Prisons WEEK

What is the purpose of Prisons?

To many people, prisons are places where criminals are sent to be punished. By sending people to prison, the public at large are protected from those who would wish to cause harm to others.

Prisons in Wales and England are now locking up over 83,000 men and women. But one fact that is often overlooked is that out of all these people, all but a few hundred will one day be eligible for release back into society. So, rather than being places of punishment, prisons need to be places of reform.

The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) which now oversees the running of the Prison and Probation Services has identified seven areas or ‘pathways’ which need to be in place to stop ex-prisoners from re-offending and creating more victims. The seven pathways are: Accommodation; Education, training and employment; Health, drugs and alcohol; Finance, benefit and debt; Children and families; Attitudes, thinking and behaviour. These pathways to rehabilitation are all interlinked e.g. getting ex-offenders into accommodation is the foundation for successful resettlement and management of risk of harm to others. It can provide the anchor for a previously chaotic life and act as a springboard for other crucial steps – such as getting a job, accessing health care and re-establishing family ties.

HMP Prescoed focuses exclusively on resettlement of prisoners. Each day about 80 prisoners leave Prescoed to work in the community, some on volunteer projects and others in real jobs which they will keep after release from prison. For some prisoners, this is the first time that they felt the increased self-worth that a job can give.

Prisons Week (16 – 22 November) was formed to pray for and raise awareness of the needs of prisoners and their families, victims of crime and prison staff and volunteers. This year we are taking as our theme the Parable of the Talents. Each day our prayers are centred on one of the seven pathways for rehabilitation and we remember that each person is of value to God and nobody should be written off because of past crimes but be encouraged to develop their talents in a more positive way and to lead constructive lives in their communities.

Please pray for the work of your prisons. Leaflets can be obtained from: www.prisonsweek.org

Revd Nick Sandford, Chaplain HM Prison Usk/Prescoed