Partnership Finder

We help offenders to lead crime-free lives that are meaningful and creative. We do this by running long-term music rehabilitation programmes in prisons, secure children's homes and post-release. Our programmes enact a Theory of Change, helping offenders to build the ‘human and social capital’ they need in order to desist from crime.

We run music programmes in 18 prisons in the Southwest and South of England, the Midlands and South Wales. We run post-release programmes in Bristol, Winchester and Exeter. Over the past three years, we have been developing music programmes for secure children's homes. As a result of this work, we have launched long-term programmes at Vinney Green Secure Unit, in Bristol and Hillside Secure Children’s Home, in Neath. We are preparing a new programme for Swanwick Lodge Children’s Secure Home, in Southampton.

Criminon UK is a registered charity delivering distance learning life skills courses in many UK prisons. We are members of LASER Learning Awards (formerly the Open College Network South East Region), and have four courses accredited. Our accredited course "Understanding and Overcoming Addiction", aligns with learning outcomes of the NOCN National Qualification Unit's 'Introduction to Drug Awareness', Level 1. Our other accredited courses deal with literacy at Entry Level 2 and Level 1 and a simple guide to better living and self-respect at Entry Level 2. Further life skills courses we offer deal with Parenting, Communication and Personal Integrity. We also offer a Mentor Course which gives the offender the skills to help others with their literacy and allows them to give something back, helping them achieve greater confidence and self-respect.

Developing Health And Independence is a charity that was set up in 1999 to help those in need to break out of the cycle of homelessness and drug and alcohol abuse. Its aim is to assist people to address their addictions and gain control of their lives.

Fair Shares runs Time Banks in Gloucestershire which focus on two way volunteering which is explained more fully below. We began our work with the prison estate with HMP Gloucester and this successful partnership continued for six years, until the prison closed in 2013. We are currently working with HMP Leyhill, HMP Erlestoke and HMP Eastwood Park and are developing work with HMP Dartmoor. Time Banking is a great way of engaging with all members of our communities and benefits on a number of social, health and economic levels. Our participants in the prisons are either involved in Times2, our Maths peer mentoring scheme or volunteer for other organisations and use time banking to add extra value to the work that they already undertake.
Time Banking is a system of two-way volunteering; for every hour of your time you put in, you earn an hour of help in return or you can decide to give those hours to help those in the community who need extra support via the goodwill pot.

The Friends of Erlestoke Prison aims to support offenders with the challenges of rehabilitation and keeping in touch with their families while completing their sentence. The charity aims to promote and support the rehabilitation of prisoners who are or have been prisoners at HMP Erlestoke, by the provision of funds and services as the trustees think fit and in consultation with the prison Governors/Governing Body.

Geese Theatre Company is a team of professional theatre practitioners who present interactive drama and facilitate workshops, staff training and consultation in prisons, secure mental health settings, young offender institutions, and in the community with probation services, youth offending teams and related agencies. A registered charity based in Birmingham, Geese works throughout the UK and overseas and has gained an international reputation for innovative work with vulnerable and socially excluded groups, becoming widely acknowledged as one of the key organisations championing the role of arts in the criminal justice system and wider social welfare arena. Our work provides solutions to a range of criminogenic issues, primarily focussing on attitudes, thinking and behaviour and addressing themes such as domestic abuse, sexual offending, violence, resettlement, substance misuse and offending, self-efficacy, and employability.

No Offence! facilitates open access to and exchange of crime and justice information, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

No Offence! is a social enterprise, community interest company, not driven by private profit.

Our innovative and engaging approach facilitates the sharing of this information by instigating, supporting and encouraging communication and debate, which promotes wider understanding of complex criminal justice issues across society. By challenging barriers to positive change and influencing future policy, our objective is simple: to make a difference.

We have created a criminal justice information exchange service, which has become a centre for excellence, for the significant benefit of all who engage within the criminal justice sector.

Pact is a national charity that provides support to prisoners, people with convictions and their families. We support people to make a fresh start, and minimise the harm that can be caused by imprisonment to people with convictions, to families and to communities.

Pact works in over 65 prisons and 8 CRCs and provides prison-based family engagement workers, Visitors’ Centres, visitor support, supervised play, catering and family activities, relationship and parenting education programmes, court and community family support, ‘Through the Gate’ family resettlement support and community based mentoring and befriending programmes.

We also run the HMPPS contracted national Prisoners' Families Helpline which can be reached seven days a week on 0808 808 2003.

Prison Fellowship aims to support prisoners by coming alongside them and supporting them through practical programmes and prayer.

