Volunteering for All? A Qualitative Study of Women Ex-offenders ... · 7. What Can Make Volunteering a Good Experience? ... why volunteering had helped them. A further dimension to

www.thegriffinssociety.org

Volunteering for All?A Qualitative Study of Women Ex-offenders’ Experiences of Volunteering

Clare Taylor

Research Paper2008/01

VolunteeringforAll? 2008

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Acknowledgements

Iwouldliketothankthefollowingpeoplefortheirparticipation,supportandencouragementwiththisresearchproject.Iamextremelygratefulfortheopportunitytoconductthispieceofresearch.

Theeightwomenwhoparticipatedinmyinterviews,thankyouforyourhonesty,opennessandwillingnessDrDavidDownes,LondonSchoolofEconomicsDrKateSteward,formerDirector,TheGriffinsSocietyCathyStancer,previousDirectorofWomeninPrisonStevenHowlett,RoehamptonUniversityTheGriffinsSocietyCouncilfortheopportunitytoconductthispieceofresearchandconstructivefeedbackthroughouttheyearNumerousprofessionalswhoassistedmewithinformationandtheirtime,inparticularBenGattyandGregMandelman


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Contents1. Introduction

ResearchAimsMethodofDataCollectionTheSampleGroupReliabilityandValidityTheOutcomes

2. VolunteeringinContext

DefiningVolunteeringWherePeopleVolunteerTheExtentofVolunteeringVolunteeringOpportunitiesWhoVolunteers?

3. WomeninPrison

VolunteeringwithinPrisonsListenerSchemesVolunteeringintheCommunityfromPrisonGainingSelfConfidenceFeelingNormalNotHavingtoDiscloseConvictionsTheImportanceofSupport

4. WomenafterPrison

LackofSupportWhatSupportdoWomenNeed?PracticalSupportTheRehabilitationofOffendersAct(1974)andCriminalRecordBureauchecksDisclosingConvictionsEmotionalSupportWhatabouttheRisks?

5. TheBenefitsofVolunteering

VolunteeringasaWorkTasterDevelopingSoftSkillsChangingWaysofThinkingDevelopingSelfConfidenceinWorkRelatedSkills

6. TheDisadvantagesofVolunteering

BoringandRepetitiveWorkExploitationLackofSupportandSupervisionWorkingfornoPaymentVolunteeringaLongTermProcess

7. WhatCanMakeVolunteeringaGoodExperience?


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IndividualisedVolunteeringTrainingTheImportanceofStructureandSupportNextSteps

8. ConclusionsandRecommendations

References


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CHAPTERONE–INTRODUCTIONInrecentyears,therehasbeenanincreasedinterestinvolunteering,withnumerousgovernment

iniativeslaunchedtoencouragepeopletogetmoreinvolved.Machin(2005)namesthreeexamples

ofsuchinitiatives;MillenniumVolunteers(aimedatincreasingparticipationinvolunteeringof18‐24

yearolds),theBlackandMinorityEthnicTwinningInitiative(toincreaseinvolvementamongstblack

andethnicminoritygroups)andtheHomeOfficeOlderVolunteers’Initiative(toimprovethe

quantityandqualityofopportunitiesforthoseover50yearsold).Volunteeringhasbecomebig

businesswithmoreandmoreopportunitiesavailableandrecordnumbersofpeoplevolunteering.

Nationalstatisticssuggestthatbetween2001and2003,thenumbersofpeoplevolunteering

formallyhadincreasedbyapproximately1.5million(HomeOffice,2004).

TheretoohasbeenafocusonincreasingvolunteeringwithintheCriminalJusticeSystem,withthe

mainaimbeingtoreducelevelsofre‐offending.InMay2007,TheNationalOffenderManagement

Service(NOMS)producedaconsultationdocumenttitledVolunteerscan:TowardsaVolunteering

StrategytoReduceRe‐Offending.Containedwithinthedocumentisavisionforhowopportunities

whichallowvolunteerstogointoprisonstosupportoffenderscanbringadditionalskillsand

expertisetotheworkoftheprisonservice.Additionally,offendersvolunteeringwhilstinprisonand

aftertheirrelease,canbuildtheirconfidenceandselfesteem.Insum,thesetwotogether:

‘provideanopportunityforcommunitiestohelpreducere‐offending,whichisofbenefitnot

only to offenders, but also to their families, victims and society as awhole’ (NOMS, 2007,

p.5).

TheNOMSstrategyhasfourkeyaims,whichare;toincreasethenumberanddiversityofvolunteers;

tobecomemorestrategicinvolunteerdevelopment;toimprovesupporttovolunteers;andto

establishtheimpactofvolunteering.Todatetherehasbeenverylittleresearchconductedintothe


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issuesandimpactsofoffendersorex‐offendersvolunteering.AlthoughtheNOMS(2007)document

doesmentionthebenefitsforoffendersofvolunteering,thefocusismoreon(law‐abiding)

volunteersgoingintoprisonsfromthecommunity.

Farrant&Levenson(2002)carriedoutresearchonbehalfofPrisonReformTrustintovolunteering

amongstprisonersandthebenefitsitcouldmaketoboththeindividualsinvolvedandtotheprison

environment.Theyarguedthat‘volunteeringcanincreasetheconfidenceandself‐esteemof

prisonersbyallowingthemtotakeresponsibilityatatimewhenmostdecisionsaremadefor,rather

thanbythem’(p.36).However,theyfoundthattherewerefarfeweropportunitiesforwomen

prisonerstovolunteerthantherewereformen.Theydidnotgoontoexploreoffenders

volunteeringaftertheirreleasefromprison.

ResearchbyEllis,HowlettandO’Brien(2004)exploredthelinkbetweenvolunteeringandsocial

exclusion.Theyhighlightedthebarrierstoformalvolunteeringfacedbyindividualsfromblackand

minorityethnicgroups,disabledpeopleandpeoplefromanoffendingbackground–allofwhom

havebeenidentifiedasbeingunder‐representedinformalvolunteering.Whilstoffenderswere

includedinthisresearch,therewaslessfocusonthemthanontheothertwogroupssothereare

stillunexploredquestionsabouttheirparticipationin,andexperiencesof,volunteering.

Neitherpieceofresearchfocusedspecificallyontheexperiencesofwomen.Itwouldappearfroma

reviewoftheliteraturethatthereseemstobealackofresearchintooffendersandex‐offenders

volunteering.Itisfelt,therefore,thatthiscouldbeatimelyandworthwhilepieceofresearch.

Myinitialinterestcamefrommyexperienceofworkingonaneducation,trainingandemployment

projectinLondonfortwoyears,whichwasspecificallysetuptoprovidesupporttowomenafter

theirreleasefromprison.Someofthewomenwhotookpartintheprojectundertookvoluntary

workasawayofgainingworkexperienceinordertomoveontopaidemploymentinthefuture.


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ThewomenappearedtobenefitagreatdealfromtheirvolunteeringandIwasinterestedinhow

andwhyvolunteeringhadhelpedthem.

Afurtherdimensiontotheresearchismyownpersonalexperienceofbeingawomanex‐offender

andspendingperiodsoftimeincustodyinthelate1990’stoearly2000’s.Bringingthose

experiencesintothisresearch,Iamdrawntowardsfeministstandpointepistemology,whichis

concernedwithbuildingknowledgeandempowermentthroughwomen’slivedexperience.

AccordingtoBrooks(2007,p.55)‘Feministstandpointepistemologyisauniquephilosophyof

knowledgebuildingthatchallengesusto(1)seeandunderstandtheworldthroughtheeyesand

experiencesofoppressedwomenand(2)applythevisionandknowledgeofoppressedwomento

socialactivismandsocialchange’.Whilstsomemayquestionthecharacterisationofwomen

prisonersasoppressedwomen,itshouldbenotedthatmanycomefrombackgroundsofabuse,

exploitationandpoverty.Brooks(ibid)arguesthat‘whilemanythousandsofmen’sliveshavebeen

recognizedandrecordedforcenturiesandacrosscultures,women’slifestorieshavebeen

documentedfarlessoften’.Myexperiencesofbeingawomanprisonerandtodayanex‐prisoner

haveshapedandalteredmyperceptionoftheworld,forwhichImakenoapologies.Whilstthis

pieceofresearchisnotabout‘tellingmystory’,therewillbepointsinthispaperwhereIusesome

ofmyexperiencestoaddfurtherdepthtothestoriestoldtomebythewomenwhomIinterviewed.

