow the project partnership, which now also involves Apex Scotland, to extend the services to eight other areas. It will be able to offer short-term prisoners a range of support services to assist them make the transition from prison into their communities successfully and then to a long term job.

Life Coaches, many of whom themselves have a background of offending, are using their experience in turning their lives around to help other ex-offenders acquire the life, social and employment skills they will need when they rejoin society. Life Coaches develop a trusting relationship and establish a plan of action six weeks before release to help each individual plan their reintegration into their community. This can involve meeting the client at the prison gates and helping them access appropriate services through the housing office, benefits agency, FE College or other agencies.

Around 5,200 prisoners will be offered the chance to participate in the project, and it is expected that over 2,000 will continue to engage with a Life Coach after their release.
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Part of the support that the Life Coaches offer clients after release is help to break into the labour market. The project aims to support around 850 people into employment or training over the next three years. It is able to take advantage of the other employment advice and jobsearch services in the Wise Group to support ex-offenders to get on the employment ladder. This will make a significant difference to the lives of individuals as well as having a positive impact on their families.

The importance of family involvement is integral to the project. The project works with Families Outside to provide specialist support to prisoners and their families. Around 100 families will engage with the project.

The project costs an average of £1,200 for each client and this can turn into a real saving to the public purse. An exercise carried out to demonstrate the cost of some of the clients’ lifestyles looked at benefits, prison and court costs showed that these can be in excess of £180,000 a year.

The Wise Group’s Chief Executive, Laurie Russell, comments: “The Wise Group is delighted by the success of the pilot project. Around 53% of people maintained a relationship with our Life Coaches after release from prison, receiving the emotional, psychological and practical assistance they needed on release and afterwards.

“The Wise Group works with people by developing services targeted at those who find it hardest to break into the labour market. The Routes out of Prison project is able to take advantage of the other employment advice and jobsearch services we provide to access support, expertise and encouragement that ex-offenders need to get on the employment ladder. The pilot project has already made a difference, so far helping over 150 people into work or training and we look forward to helping another 850 make this important step.

“The key to the project’s success has been its strong partnership working with the Scottish Prison Service and Families Outside. This has now been extended to include Apex Scotland, and the Community Justice Authorities”, he continued.