Clinks statement on the Lord Chancellor's prison capacity announcement

Clinks welcomes swift decisions to alleviate prisons crisis and calls for immediate resettlement support for people leaving prison

Please see below for Anne Fox's statement on today's announcement by the Lord Chancellor. We will be continuing to engage with officials as the proposals are implemented, and our team will be working with the sector to understand the impact that these changes will have on voluntary organisations and the people that they support.

Clinks welcomes the government’s announcement today of action to relieve the pressure on the prison population both immediately, as well as in the longer term, and calls for clarity on the arrangements needed to support effective resettlement.

Clinks Chief Executive, Anne Fox said: “In these increasingly challenging times, difficult decisions will have to be taken. However, the success of these decisions rests on the government working together with the voluntary sector, to help get people in contact with the criminal justice system the support they need. There will be a significant number of people released as a result of these measures and it is therefore vital that services run by the state and by voluntary organisations have enough resource to give people the support they need.”

To ensure the success of these plans, Clinks believes it is essential they are combined with effective support for people leaving prison, both prior to their release and in the community.

The voluntary sector provides a range of support to people at all stages of the criminal justice system, including to people leaving prison and resettling into the community. Clinks works extensively with organisations across the sector to develop and promote practical solutions that, if implemented, would improve the resettlement support available for people leaving prison.

One of the key barriers to people’s resettlement is accommodation. The government notes research that shows people leaving prison without settled accommodation are almost 50% more likely to reoffend than those who have stable accommodation on release. However, data shows that over 6,000 people released from prison in 2022-23 were sleeping rough at their release, and inspections of prisons by HM Inspectorate of Prisons indicate that there are issues in release planning for people in prison.

Anne Fox added: “It is essential that preparation for release begins on the first day someone enters prison, so there is as much time as possible to allow for work to be done to address people’s needs, such as around accommodation, substance use, physical and mental health, and employment support. Practically, this could include the establishment of Pre-release Boards in all resettlement prisons, bringing together all stakeholders, including both statutory and voluntary sector partners, to help prepare people for release.”

Anne Fox continued: “The Probation Service must also be fully resourced to support and supervise people on their release from prison. Probation staff must have the time, resources, and knowledge available to build effective relationships with people under their supervision and direct them to services that can support them to transform their lives. Being resourced to work more effectively with the voluntary sector can provide some of that much needed capacity.”

Please see our press release here

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