ResearchAims

Theaimofconductingthispieceofresearchwastoexplorewomenex‐offenders’experiencesof

volunteering.Therehasbeenafocusonincreasinglevelsofparticipationinvolunteeringinrecent

yearsbutvolunteeringopportunitiesforoffendersandex‐offendershavebeenneglected,despite

thefactthatitisarguedthatvolunteeringcanhelpreducere‐offending‐akeyaimofthecurrent

government.


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Theobjectivewastodiscoverwhetherwomenwhohadvolunteeredfoundittobeapositiveand

beneficialexperience.Theresearchexaminedthewiderissuesaroundvolunteeringandbydoingso

soughttodrawupagoodpracticeguide,whichcouldbeusedbyorganisationsinterestedin

providingvolunteeringopportunitiestoex‐offendersaswellasprisonstaffworkinginprisoner

resettlement.Afurtheraimwastoraiseawarenessofthespecificissuesforwomenex‐offenders

whilstatthesametimegivinghopetoanyfemaleex‐offenderswhomayreadthisdocument.

METHODOLOGY

MethodofDataCollection

Thetechniquesusedtocollectdataforthisresearchwereprimarilyqualitative,partlyduetotime

constraintsbutalsobecausethismethodwasthoughttobethemostappropriateinordertogaina

deeperinsightintotheexperiencesofwomenex‐offendersvolunteeringandalsoorganisations

workingwithwomenex‐offenders.Asemi‐structuredinterviewwasused,whichprovideda

commonframeworkforallinterviewsbutalsoallowedforindividualflexibility,enablingeach

womantofeelcomfortableandtalkaboutwhattheyfeltwasimportantwithintheinterview.

Intotal,eightwomenwereinterviewedforthisresearch.Ithadoriginallybeentheaimtointerview

between10and15womenbut,duetotimeconstraintsandworkcommitments,thiswasnot

possible.AfterdiscussionswithotherFellowsandGriffinsCouncilmembers,itwasdecidedthat

eightwasanadequatenumberofwomentouseforthisresearch.Theintervieweeswereidentified

andselectedfromwomenwhohadtakenpartintheemploymentprojectIhadbeenworkingonand

alsowomenwhovolunteeredtobeinterviewedafterhearingaboutmyresearchandhadatsome

pointbeeninvolvedinvoluntarywork.

ItwashopedthatIwouldinterviewwomenwhohadnotvolunteeredtofindoutwhattheir

perceptionsofvolunteeringwereandalsotointerviewwomenwhohadstartedvolunteeringbut


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notcontinuedtofindoutwhyandwhattheirexperienceshadbeen.Unfortunatelyitwasmuch

moredifficulttoaccessthesewomenandsoalloftheintervieweeswerewomenwhowere

currentlyvolunteeringorwhohadbeenactiveinvolunteeringinthepast.Allinterviewsweretape

recordedandconsentgainedfromthewomenbeforehand.Thewomenwereremindedthat

everythingwasconfidentialandthattheycouldstoptheinterviewatanytimeanddeclinetoanswer

anythingtheyfeltuncomfortablewith.Eachinterviewlastedbetween30‐60minutes.

Afurthertwoface‐to‐faceinterviewswereconductedwithmanagersofvoluntarysector

organisations;oneorganisationwhichsupportedpeoplewithahistoryofsubstancemisuseandan

offendingbackgroundintovoluntaryworkandanotherwhichprovidedservicestopeoplewith

mentalhealthproblemsandusedalargenumberofvolunteers,someofwhomwereex‐offenders.

Questionnaireswerealsodevisedtogatherinformationfromindividualsworkingwithinvoluntary

sectororganisationsabouttheirperceptionsofex‐offendersandtheexperiencesofthosewhichhad

workedwithex‐offenders.ThequestionnairewaspostedonTheGriffinsSocietywebsiteandalso

advertisedthroughtheClinksnetworkandthroughVolunteeringEnglandnewsletter.Intotal,13

individualsfromdifferentorganisationsrespondedbyfillinginthequestionnaire.

TheSampleGroup

Evenwiththeauthor’scloseworkconnectionstowomenprisonersandex‐prisonersandin

particularthosewhowereorwhohadvolunteered,itwasnotstraightforwardtoaccesswomento

interviewabouttheirexperiences.Initially,aroundtwentywomenwerecontactedbyletter

explainingaboutthenatureandpurposeofmyresearchandaskingiftheywouldagreetotakepart.

Thiswassuccessfulinprovidingmewithfiveinterviews.Theauthoraimedtorecruitmorewomen

forinterviewsbyadvertisingonUnlockwebsitebut,unfortunately,thisonlyattractedmaleex‐

offenders.Theremainingintervieweescameaboutduringthecourseoftheresearchby


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professionalswhowereawareofmyresearchspeakingtowomenaboutitwhothenagreedtotake

part.ThetwoprofessionalsIinterviewedwereselectedaftertheyrespondedtomyquestionnaire.

ReliabilityandValidity

Astherewereonlyasmallnumberofwomeninterviewedfortheresearch,thefindingscannotbe

usedtogeneraliseaboutwomenex‐offenders’experiencesofvolunteering.Onthewhole,this

reportfocusesonthepositiveaspectsofvolunteeringbecausethisiswhatthewomenfocusedon.

Thisisnottosaythatpeople’sexperiencesofvolunteeringarealwayspositive,rather,asapictureof

whatworks,theissuesandthemesbroughtupwithinthereportcouldbeusedasaguideto

providingqualityvolunteeringplacements.Additionally,allthewomenwhowereinterviewedfor

theresearchwerelivinginLondon,sothefindingsmayhavealocalratherthananational

resonance.

TheOutcomes

Itishopedthatthefindingsofthisresearchwillyieldrealinsightsintoanunder‐researchedissue

andcreateagreaterawarenessofthespecificissuesanddisadvantagesfacingwomenex‐offenders.

Theycouldalsobeusedasaguidefororganisationswhichareinterestedininvolvingex‐offendersas

volunteerswithintheirorganisationsinthefutureaswellasprisonstaffworkingwithinprisoner

resettlement.


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CHAPTER2–VOLUNTEERINGINCONTEXT

ThefollowingchaptersfocusontheexperiencesoftheeightwomenwhomIinterviewedformy

researchaswellasfeaturinginputfromprofessionalswhohaveworkedwithoffendersandex‐

offenders.Byexploringthecommonthemeswhichemergedfromtalkingtothewomen,Iaimto

buildupapictureinthereader’smindofthejourneythesewomenwentthroughoncetheymade

thedecisiontovolunteer.Themesincludethebenefitsandpotentialnegativeaspectsof

volunteeringaswellassomeofthewiderissuesaroundvolunteeringwhicharespecifictothose

disadvantagedbyhavingacriminalrecord,inthiscasewomen.Thischapterwillattempttodefine

whatismeantbytheterm‘volunteering’andputvolunteeringintocontext,beforemovingontothe

nextchapterswhichlookatsomeofthethemeswhichemergedfromtheinterviews.

Definingvolunteering

Inthisresearch,Ihavebeenfocusingontheexperiencesofwomenwhohavebeenvolunteering

withinorganisations,whatcanbetermed‘formalvolunteering’.Thereisnooneaccepteddefinition

offormalvolunteeringwithintheUnitedKingdom,althoughvariousdefinitionscanbefoundin

governmentreportsandresearchpapers.TheCompactCodeofGoodPracticeonVolunteering

(2005,p.4)definesvolunteeringas:

‘An activity that involves spending time, unpaid, doing something that aims to benefit theenvironmentorindividualsorgroupsotherthan(orinadditionto)closerelatives’.

