Title
Contents
Acknowledgements 7
The Authors 8
Abbreviations 9
Summary 11
1. Introduction 17
1.1 The study 17
1.2 Policy background 17
1.3 Research design 19
1.3.1 Prisoner interviews 20
1.3.2 Staff interviews 20
1.3.3 Focus groups 21
1.3.4 Data analysis 21
1.4 Report outline 22
2. Employment 24
2.1 Resettlement support in prison 25
2.1.1 Education and training 25
2.1.2 Work in prison industries 27
2.1.3 Pre-release employment support 27
2.2 Employment backgrounds and histories 28
2.3 Employment transitions 29
2.3.1 Prisoners who wanted to work on release 29
2.3.2 Prisoners interested in work, but with other priorities to sort out first 32
2.3.3 Prisoners who were not able to or were not interested in work 33
2.4 Barriers to work among those looking for work 33
2.4.1 A lack of jobs 34
2.4.2 Criminal records, employer discrimination and disclosure 35
2.4.3 Curfew restrictions 36
2.4.4 Problems obtaining licences and certificates 36
2.4.5 Lack of transport 37
2.4.6 Supply-side barriers to work 37
2.5 Employment support 38
2.5.1 Jobcentre Plus 38
2.5.2 Other employment support 40
2.6 Education and training 41
2.6.1 Pre-release plans and aspirations 41
2.6.2 Post-release plans and activities 42
2.7 Case studies 43
Tim's story (age 19) 43
Graham's story (age 34) 44
Daniel's story (age 37) 45
James' story (age 26) 46
3. Housing 48
3.1 Housing support in prison 49
3.2 Housing support in the community 51
3.3 Transitions on release from prison 51
3.3.1 Those intending going to the parental/family home 52
3.3.2 Those intending returning to a partner 53
3.3.3 Those intending returning alone to existing home 54
3.3.4 Those with nowhere to go on release 54
3.4 Case studies 56
Vince's story (age 43) 56
Mark's story (age 33) 57
Chris's story (age 33) 57
4. Substance misuse 58
4.1 Coming off drugs and/or alcohol while in prison 59
4.1.1 Interviewees' experiences of prison treatments for drug use 59
4.1.2 Interviewees' experiences of prison treatments for alcohol mis-use 61
4.2 Interviewees' expectations of drug use on release and support arranged 62
4.3 Drug use and support after release 63
4.3.1 Interviewees without drugs support 63
4.3.2 Interviewees with drugs support 64
4.3.3 Drug users seeking help 64
4.3.4 Interviewees abstinent from drugs 65
4.3.5 Drug use and employment 65
4.4 Interviewees' expectations of alcohol use on release and support arranged 66
4.5 Alcohol use and support after release 66
4.5.1 Alcohol use and employment 67
4.6 Case studies 68
Patrick's story (aged 35) 68
Scott's story (aged 36) 69
5. Ex-prisoner finances 70
5.1 Support in prison with benefit claims 71
5.2 The first few weeks 71
5.2.1 New benefit claims 72
5.2.2 Speed of receipt of first benefit payment 73
5.2.3 How ex-prisoners managed while waiting for their first benefit payment 74
5.2.4 Links between crime and initial financial hardship 77
5.3 Ongoing finances 77
5.3.1 Ongoing benefit claims 78
5.3.2 Supplementing benefit income 79
5.3.3 In work finances 80
5.3.4 Transitions 80
5.4 Case studies 81
Liam's story (age 20) 81
Martin's story (age 25) 82
Shane's story (age 18) 82
Steve's story age 36 82
6. Perspectives of service providers 84
6.1 Resettlement support in prisons 85
6.1.1 Resources and physical restrictions 85
6.1.2 Lack of prisoner interest/motivation 86
6.1.3 The geographical spread of prisoners within local prisons 88
6.1.4 Lack of relevance of prison industries 88
6.1.5 Other issues 89
6.2 Resettlement support in the community 89
6.2.1 Lack of prisoner interest/motivation 89
6.2.2 Reliance on referrals from other organisations 90
6.2.3 Housing issues 91
6.2.4 Lack of (funding for) training provision 93
6.2.5 Other issues 93
7. Conclusions 95
7.1 Re-offending 95
7.2 Employment 95
7.3 Housing 96
7.4 Substance misuse 97
7.5 Finances 97
7.6 Service providers' views 98
7.7 Supporting ex-prisoners in their lives after prison 98
Appendix A: Technical appendix 100
Appendix B: Prisoner interview topic guides 106
Appendix C: Staff interview schedules 135
Appendix D: Group discussion topic guide 165
References 169
Table A.1 Number of prisoners participating in each wave of fieldwork 101