The context we work in

These statistics provide some information about the context in which Prison Fellowship works in England and Wales:

 

BE AWARE

Since the riots in some English towns and cities in August, the issue of criminal justice has been very much in the news. The prison population in England and Wales is extremely high. Statistics show that we are not yet winning the battle of reducing the level of reoffending.

Prison Fellowship provides a theological framework for reflecting the effects of crime on the victim, the offender and their loved ones: on how the Christian Gospel of justice and “love thy neighbour” can find a place in the hearts and minds of those involved in a life of crime.

Prison fellowship simply asks, as Prison Week approaches, that you pray about the work we are involved in. We also hope that you will reflect as you read the Bible on how we might deal with some of the issues which we are called on to respond to. But, above all, that you will find a way to support and sustain our work by raising awareness with and through others.

 

Prison Population

The prison population in England and Wales stands at 84,522.[1] Since 1995 the prison population has risen by 66%.[2] We currently have an imprisonment rate of 154 per 100,000 of the population. This compares to 96 per 100,000 in Germany and 90 in France.[3] 134,000 people entered prison in 2008-up by 7% from 2007.[4] We are the top incarcerator in Western Europe.[5]

On 6th November 2009 there were 4,274 women in prison.[6] The number of women imprisoned has risen by 44% over the last decade.[7] Over half the women in prison say they have suffered domestic violence and one in three has experienced sexual abuse.[8] 37% of women in custody say they have attempted suicide at some time of their life.[9]

At the end of June 2009 there were 9,775 young adults (18-20yrs) in prison and 2,556 children under 18.[10] 71% of children in custody have been involved with, or in the care of, social services before entering custody.[11]

In 2008 there were 1,429 recorded cases of self harm by children in custody.[12] Young women in custody are twice as likely to self harm as adult women.[13] Children in prison are 18 times more prone to commit suicide than those in the community.[14] The suicide rate for men in prison is five times higher than the general population.[15]

 

Those Affected by Crime

There are 160,000 children in England and Wales with a parent in prison. This is two and a half times the number of those in care and over six times the number of those on the Child Protection Register.[16] 7% of children will experience their father’s imprisonment before they leave school.[17] In 2006 more children were affected by the imprisonment of a parent than by divorce.[18] 65% of boys with a convicted parent go on to offend.[19]

The risk of being a victim of crime has increased from 22% to 23% during 2009 having fallen from 40% in 1995.[20] There were 4.7 million recorded crimes in 2008/09.[21]

 

Reoffending

47% of adults are reconvicted within one year of release – for those serving sentences of less than 12 months this increases to 60%.[22] Reoffending by ex-prisoners costs society at least £11 billion a year.[23] 64.3% of women released from prison in 2004 were reconvicted within two years.[24] 75% of children released in 2007 reoffended within a year.[25]

 

Impact of Restorative Justice

Restorative Justice is not a soft option as many offenders find it extremely difficult to face up to the impact of their crimes. Restorative Justice has several benefits:

Pilot studies suggest that Restorative Justice approaches can reduce post traumatic stress disorder in victims and, in some cases, motivate offenders to turn away from a life of crime.[26]

A study by the Professor of Criminology at Cambridge University found that the rate of re-conviction amongst those offenders participating in Restorative Justice, was reduced by 28%.[27]

 

Prison Fellowship

An evaluation of Prison Fellowship’s Sycamore Tree Programme was undertaken by Sheffield Hallam University in 2009. The study took psychometric evaluations from 5,000 prisoners taking the course between 2005 and 2009. 13% of the overall sample were women and 17% were young offenders.

The evaluation found that:

 In 2008/09 1,974 prisoners took part in 130 Sycamore Tree Programmes across 34 establishments in England and Wales.

Family contact during imprisonment can drastically reduce reoffending rates. Those prisoners being visited by a partner or family member have a 52% reoffending rate as compared to those who do not (70%).[29] In 2008 Prison Fellowship sent 3,600 Christmas presents to children of prisoners under the Angel Tree Programme which is one way in which PF tries to meet the felt needs of the prisoners, to keep in touch with their children; these gifts are provided by the funds raised through the volunteer co-ordinating groups and Prison Fellowship, and are hugely appreciated by the families and the prisoners.

The Prison Reform Trust

The Prison Reform Trust aims at creating a just, humane and effective penal system. It does this by inquiring into the workings of the system, informing prisoners, staff, and the wider public, and influencing Parliament, government and officials towards reform. PRT produces the comprehensive Bromley Briefing factfile, available via the website. For the latest news and publications please visit: http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/ProjectsResearch

[1] NOMS Prison Population and Accommodation Briefing for 6 November 2009.

[2] Ministry of Justice (2009) Story of the Prison Population 1995-2009, England and Wales, London: Ministry of Justice.

[3] International Centre for Prison Studies, http://www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/law/research/icps

[4] Ministry of Justice (2009) Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2008, London: TSO

[5] International Centre for Prison Studies, http://www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/law/research/icps

[6] NOMS Prison Population and Accommodation Briefing for 6 November 2009.

[7] Ministry of Justice (2009) Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2008, London: TSO

[8] Social Exclusion Unit (2002) Reducing Reoffending by ex-prisoners, London: Social Exclusion Unit

[9] Corston, J. (2007) The Corston report, London: Home Office

[10] Ministry of Justice (2009) Population in Custody, England and Wales, June 2009, London: Ministry of Justice

[11] Youth Justice Board, Accommodation and Experiences, 2007, as cited in legal action, February 2008

[12] Hansard, House of Commons written answers, 12 October 2009: Col 166W

[13] HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales (2008) Annual Report 2006/07, London: HM Inspectorate of Prisons

[14] Frühwald, S., and Frottier, P., Suicide in prison, The Lancet, vol 366, issue 9493, 8 October 2005, as cited in legal action Feb 2008

[15] NOMS, Safer Custody News, January/February 2009

[16] Ministry of Justice and Department for Children, Schools and Families, Children of Offenders Review, June 2007

[17] Department for Education and Skills, (2003) Every Child Matters, London: Stationary Office

[18] Action for prisoners’ Families, CLINKS, Prison Advice & Care Trust, Prison Reform Trust (2007) The Children and families of prisoners, London: PRT

[19] Social Exclusion Unit (2002) Reducing reoffending by ex-prisoners, London: SEU

[20] Home Office, Crime in England and Wales 2008/09, Summary of the main findings

[21] ibid

[22] Ministry of Justice (2009), Reoffending of adults: results from the 2007 cohort, London: TSO

[23] Social Exclusion Unit (2002) Reducing reoffending by ex-prisoners, London: SEU

[24] Home Office statistical bulletin, Reoffending of adults: results from 2004 cohort

[25] Ministry of Justice (2009), Reoffending of juveniles: results from the 2007 cohort, London: TSO

[26] Extract from Home Office Website http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime-victims/victims/restorative-justice/index.html

[27] Restorative Justice, the evidence. Sherman & Strang, The Smith Institute 2007. (ISBN 1 905 370 16 4) a review of international research

[28] An evaluation of the Sycamore Tree programme, August 2009, Hallam Centre for Community Justice: Sheffield Hallam University

[29] Ministry of Justice (2008), Factors linked to reoffending, London: Ministry of Justice