Theyalsogoontogivealongercontext‐settingdescriptionofvolunteeringbyaddingthat(ibid):

‘Volunteering isanimportantexpressionofcitizenshipandfundamentaltodemocracy. It isthecommitmentoftimeandenergyforthebenefitofsocietyandthecommunity,andcantake many forms. It is freely undertaken and not for financial gain. The principle of non‐payment of volunteers is central to this Code and to the wider sector and society’sunderstandingofvolunteering’.


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Theyfinallysaythat(p.4):

‘Peoplevolunteerformanydifferentreasons.Theymaychoosetovolunteertodevelopskillsorgainexperience,tosocialiseortogivesomethingbacktosociety.Theymayalsovolunteerbecause they feel a moral duty or compelling reasons to take part in voluntary action orsupportaparticularcause.Thekeyelementisthatitisfreelyundertaken’.

Theextentofvolunteering

Withinthevoluntarysector,volunteersmakeahugecontribution.Themostup‐to‐datestatisticson

volunteeringcanbefoundwithintheDepartmentforCommunitiesandLocalGovernmentSurvey

(2007‐2008).Thesurveysuggestedthat73%ofthepopulationinEnglandandWaleshad

volunteeredformallyatleastonceinthelasttwelvemonthsand48%volunteeredatleastoncea

month.AreportpublishedbyNCVO(Clarketal,2006)suggeststhatitwouldrequireanestimated

1.1millionfulltimeworkerstoreplacetheformalvolunteerswhichcurrentlyvolunteerforvoluntary

sectororganisations.Thisiswellovertwicethenumberoffulltimepaidemployeescurrently

workinginthevoluntarysector.Theyestimatethattoreplacethosevolunteerswouldcost£25.4

billion(basedonthenationalaveragewage).Itisperhapsnotsurprisingthatvolunteeringissuch

bigbusinesswhenvolunteersmakesuchacontributiontotheeconomy.

Volunteeringopportunities

Therangeofvolunteeringopportunitiesthesedaysarevastwithawholerangeofvoluntarysector

organisationsoutthere,providingservicestomeettheneedsofmanydifferentsectionsofsociety,

including:women,peoplewithdisabilities,youngpeople,blackandminorityethnicgroupsand

peoplewithmentalhealthproblems.Volunteerscandoallsortsofthings,frombefriending

someonewhofeelsisolated,toassistingwithsportsevents,tohelpingoutacharitywithofficework.

Someorganisationsarelookingforvolunteerswithcertainskills,butmostgivefulltrainingandare

justlookingforsomeonewhoisenthusiastic.Itisalsonowrelativelyeasyforpeopletofindout


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aboutopportunities,providingtheyhavetheresourcesandabilitiestoaccessthem,bygettingin

touchwiththeirlocalvolunteerbureauorbysearchingonlinethroughadatabaseofvolunteering

opportunities.

Ithas,however,beensuggestedthatvolunteeringisconceptualisedtoonarrowlybysomepeople

andseenassomethingwhichiscarriedoutbythosewhoarewhite,middleagedandmiddleclass

(Machin,2005).Thiscanexcludeindividualsandgroupswhodonotseethemselvesasfitting

intothosegroups.Ithasalsobeennotedthatbecause‘volunteering’isconstruedsonarrowly,

manyunderstandittoinvolveonlyalimitednumberofactivitiesandconsequentlydonot

identifywithitorseehowitcouldberelevanttothem(ibid).Thefollowingtwoquotesby

womentakingpartinmyresearchdemonstratethisparticularlywell:

‘BeforeIwenttoprison,Ididn’tknowwhatvoluntarymeant...Ithoughtitwasjustfreeworkand it was just people who would make cups of tea for people. Now I’ve realised thevoluntary sector is big and there’s lots of people that volunteer and sometimes you don’trealisewhose volunteeringandwhose not’ (womenex‐prisonerwho volunteeredwhilst inprison).

‘I’dalwaysthoughtthatvolunteeringwasjustlikeinacharityshoporanoldpeople’shomeand youwere the personwhomopped the floors or skivvied around in an organisation. Idon’tknowwhetherI’vejustbeenluckywiththeorganisationthatIstartedwithbutIdidn’trealise just how many opportunities would open up’ (women ex‐offender who currentlyvolunteers).

Whovolunteers?

The1997NationalSurveyofVolunteering(Davis‐Smith,J,1998)foundthat:

� Youngpeoplearelesslikelytobeinvolvedinvoluntaryworkthanthoseovertheageof45

� Peopleearningmorethan£25,000ayeararemorelikelytovolunteerthanthoseonlow

incomes

� Menandwomenareequallylikelytovolunteer


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Chaptersummary

Thischapterhasattemptedtodefineandputvolunteeringintocontext.Thedefiningfeaturesof

volunteeringarethatitisfreelyundertaken,unpaidandthatitisanactivitywhichaimstobenefit

thewidercommunity.Therearenowmorepeoplevolunteeringandawiderrangeofvolunteering

opportunitiesavailabletopeople.Mostvolunteeringtakesplacewithinvoluntaryandcommunity

groupswherevolunteersmakeahugecontributionwithoutwhich,someorganisationsmaynotbe

abletocontinuetheirwork.Despitethefactthatvolunteeringhasgrownandgonethrough

somethingofanimagemake‐over,somepeoplemaystillperceiveitasbeingirrelevanttotheirlives.


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CHAPTERTHREE–WOMENINPRISON

Fouroftheeightwomeninterviewedforthisresearchmadethedecisiontostartvolunteeringwhilst

theywerestillinprison.Thesefourwomenwereallservinglongersentences(fouryearsandover)

andsohadmoretimetobecomeawareofvolunteeringopportunitiesavailablewithintheirprisons

andbeeligibletovolunteeroutinthecommunitytowardstheendoftheirprisonsentences,

workingtowardsresettlingbackintothecommunity.

Volunteeringwithinprisons

Thevolunteeringexperiencemaybeginforsomeprisonerswithintheprisonwalls.Insomeprisons,

thereareopportunitiesforprisonerstoprovidesupport,adviceorinformationservicestoother

prisonersthroughavarietyofpeersupportschemeswhichhavebeensetupovertheyears.Such

schemesincludeadviceandinformationaroundhousing,educationandemploymenttosupporting

prisonerswithalcoholandsubstancemisuseissuesornewprisonerswhentheyarriveintoprisonon

firstnightincustodyschemes.Farrant&Levenson(2002,p.36)arguedthat:

‘although physically removed from society, people in prison can play a valuable role as

volunteers’.

Peersupportisbasedupontheprinciplethatpeoplehavesomethingtooffereachother,which

cannotbeprovidedbyotherprofessionals.Perhapsthemostwellknownandwellestablishedpeer

supportschemeistheListenerScheme.

ListenerSchemes

ThefirstListenerSchemewassetupinHMPSwanseain1991andnowoperatesin85percentof

prisonsduetoitssuccessofreducingincidentsofself‐harm(Farrant&Levenson,2002).Theaimof

theserviceistoprovideaconfidentialsupportservicetodistressedprisoners,whooftenmayfeel


16

depressedandsuicidalbecauseoftheirimprisonment.Listenersaretrainedandsupportedby

Samaritanstafftobefriendsuchprisonersduringtimesofparticulardistressandhelptoreduce

feelingsofisolation.

Oneintervieweetoldmeaboutherfirstexperienceofvolunteeringwhilstinprisonasalistener:

‘MyfirstvoluntaryrolewaswiththeSamaritansinHollowayasalistener.ThereasonIwentintothatwasbecauseIfeltthatIhadaskill,becausepeopleusedtocometomeandtellmeeverythingandtalktomeandsomeonesaidwhydon’tyoubecomealistener?IfoundthatitgavemetimetonotthinkaboutmyownproblemsandthinkaboutotherpeoplesandIthinkyou gain strength within yourself. It also gets you out of your cell, which is a big, bigthing...huge’.

