Haverigg prison in £1m bid to cut offending
Last updated at 16:26, Friday, 22 March 2013
FEWER innocent citizens are expected to become victims of crime after a pioneering £1m scheme to prepare prisoners for life on the outside.
HMP Haverigg is one of three prisons in the UK to take part in the three-year pilot programme, due to start in April, which aims to reduce rates of re-offending.
The scheme, known as Challenge to Change, is run by the re-offending charity Kainos Community, which claims to have an 87 per cent success rate at reducing the rate of prisoners returning to custody within two years of release.
Kainos it helps help prisoners fit back into the wider community after their release with a “strong resolution not to re-offend”.
Haverigg governor Tony Corcoran says he is pleased the prison is one of those taking part in the programme.
He said: “We hope this will reduce rates of reoffending.
“If I am walking along the street and I see an ex-prisoner, I want to be able to say they are good citizens.”
The scheme will involve specially trained staff delivering an intense course of cognitive therapy and group sessions to prisoners before the end of their sentences, and also offer them a network of support after their release.
The Ministry of Justice says the programme promotes “pro-socialliving” and challenges anti-social behaviour and attitudes.
A Prison Service spokesman said: “We want to address the root causes of offending behaviour and teach prisoners the skills they need to better manage life in the community and turn their backs on crime for good.”
Mr Corcoran said: “We have people here who actually never went to school full time, and there are people whose numeracy and literacy is at level one. They have never had the same life opportunities as you and me.
“Hopefully, this programme will make them think about why they do things and prepare them for the outside community. Even if they don’t completely stop reoffending, we can reduce more serious crime.
“So someone who was once a prolific burglar might steal a bag of sweets from a shop. It reduces the impact on the community and the number of victims of crime.”
Kainos will also run Challenge to Change in HMP Guys Marsh in Dorset and HMP Stocken in Rutland.
First published at 16:05, Friday, 22 March 2013
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk
What aload of twaddle this is, model our prisons on third world prisons i.e.vittels and gruel, no sky, no six choice menu meals, no smoking, no central heating, lockdown etc etc, go down this road and watch the prisons empty.
Have your say
William not only is your view inhumane and unfair but it will not work...if it would work you would see third world prisons empty but in fact they are over flowing, people go into prison for minor offences mainely made in their youth days i feel this program will do good as i am a relative of someone who is in haverigg and i know he wants to change his life and this will do him a world of good
Posted by Connor on 25 March 2013 at 12:59