How ever did we get here?

16 April 2009

Publication: Municipal Journal

Whether you are a parent or the Principal of a school, the Chief Executive of a local authority, a senior civil servant, a Minister or an MP, I defy anyone not to feel disturbed by the statistics set out below.

How, as a society have we let ourselves get here?  Or more pertinently, how can we change things?

65% of boys with a convicted parent go on to offend.

72% of male and 70% of female prisoners suffer from two or more mental disorders, compared to only 5% of men and 2% of women in the general population.

77% of children released from custody in 2006 reoffended within a year

Re-offending costs society at least £11 billion per annum

71% of children in custody have been involved with, or in the care of, social services before entering custody.

40% of children in custody have previously been homeless

48% of prisoners are at, or below the level expected of an 11 year old in reading, 65% in numeracy and 82% in writing

Nearly half those in prison have no qualifications at all

Half of all prisoners do not have the skills required by 96% of jobs and only one in five are able to complete a job application form

Half of all male prisoners were excluded from school, compared to 2% of the general population

These are not unknown individuals.  Schools know who is at risk of being excluded, or who they have excluded.  They know who has a parent in prison, who is in care or who has a mental disorder.

These are individuals who are clearly at risk. They are known to local authorities, to third sector organisations, local PCTs, the local police and to central government agencies.

Silo management means far too many are at risk of slipping through the net or passed from one organisation to the next. The problem is that at present far too many services are designed for the organisations themselves and not for the needs of the individual users they serve.

Prison is a reactive institution.  Individuals are sent there to serve a punishment for a misdemeanour. It is vital that we work hard to avoid young people entering the penal system because evidence shows that not only are reoffending rates high but a prison record effects the ability of an individual to ever get a job and to rebuild their lives.

A new approach is needed which identifies those at risk and then acts to provide them with the full support they need not just to stay out of prison, but to succeed in life.

Only by listening to these people can these changes be effectively made.

All statistics from: Prison Reform Trust 2008