Forthiswoman,itwasanextremelypositiveexperiencewhichhelpedhercopewithherown

imprisonmentaswellasleadingintoothervoluntaryworkandeventuallypaidwork,asherskillsand

confidencedeveloped.However,shedidn’tfeelthatvolunteeringwaspromotedwellwithinthe

prisonandthatmanywomenweren’tawareoftheopportunitieswhichcouldbeavailabletothem,

shesaid:

‘IwasjustluckythatIwasintherightplaceattherighttimeandItalktoeveryoneanywayanditwaswordofmouth, like‘she’squitegoodatthat,youshouldaskhertodothatandthenIwasapproachedtobeapeersupporter. Itwasn’tactuallypromotedfromtheprisonside, it wasmore the outside agencieswhichwere promoting it. I think it’s important topromote volunteer work within the prisons because until they actually do it, the womenwon’trealisethepotentialthey’veactuallygottogoandgetpaidemployment’.

SimilarfindingswerefoundbyFarrant&Levenson(2002)study;althoughtherewasgoodwork

occurringwithinindividualprisons,itwasoftenaresultofindividualcommittedstaffmembersand

notbecauseofacoherentstrategy.Theyalsofoundthattherewereconsiderablyfewer

opportunitiesforfemaleprisonerstovolunteerthantherewereformaleprisoners.

AsonewomanIinterviewedsaid:

‘To be honest, I’m sure if thewomenwere given opportunities, especially fromprison, theprisonenvironmentwouldbeamuchbetterplace.InaplacelikeHolloway,alotofwomen


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are in the building andnochanceof fresh air,onlyhalf an houra day in theweek andanhourintheweekend.Iftheyhadsomethingtodo,voluntaryworkwhetheritwasinoroutoftheprison,itwouldmakepeoplefeelvaluedandmoreappreciated’.

Volunteeringinthecommunityfromprison

Therecanbeopportunitiesforprisonerstovolunteeroutsidetheprisonwallsforexternal

organisations,providingthatprisonersareeligibletoapplyforaresettlementlicence.However,

theseareonlyopentoasmallpercentageofprisoners.ThePrisonReformTruststudy(Farrant&

Levenson,2002,p.24)intovolunteeringwithinprisonsfoundthatinall,only1.05percentof

prisoners,oronein95prisonerswerevolunteeringoutsideoftheprisonenvironment.Inorderto

qualify,aprisonermustbesentenced,servingoveratwelvemonthsentenceandhavecompleteda

thirdoftheirtotalsentenceorfourmonths,whicheverislonger.Theymustalsopassarisk

assessment.Asmanywomeninprisonareonlyservingshortsentencesforminoroffencesand

almosttwo‐thirdsofallwomenreceivedintoprisonperyearareonremand(HomeOffice,2003)

mostarenoteligibleforthis.Thisislikelytobethereasonwhyofthoseinterviewed,onlywomen

whohadbeenservinglongersentenceshadvolunteeredoutinthecommunitywhilstinprison.

Volunteeringcanoffermanybenefitstoprisonersby,forexample:improvingtheirchancesof

gainingemploymentbythemgainingworkexperience,improvingtheirskillsandconfidenceand

enablingthemtogainarecentworkreference.Forlongertermprisonerswhoarelikelytobefaced

onreleasewithalabourmarketwhichhaschangedduringtheirtimeinprison,itcanbeawayof

gainingnewskillsrelevanttothelabourmarket.Particularlyforwomenprisoners,whoasagroup

aredisadvantagedintermsofworkhistory,(41percenthadnoworkhistoryatallaccordingtothe

SocialExclusionUnitReport,2002)itcouldbetheirfirstexperienceofbeinginvolvedinanykindof

work.Itisalsoimportantinenablingprisonerstobecomefamiliarwiththeoutsideworldafter


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beingimprisoned,oftenforlongperiodsoftime.ForthewomenIinterviewedwhowereinvolvedin

volunteeringoutsideoftheprisonwalls,therewerebenefitswhichwillbediscussedbelow.

Gainingselfconfidence

Manywomenwhoenterprisonhavealreadyexperiencedextremehardshipsintheirlivesandcome

fromdisadvantagedbackgroundscharacterisedbyabuse,addictionandpoverty;prisoncouldbe

seentofurtherstigmatiseandcharacterisethemas‘damagedwomen’.BaronessCorston

conductedareviewofvulnerablewomencaughtupinthecriminaljusticesystemandnotedthat,in

general,vulnerablewomeninprisonweremothers,hadsubstancemisuseandalcoholproblems.

Theyhadbeensexuallyorphysicallyharmedandabused(sometimesboth),hadself‐harmed,

sufferedfrommentalhealthproblemsandwerepoor(HomeOffice2007).

Similarfindingsarenotedintheliterature.Forexample,Borrilletal(2001)indicatedintheir

researchthatalmosttwo‐thirdsofwomeninprisonhaveadrugproblem,whileotherresearchhas

suggestedthatoverhalfofwomeninprisonhavesuffereddomesticviolenceandoneinthreehas

experiencedsexualabuse(Singletonetal,1998).ThePrisonService(2004)suggestedthatin2003,

30percentofwomenwerereportedtohaveharmedthemselvescomparedwithjustsixpercentof

men.Althoughwomenmadeupjustsixpercentoftheprisonpopulationatthetime,they

accountedfor46percentofallrecordedself‐harmincidents.AccordingtoSingletonetal(1998),

two‐thirdsofwomeninprisonshowsymptomsofatleastoneneuroticdisorder,suchasdepression,

anxietyandphobiasandmorethanhalfaresufferingfromapersonalitydisorder.Amongstthe

generalpopulation,lessthanonefifthofwomensufferfromthesedisorders(ibid).Muchhasbeen

writtenovertheyearsaboutthepovertyofmanywomenwhogotoprison.Carlen(1988)argued

thatcrimeisoftenalogicalresponsetowomen’spositionandawayofescapingtheirsituationof

livinginpoverty.


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Corstonalsofoundthatalthoughthewomenshemetindifferentprisonsappearedconfidentatfirst

andwereloud,thiswasusedtomasktheirvulnerabilitiesandlackofself‐confidenceandself‐

esteem(HomeOffice2007).Whenyoulookatthebackgroundsofmanyofthewomenwhoendup

inprison,itisnotsurprisingthattheylackself‐confidenceandbelief.Theymayhavebeen

imprisonedforbeingoffendersbutmany,althoughtheywouldnotwantthemselvesdefinedinthis

way,havebeenvictimsthemselves.

However,itisnotjustthebackgroundsofthewomen’slivesthatcanaffecttheirself‐confidencebut

theactualday‐to‐dayrealityofimprisonmentandthelackofnormalsocialinteractionsthatwe

oftentakeforgranted.

Onewomanintervieweesaid:

‘Afterbeing inprison for so longyou justgetused tobeingamongst femalesand thestaffmembers soyoudon’thaveconfidenceabout reintegratingwithotherpeople exceptwhenyou’re on visits. It gaveme the confidence to sit downand talk to people again. If I hadcomestraightoutandnotdonevoluntaryworkitwouldhavebeenverydifficultandIwouldprobablyhavebeenmorenervous’.

Thisisnottosaythatimprisonmentdoesnotaffectmaleprisonersinsimilarways,butthatfor

women,particularlybecauseinWesternculturewomen’sidentityisconstructedaroundnotionsof

feminityandtheirrolesasmothersandcarers,therecanbeanaddedelementofshameandthat

theyarebeingpunishedforbeing‘badwomen’.

Aworkerfromawellknownorganisationthatplacesoffendersintovoluntaryworktowardstheend

oftheirsentencessaid:

‘Wenoticethatwomenoffendersareoftenlessconfidentthanmenandalotmorereluctanttotalkabouttheiroffences’.


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Feelingnormal

Afterspendingtimeinprisonthereisoftenthefeelingofbeingdifferentandnotlike‘normal’

people.Volunteeringcanhelptomakeprisonersfeelapartofsocietyagainandgainsomesortof

normalitybeforetheyarereleased.

Oneintervieweewhohadvolunteeredtowardstheendofhersentencesaid:

‘It’s a way of gaining your own confidence again, for being out there and having to getdressedupandgotoworkeveryday,whenyou’reonthetrainyou’rejustlikeeveryoneelseandyou’regoingtowork.It’sagoodfeeling’.