We seek to help, support and develop a Christian ministry to prisoners through Sycamore Tree, our victim awareness programme; Angel Tree, where we support prisoner's children at Christmas; Letter Writing and other practical support through chaplaincy.

We do this through our network of volunteer members, and currently have over 1,800 members across England and Wales.

The PPT supports prisoners, ex-prisoners and prison staff in their spiritual lives through meditation, yoga, silence and the breath. We recommend breath-focussed stretches and meditation sensitively tailored to students' needs. To this end, we send free books and a CD to prisoners so they can start a practice in their cell, we have a team of specially trained volunteer letter writers who correspond with prisoners who want support in their practice; we offer taster workshops so prisons can judge if they want to include weekly yoga classes as part of their regimes; and we train qualified yoga teachers for the specific challenges of working in prison.

There are currently 143 weekly yoga and meditation classes in 75 institutions across the UK and Ireland. Most of these are prisons, though we also work in approved premises, IRCs and secure hospitals. 32 of these classes are for prison officers and staff.

We maintain contact with over 5,766 prisoners in 223 institutions.

We make it possible for volunteers in the community to write letters to prisoners, and to receive letters in return, and to do so in safety.

The Prisoners' Advice Service provides free legal advice and representation to adult prisoners in England and Wales regarding their rights, and regardless of the individual prisoners' means. PAS aims to educate and empower prisoners regarding the law and their legal and human rights.

REACH INSIDE is a charity that has been set up to help friends and family members of prisoners to REACH INSIDE and communicate easily with their loved ones.
Our POST–2–PRISON project allows anyone with online access to send a photo and a message to any UK prisoner completely free of charge.
All you need to do is visit our website (its mobile friendly too) and send your message, we will then print it and post it directly into prison.

Samaritans provides confidential emotional support to prisoners, either by telephone or face-to-face. The organisation also selects, trains and supports prisoners, known as Listeners, to offer confidential, emotional support to their fellow-inmates.

Shannon Trust is a national charity supporting thousands of prisoners a year to transform their lives by unlocking the power of reading. 50% of people that end up in prison either can't read or struggle to: their life chances are limited from the word go. Shannon Trust inspires and trains prisoners who can read to teach prisoners who can’t, so they're better set up for a positive future.

We also work with partner organisations in the community, supporting prison leavers and others to learn to read.

We are a Christian organisation that offers mentoring support to people with convictions (of all faiths or none) as they make the transition from prison back into the community of Bristol. The project recruits, trains and supports volunteers from local Christian communities to become mentors. We have a regular staff presence in HMPs Bristol, Eastwood Park and Portland, but also receive referrals from elsewhere. Our criteria for working with someone is that they are 1) motivated to make positive changes in their life, 2) willing to give up their time to meet with a mentor, and 3) that Probation agree that they are suitable and do not pose a risk to our volunteers. We are happy to receive referrals from anyone, and will also take referrals for people who are already in the community. We try to introduce a mentor(s) before release, and offer gate pickup whenever possible. We also have a strong network of churches across our area who welcome ex-offenders, should this be wanted.

Established in 2000, Synergy Theatre Project works with prisoners, ex-prisoners and young people at risk, towards rehabilitation, through theatre and related activities, while placing the wider issues surrounding criminal justice in the public arena.

Footprints reduces the risk of reoffending by those leaving custody and returning to Dorset, S Somerset and Hampshire by offering a through the gate mentoring service. We also work with those serving a sentence in the community.

Our Life works programme run in partnership with Parkstone United Reform Church in Poole offers voluntary opportunities for clients to do painting and decorating in community buildings, gaining skills and raising their levels of confidence and self esteem.

The Irene Taylor Trust 'Music in Prisons' delivers creative music projects which focus on the creation of new and innovative music. Projects are accessible to everyone regardless of musical experience, and aim to raise the self-confidence and aspirations of men, women and young people in prisons and those in the community who may be at risk of coming into contact with the criminal justice system.

Unlock is an independent award-winning national charity that provides a voice and support for people with convictions who are facing stigma and obstacles because of their criminal record, often long after they have served their sentence.

Firstly, we help people. We provide information, advice and support to people with convictions, including running an information site and confidential peer-run helpline. We help practitioners support people with convictions by providing criminal record disclosure training. And we support employers and universities in treating people with criminal records fairly.

Secondly, we advocate for change, working at policy level to address systemic and structural issues. We listen to and consult with people with criminal records, undertake research and produce evidence-based reports to inform policy makers and the public. We challenge bad practice, influence attitudes and speak truth to power. We co-founded and support the Ban the Box campaign.