Anotherintervieweesaid:

‘Itgivesme thechance togetused to theoutsideworldandnot feel isolated in theprisonenvironment,youcangetusedtothatinstitutionalfeelingandfeellostwhenyougoout’.

Ihadtheopportunityofbeingabletovolunteeroutsideoftheprisontowardstheendofmyprison

sentenceandithelpedmebecomefamiliarwithbeingoutsideagainandhavingnormalsocial

interactionswithpeopleoutsidetheprison.Thiswasthestartofmefeeling,insomeway,likea

humanbeingagain,althoughnothingcanprepareprisonersforhowtheywillfeeluponrelease,

particularlyafterservingalongtermsentence(overfouryears).

Nothavingtodiscloseconvictions

Formanypeoplewithacriminalrecord,especiallythosewhohavebeentoprison,thethoughtof

havingtodisclosetheirconvictionstopotentialemployers,completeacriminalrecordscheckand

facenegativeattitudestowardsthembecauseoftheirconvictionscanbeahugeworry(thiswillbe

discussedinfurtherdetaillaterinthispaperasitwasdiscussedwithallinterviewees,notjustthose

whohadvolunteeredwhilstinprison).Sometimes,thefearcanbesogreatthattheywouldrather

notgothroughwithit.


21

Securingvoluntaryworkwhilstinprisoncantakesomeofthepressureoff,astheprisonerknows

thattheorganisationinvolvedwillbemadeawareoftheirsituationofbeinginprison.Someone

fromtheprisonliaiseswiththeorganisationontheirbehalfandsotheprisonercanfeelabitmore

atease.

Oneintervieweesaid:

‘ThereasonwhyIdidn’thavetodoanyofthosechecksisbecauseIwasstillinprison,semi‐openprisonwhenItookthejobs,sotheprisonorganiseditforyoubasically. I’msure, theorganisationwhereIwasworking,workingwithvulnerableadults,thatwhateveryourcrimeyou would have to do a CRB check and I don’t know how theywould viewmy particularoffence. I was not lucky, but it was good forme that I was in therewhen I got the jobsbecauseIdon’tknowthatIwouldhavegotthemoffmyownback,Idon’tknow‘cosI’venottried’.

Althoughtheissueofdisclosureisstillgoingtocomeupforprisonersandex‐prisonersinthefuture,

beingacceptedbyanorganisationthefirsttimemayincreasesomeone’sself‐confidenceandmake

itmorelikelythattheywouldconsiderapplyingforvoluntaryorpaidworkinthefuture.

Theimportanceofsupport

Somethingwhichcameupinmostoftheinterviewswashowimportantitwastohavesomeone

frominsidetheprison,towhomthewomencouldturntoforsupport.Onewomanwho

volunteeredforthelastyearofherprisonsentence,talkedaboutherexperienceofthis:

‘IwasstillinprisonwhenIwasvolunteeringbuttheguythatgetsthegirlstheworkhe’salsolikeourmentor,someonewecanalwaysgotoifwe’vegotanyproblems,positivestufftoo;hewasfantasticandhewasreallyhandson.Hewasn’tsomeonewhogotyouthejobandthenwentonto thenext person,he used to pop inandseeus atwork andseewewas allright. Youknewthathewasn’t therecheckingup onus,hewasmakingsure thatwewasgetting treated properly. Hewas fantastic and I think it’s quite important that you havesomeone,beitagrouporonepersonwhoyoucanfallbackon,especiallyinoursituationasoffendersorex‐offenders, youneedsomeonewhoyoucan fallbackonandmakesureyouarebeingtreatedproperly’.


22

Inevitably,therearegoingtobeissuesthatcomeupwhensomeonevolunteersfromwithinprison.

Theymaynotwantpeopletoknowthattheyareinprisonandbeuncertainaboutexactlywhois

awareofit.Theymayfaceembarrassmentwhenfacedwithdifficultquestionsor,ifpeoplearen’t

awareoftheirsituation,feelbadathavingtoconstantlypassupinvitationstoattendsocialevents

outsideofworkinghours.Onewomantalkedaboutherexperienceofhavingtodealwithquestions

fromcolleagues:

‘WhereIwasworkingitwasareallybigbuilding,aboutfortypeopleworkinginthereandIknowforafactnotallofthemknewwhereIwassosometimesitgotabitdifficultlikewheredoyourchildrengotoschoolandhowcomeyoutravelsofarifyousayyoulivein*****andIwasgoingallthewayto*****andifsomeoneasksyouwhereyouliveyounaturallysayitwithout thinking. A couple of people didn’t know initially and then they found out and Iwasn’t aware that they’ve found out but they never treated me any different, they werereally kind and therewasno negativity frompeople itwas justme feeling awkwardabouthowtoanswertheirquestions’.

Insomecases,itwasreassuringtoknowthattherewasexternalsupportavailable,evenifthey

didn’tneedtousethemforawhile.Onewomansaid:

‘It’s important to have someonewho knowswhere you’re coming fromand to be there ifyou’ve had a bad experience that day, for example: if someone has just found out whatyou’vedoneorthatyou’reanex‐offenderandthey’ve treatedyoulikecrap. Someoneyoucangotoandsaythismademefeellikethis.Ithelpsevenifyoudon’tusethemforamonth,toknowthatthey’rethereifyouneedthem.Ithinkit’sreallyimportant’.


23

Chaptersummary

Therearearangeofvolunteeropportunitiesavailableforprisonershowever,theyareoftennotwell

publicisedwithinprisonsandthereisalackofstrategicleadershipforvolunteering.Therearefewer

opportunitiesforwomenprisonerstovolunteerthanmaleprisonersandoften,womenprisoners

maybepreventedfromvolunteeringinthecommunityaspartoftheirresettlementbecausethey

areservingshortsentences.Whenwomenprisonersaregiventheopportunitytovolunteer,itcan

havemanybenefitsforthem,including;allowingthemtogainselfconfidence,feeling‘normal’,

enablingthemtobecomefamiliarwiththeoutsideworldbeforetheirreleaseandhelpingtoreduce

feelingsofisolationwhilsttheyareinprison.However,ifwomenaretotakepartinvoluntarywork,

eitherwithintheprisonoroutinthecommunityondayreleasefromprison,havingsomeonetoturn

toforsupportiscrucial.


24

CHAPTERFOUR–WOMENAFTERPRISON

Womenarefacedwithalargenumberofissuesupontheirrelease,includingtryingtogainaccessto

andreformbondswiththeirchildren,securingaccommodation,securingbenefitentitlementsand

tryingtosecureemployment.Unlesswomendoreceiveadequatesupportaftertheirrelease,

whichcanaidtheminsuccessfully‘resettling’backintotheircommunities,reoffendingismore

likely.Wordssuchas‘resettlement’and‘reintegration’aremisleadingwordsastheyimplythat

individualswere‘settled’and‘integrated’intheircommunitiesbeforetheyenteredprison,which

manywerenot(seeforexampleRaynor,2007).However,evidenceshowsoneofthemostthingsin

assistingoffenderstosettleandstayawayfromcrimeandleadlawabidinglivesisgaining

employment.TheTradeUnionCongress(TUC)hasarguedthat:

‘Helpingex‐offendersintojobsisoneofthemosteffectivewaysofpreventingthemfromre‐offending:allofusarelesslikelytobevictimsofcrimeifwecanhelpex‐offendersintowork’(TradeUnionCongress,2001,citedinFarrant&Levenson,2001,p,3).

However,althoughemploymentmaybeanimportantpartoftheresettlementprocess,women

experiencesignificantbarrierstogainingemploymentonreleasefromprison(Cox,2001,quotedin

McPherson,2007).Gelsthorpeetal(2007,p.13)pointoutthelackofavailabilityofwomenspecific

communityprovisionandworkplacements.Furthermore,manywantandindeedneedtowork,but

facedwithdifficultieswithhousing,health,communityandfamilyreintegration,employmentis

oftennotthenumberonepriority.

Eaton(1993)interviewed34womenex‐prisonerswhohadmanagedtotransformandmoveforward

withtheirlives.Shefoundthattransformationoccurredasaresultofaccesstoadequatehousing,

employmentandhealthfacilities.Furthermore,‘Recognitionbyothers,andtheopportunitytorelate

aspeopleofequalworth,hadenabledthesewomentoestablishthemselvesintheirowneyes,andin

theeyesofothers,ascontributingandvaluedmembersofsociety’(Eaton,1993,p.101).


25

Volunteeringmaybeonlyoneaspectofthis,butitcouldbethestartofwomendevelopingself‐

worthandfeelingtheyhavesomethingtocontribute;beingapartofinsteadofonthefringesof

society.

Manywomenprisonershavepoororlimitedvocationalskills,lowlevelsofeducationalattainment,

alackofsocialandprofessionalnetworkswhichwouldassistthemtofindemployment,lackof

recentworkexperienceandalackofmotivationandself‐confidence(McPherson,2007).

Volunteeringcanbeagoodwayforwomentoeasetheirwayintotheworldofworkinanon‐

pressuredway,(discussedfurtherinChapterFive).However,inorderforwomentotakethatfirst

step,theyneedsupporttobeavailableandtobemadeawareofwheretheycanturntoforhelpand

support.

Lackofsupport

Womenfaceconsiderabledifficultiesre‐establishingthemselvesafterprison.Regardlessofthe

lengthofsentence,butparticularlyifsomeonehasspentaconsiderableamountoftimeinprison,it

canbedifficultadjustingtolifeoutsideoftheprisongates.Althoughweknowthatprisonersneed

helptoresettleinthecommunity,andthatsuccessfulresettlementwillhelpreducere‐offending,in

recentyearstherehavebeensignificantchangeswithinthecriminaljusticesystemwhichmeanthat

often,thereisalackofsupportavailableforprisonersbothbeforeandaftertheirrelease.

In1992,femalescomprisedonly3.4percentoftheaverageannualpopulationincustodybutthis

almostdoubledto6.1percentin2002(HomeOffice,2003).Duringthisperiodtheannualaverage

femalepopulationincreasedfrom1577to4299.Thisconstitutedamassive173percentincreasein

thefemalepopulationcomparedwithonlyafiftypercentincreaseinthemalepopulation,although

itisstillthecasethatthenumericalincreaseinmaleprisonersisfargreaterthanthatforwomen.

From2005tothepresenttime,thenumbersofwomenincarceratedhaveremainedhigh,fluctuating


26

between4200to4600.Thesehighernumbersofwomenprisonershaveputpressureonresources

andstaff,perhapsleavingwomenwithpoorerorinadequatepre‐releaseandresettlementplans.

Alongsidethegrowthoftheprisonpopulationandanobviousstretchonresources,therehavebeen

considerablechangestothestructureoftheCriminalJusticeSystem.In2004,theNationalOffender

ManagementSystem(NOMS)wassetupinresponsetoagovernmentledreviewofthestructures

relatingtoprisonandprobation.Gelthsthorpe(2007,p.54)describesNOMSasanover‐arching

body,whichwasintendedtopromoteefficientoffendermanagementthroughoutthesystem.

Gelsthorpe(2007)explainsthatundertheNOMSsystem,resourcesareallocatedaccordingtoriskof

harmorreconvictionbasedonfourtiersofservicedelivery.AccordingtotheFawcettSociety

(2004),womengenerallypresentlowerlevelsofharmandreconvictionthanmen.Thismeansthat

women,often,willdisproportionatelyfallintothefirsttwotiers(madeupoflowerriskoffenders

withfewercrimonogenicneeds).Theimplicationofthisisthatwomenoffendersneeds,mayoften

beoverlooked.Theyaremorelikelytobethesubjectoflessintensiveordersattractingfewer

resourcesandsupervisedbylessqualifiedand/orlessexperiencedoffendermanagers.Onthe

otherhand,men(particularlyhighrisksexualandviolentoffenders)willreceivemuchgreater

attention(Gelsthorpe,2007,p.54).

TheeightwomenIinterviewedforthisresearchallhaddifferentexperiencesoftheprobation

serviceaftertheirrelease.Somefeltthattherewasn’tenoughsupportandalackofunderstanding

aroundtheirneeds.Oneintervieweewhohadbeeninpaidemploymentbeforeherreleasefrom

prisonsaidthisaboutherexperience:

‘Thelastfifteenmonthssinceprisonhavebeenquitebusy,plusmycontractendedsoIhadtofindnewworksothatwasanotherchallengeagain.Iwenttoprobationandtoldthemthis,Ithought theywere one of themain peoplewho could enhance the volunteerwork for ex‐offendersbecausetheyhaveregularcontactwiththembuttheyneveroncesaidtome‘wellifyoufinishworkandyouhaven’tgotajobwouldyouliketodoabitofvoluntarywork’or‘this iswhat’sonoffer for you’. If theywouldhave readmy fileproperly theywould haveseenthat I’vebeendoingvoluntaryworkformostofmysentencesoIthinktheycouldbea


27

lotmoreinvolvedthanhowtheyactuallyare.Theydon’treallypromoteyouasaperson,toself develop, to gain new skills to make you employable or to go and do some voluntarywork’.

Alackofinformationonwheretogethelpwasaproblemforanotherinterviewee,whosaid;

‘I’vehadalotofproblems.It’sbeenquitealongtimesinceprisonandbecauseIhaven’thadthesupportIhaven’tbeenabletomoveon. Icouldn’tmoveoutofbeingstuckinthesameposition because I didn’t knowhow to. Since I’ve beengetting support things are gettingbetter.IneededsupportallthetimebutIdidn’tknowhowtogetit.Ididn’tknowwheretogoorwhattodo’.

However,oneintervieweeindicatedhowhavingasupportiveprobationofficerwhowas

encouragingherwasmakingadifferencetoherlife;

‘I reallywould like togo intoprobationwork,myprobationofficer is really spurringmeonand has said tome there’s all these different courses that if you want to be a probationofficer you need. He’s really spurring me on to do that, which is really good. Within 6monthsI’llbeofflicence,completedlawandlegalstudiesOUandthenI’llstart,throughhimIthink,identifyingwhatthebarriersaregoingtobe‘cosobviouslythere’sgoingtobesomeandhowwecanovercomesomeifpossible’.

Whatsupportdowomenneed?

ThemajorityofthewomenwhomIinterviewedforthisresearchhadbeenreceivingpost‐release

supportfromvoluntarysectoragencies,whichwereprovidingservicesspecificallytomeettheneeds

ofex‐offenders.However,theproblemwithprojectssuchastheseisthattheyareoftenonly

fundedforarelativelyshortperiodoftime,withfurtherfundingoftenbeingdependenton

unrealistictargetsbeingmet.Consideringthedifficultiesthatmanywomenprisonersfaceafter

theirrelease,itisoftenthecasethatthetargetsarenotmetandfundingcomestoanend.

Iworkedonaneducation,trainingandemploymentprogrammeforwomenex‐prisonersfortwo

yearsandleftbecausefurtherfundingwasnotawardedforthesereasons.Havingbuiltup

experienceofworkingwiththisclientgroup,itseemedquiteapparenttomethatanyprojectaiming

tomeettheneedsofwomenex‐prisonersneedstobefundedonalongertermbasis,duetothe


28

complexityofmanyofthewomen’sproblemsandlives.Aquotewhichseemstosumthisupquite

wellsaysthattheproblemsofwomencaughtupinthecriminaljusticesystemanddrugsagencies:

“largeknotsthathavetobepainstakinglyunpicked,oftenovermanyyears”(DrugScope,2005,p.63).

PracticalSupport

Themainreasonthatthewomenwhotookpartinmyresearchgaveforvolunteeringwastoenable

themtomoveintopaidemploymentinthefuture.Formanywomenwhohavebeentoprisonthis

canseemlikeanunachievablegoalandsohastobetakeninastep‐by‐stepway.Volunteeringcan

beoneofthefirststepstowardsgettingintoworkbutisn’talwaysastraightforwardprocess,

especiallyforpeoplewithacriminalrecord,andneedstobebrokendownfurther.Oneinterviewee

said:

‘With how I’vegone intovoluntarywork I thinksomewhere like *** (organisationworkingwith women prisoners and ex‐prisoners) or **** (organisation working with people withhistory of offending and substance misuse) they seem less threatening than going to avolunteercentre. I knowa lotofpeopleareusing**** (organisationworkingwithpeoplewithahistoryofoffendingandsubstancemisuse)togetintovoluntaryworksothatkindofproject, which caters towards peoplewho have got long gaps in employment and variousissuesfromthepastareessentialinhelpingpeoplegetintovoluntaryworkbecauseitcanbequiteadifficultprocesssothatkindofsupportisreallyneeded.Supportaroundapplicationforms, CV’s, around convictions all of that is massive really in helping people make thattransition’.

Becausemanywomenwhohavebeentoprisonhavealimitedornon‐existentworkhistoryand

educationalbackgroundandsufferfromissuesaroundself‐confidence,thethoughtofputting

togetheraCV,fillingoutanapplicationformorgoingthroughaninterviewcanbeextremelynerve‐

wracking.Oneintervieweesaid;


29

‘FillinginavolunteeringapplicationformcanbeverysimilartofillinginapaidemploymentapplicationformsoIthinkpeoplecanbeputoffandIwasactuallyquitesurprisedathowdifficulttheprocesscanbe’.

Itisreallyimportantthatwomendoreceiveintensivesupportandcoachingaroundtheseissuesand

thatorganisationswhoarethinkingaboutusingex‐offendersasvolunteersareawareofhow

difficultitcanbeforthem,atleastintheearlydaysoftryingtocreateanewlifeforthemselves,and

takestepstomakethesituationeasierforthem.Aworkerfromamentalhealthcharityfor

homelesspeopleinLondon,whichdoesuseex‐offendersasvolunteers,saidthis:

‘OnouroldapplicationformstheyusedtohavethingslikeCVandtwowrittensectionsanditwas really cumbersomeandoff‐puttingand Iwouldn’twant to do that. Every time IwritedownmyCVIfeeluncomfortableaboutit.Now,it’stickboxes;tellusaboutyourself,whatareyourhobbies,interestsandreferences.Apartfromjustaskingpeopletowritetheirnameonapieceofpaperitcouldn’tbeeasierforpeople.Theinterviewisreallyinformal,wewanttofindoutwhypeoplewanttoworkhere;isitforprofessionalreasons?Alotofpeoplejustwanttoexplorewhatthislookslikeandthat’sfantastic,that’swhatwewant’.

TheRehabilitationofOffendersAct(1974)andCriminalRecordBureaux(CRB)Checks

TheRehabilitationofOffendersAct(1974)isthelegislationthatex‐offendershavetotakeinto

accountwhenapplyingforvoluntaryworkorpaidemployment.TheActisshortbutcomplexand

canbedifficulttounderstand.Essentially,theActallowssentencestobecome‘spent’afteracertain

periodoftime,providingthelengthofaprisonsentencedoesnotexceed30months.Thismeans

thatafteraperiodoftime,ex‐offenderswillnothavetorevealtheirpreviousconvictions,ifasked,

topotentialemployers.Prisonsentencesoflessthan30monthscanbecomespentafterthreeanda

half,five,sevenortenyearsdependingonthelengthofsentenceandageatthetime.Prison

sentencesof30monthsandovercanneverbecomespent.

WhentheActwasintroducedoverthreedecadesago,theaimsweretoassistoffendersinmoving

forwardwiththeirlivesbyallowingthem,asitwill,‘towipetheslateclean’afteranumberofyears.


30

However,somepositionsareexemptfromtheAct,notablythosewhichinvolveworkingwith

childrenorvulnerableadults.Forthesepositions,theorganisationwouldasktheapplicantto

disclosealltheirpreviousconvictions,bothspentandunspent,andwouldusuallyaskthemto

undergoacriminalrecordsbureau(CRB)checkwhichwouldshowupalltheirconvictions.Thisis

usedasasafetymechanismtopreventpeoplewithseriousconvictionsfromworkingwiththese

groups.However,sincetheActwasintroduced,thelistofexceptionshasgrownincreasinglylong,

tothepointnowwherethereareveryfewwhicharenotexempt,meaningthatformanypostsCRB

checksarerequired(Humphreys,2001,p.2).Aworkerfromanorganisationwhichsupportspeople

withanoffendingbackgroundintovoluntaryworksaidthisaboutCRBchecks:

‘Psychologically, clients often feel that they are going to be scrutinised and may well berejected. TheCRBprocessdoesn’t seem to bear the feelings andpractical concernsof theclientinmind.Thereisalsoalackofclarityastowhatoffence(s)makessomeoneunsuitable.I think that the increased requirement of CRBs taking place without a concordantconsiderationof howtheprocessaffectsclientshas led to aworkplaceculture thatcanbeexperiencedaspunitiveandinaccessiblebyclientsandencouragesa risk‐averseattitudeinorganisations’.

TheActisnowalmost35yearsold.Since1974,sentencingandoffendingpatternshavechanged

andtherearemorepeoplebeingsenttoprisonforlongerperiodsoftime,morepeoplewhose

convictionswillneverbecomespent.Theimpactofthisisthattherearenowmorepeoplethanever

whoareexperiencingdisclosureproblemsandbeingrestrictedinthetypeofworktheycando,both

voluntaryandpaidwork.Thiscanhappenevenwheretheirconvictionsareoldandnotrelevantto

thepositiontheyareapplyingfor.Individualsare,ineffect,beinghandeddownalifesentence

(Humphreys,2001,p.5)becausetheycannevergetawayfromtheirpast.Oneintervieweesaid:

‘Ithinkthetimescaleintermsofhowlongpeoplehavetodiscloseshouldberelookedat.IthinktheGovernmenthaveallthesestrategiesforoffendersandex‐offenderstoworkbutthey’renotimplementingthem.Ithinkinactualfact,thewholesystemneedstoberevitalised’.


31

TheHomeOfficecommissionedareviewoftheActandareportwaspublishedcalledBreakingthe

Circle(HomeOffice,2002).Therewashopefromindividualsandorganisationsinvolvedwithinthe

CriminalJusticeSystemthattheActwouldindeedberevisedandtakeintoaccountthemany

changeswhichhadtakenplace.Unfortunatelythereportwasnotactedon;offendersarenothigh

onthepoliticalagendaeventhoughcrimeandreducingre‐offendingare!Thingscouldpotentially

getworseforthosebeingreleasedfromprisonas,fromOctober2009onwards,thenewVettingand

BarringScheme,involvingtheIndependentSafeguardingAuthority(ISA),willbeintroduced.This

willhaveamajorimpactontherecruitmentandmonitoringpracticesofpeopleworkingor

volunteeringwithchildrenorvulnerableadults.Oncetheschemeisfullyrolledoutitwillbeillegal

tohiresomeoneinaregulatedactivitywhoisnotregisteredwith,andhasthereforenot

beencheckedby,theISA.Thenewschemewillcoveremployeesandvolunteersintheeducation,

careandhealthindustries,affectingsome11.3millionpeople(DCSFwebsite,downloaded15.9.08).

Itisunclearatthepresenttime,whichoffenceswouldmakesomeonequalifyfor‘barring’from

volunteerrolesorhowlongpeoplewouldhavetowaitafterservingaprisonsentence.

Disclosingconvictions

Therewasawidespectrumoffeelingstowardsdisclosure,fromacceptancethroughtodeepshame,

althoughallofthewomeninterviewedunderstoodwhytheprocesshadtotakeplace.Thereisnot

spacetodiscussalloftheissueswhichcameupsoIwilldiscusstheoneswhichstoodoutandcame

upthemost.

Embarrassment

Threeofthewomenspokeabouttheprocessbeingembarrassing,oneintervieweesaid:

‘TheorganisationwhereI’mworkinghavegotacopyofmypreviousconvictionsonpaper.Ifoundthatreallyembarrassingcostherewereloadsofpagesanditwasreallythick.Itwas


32

quitehardtobringitinandhandittoherandgethertogoandphotocopyitbutyouknow,Ididitandyeah...’.

Anotherintervieweesaid:

‘I’mnot really ashamedofmy convictions because they’re not that serious but I do find itembarrassinghavingtotalkaboutthemtoastranger’.

Fear

Fourofthewomentalkedaboutbeingfearful,scaredandnervousaboutdisclosingtheirconvictions.

Oneintervieweesaid:

‘Really,itisscarybecausewhileIwasinprisonandthenafterIcameoutIwasworkingfor****(housingcharity)whoalreadyknewallwhatI’ddonesoafterthatIhadtostepoutsideofthatenvironmentandgotoaneworganisationswhodon’tknowthatI’vebeentoprisonandit’slike,howaretheygoingtolookatme?ThatwasreallyscarybecausenowI’vegottogothroughthiswholething‘I’manex‐offender,I’vebeentojail,thisthatandtheother’.

Oneintervieweewassofearfulabouthavingtodisclosethatshehadpurposelyputoffapplyingformorevoluntaryworkafterprison,eventhoughshewantedtovolunteer:

‘Thinkingaboutdisclosure,myheartjustpoundsandIjustdon’tknowhowI’mgoingtowalkintoaninterviewwiththemevenknowingbecausethey’vereadaletterorhavingtositthereandsayit.Iknowit’sreallygoingtobeabarrierformeandI’mnotsurehowtoovercomeitreally. I justput ittothebackofmymindbut Ishouldn’t, Ishouldtryandaddress itbut Idon’tknowhowto.WhenthetimecomesIwillneedthesupport...IknowIwill’.

Shameandstigma

Oneintervieweefeltparticularlyashamedaboutheroffenceandfeltlikeitwasholdingherback:

‘Ithinkit’sashamething,I’mashamed.Idon’twanttokeeprelivingthebiggestmistakeinmylifebut Ihavetogetonwiththefuture. It’ssomethingthatatthemomentIcan’tdealwith facing, I just can’t do it. I will...I have to because I can’t have gone through all theexamsandstuffthatI’vegainedfornothing.Itwouldjustbeatotalwaste’.


33

AworkerfromahealthcharityforwomeninLondon,whichhadsetupapeersupportprojectfor

womenwhoareHIVpositiveandhadbeentoprisonsaid:

‘OnseveraloccasionswomenhavedisclosedtomethattheyfindbeingHIVeasiertolivewiththanbeinganex‐offenderbecauseofthestigmaandshameattachedtoit’.

Ifoundthistobequiteshockinginitiallybutcouldunderstandwhysomeonemightfeelthisway.

Thestigmaaroundbeingawomenoffendercanbedeeplyinternalisedandparticularlywhen

womenareconvictedofseriousoffence(s)theycanfeelgreatshamearoundthis.Itcanbedifficult

tomoveonfromthesefeelings,especiallysoonafterbeingreleasedfromprisonwhenfeelingsare

extremelyraw.

Itstruckmefromtalkingtothewomenthattheshametheyfeltwasaresultoffeelingthattheyhad

letthemselvesandthoseclosetothemdown.Theyneededtomakesomekindofresolutionwithin

themselvesandforgivethemselvesforwhattheyhaddone.Iknowmyselfthisisnotaneasything

todoandmayonlyhappenovertimeaspeoplegrowandputmoretimebetweenthemselvesand

whathashappenedinthepast.Beinggivenachancetoprovetothemselvesandothersthatthey

areworthwhilehumanbeingsmaybepartoftheprocessofdoingthis.Volunteeringcouldbeone

ofthechancestheyneedtohelpthemmoveonandweneedtofindwaystohelpembarrassed,

fearfulandashamedwomentofindtheprocessofapplyingtobeavolunteerlessoffputting,

threateningandscary.

Toomuchinformation

Twoofthewomenspokeabouttheamountofinformationthatisrequiredwhenapplyingfor

voluntaryorpaidwork.Onesaid:

‘I feel that unless you are invited to a second interview, you shouldn’t have to disclosebecauseyou’resendingyourCVoffwithacoveringlettertoalltheseorganisations.Halfofthe time they don’t even get back to youwith an interview. So now your personal life is


34

floatingaroundinallthesedifferentoffices!It’saverysmallworldandIdon’tseethatyouhave todiscloseyourconvictionsona firstapplication form. It shouldbethe lawthatyoushouldn’thavetodiscloseyourconvictionsuntilasecondinterviewbecauseitautomaticallygivesyouahandicap’.

Irecallasituationmyselfwhenapplyingforworkandwasaskedtosenddetailsofprevious

convictionswiththeapplicationform.Icalledtheorganisationuptoclarifythattheyneededallthis

informationandwastoldquiterudelythatifIdidn’tandIwastobeshortlisted,Iwouldn’tbecalled

foraninterview.IntheendIdidsendofftheinformationbutwasn’tshortlisted.Itleftmefeeling

vulnerableandangry.Idon’tconsidermyselftobemassivelyself‐confident,butforwomenwith

lessselfconfidenceandwhoarelessarticulatethanmyself,Icanimaginethatthisprocesscouldbe

reallydamaging.Ithinkthatorganisationsneedtobeawareofthisandincorporatenon‐

discriminatorypracticesintotheirrecruitmentmethods.

TheissueofdisclosureandCRBcheckswasabigworryformostofthewomenanditwasclearthat

supportwasreallyneededaroundthis.Oneintervieweesaid:

‘TheorganisationI’mwithhashelpedmetoopenupandtotalkaboutitintherightway.Ithink if Ihadn’tbeenwiththisorganisationIwouldhavebeenreallystrugglingtoapplyforjobsandhavingtodisclosemyconviction,IthinkIwouldhavefounditreallydifficult’.

Anotherintervieweemadeasimilarcomment:

‘I think with disclosing my convictions it’s been very useful because I think I would havestruggled if I didn’t have an organisation thatwas so involved in helping youdislcose andgivingyoulotsofdifferentpossibilitiesaboutdisclosing’.


35

Emotionalsupport

Someofthewomentalkedabouttheimportanceoffeelingsupportedemotionally.Onewoman

whowasexperiencingdifficultiesinhervoluntaryworksaid:

‘When itwasn’tworking out inmy firstvoluntaryplace, I couldgoback to ***** (supportworker) and talk to her about it and tell her that I hate it. Shewas really supportive andhelpedmetofindsomethingelse.Itwasreallygoodtohavesomeonethere’.

Anotherwomanwhohadbeenaheavydruguserformanyyearsfounditquitedifficulttoadjustto

aworksettinginthebeginningbutfeltreallysupportedaroundthis,shesaid:

‘Mymain support has been *** (supportworker), I’ve been able to go to himwith stuff.Back in the beginning I had quite bad depression and I felt quite supported around that.There were certain days I had to have off or had to leave early and he was reallyunderstanding’.

Invariablytherearegoingtobespecificissuesforsome,althoughnotall,womenex‐offendersby

thenatureoftheirbackgroundsandlifeexperiences.Thiscouldmeanthatsometimestheymay

requireahigherlevelofsupportthanyouraveragepersoninthebeginning.However,thisdoesnot

meanthatthiswillalwaysbethecaseoncetheyhavedevelopedtheskillstofaceday‐to‐dayliving

andsocialinteractions.Oneprojectmanagersummedthisupquitewell:

‘Whatseems tobe thecase isthatourvolunteerscomingfromanex‐offenderbackgroundhavemore difficulties dealingwith the boundaries issues. Whatwe try anddo is supportthemas bestwe can, people in those situations. My instinctwas to say that they canbemorechallengingbutthey’renotreally.It’sreallyimportantforustoworkwiththisgroup,justas it’s importantforustoworkwithrefugees,singlemumsandyoungpeople. They’renot gratuitouslymore difficult and they provide all the benefits, if notmore than anyoneelse’.


36

Whatabouttherisks?

Oneoftheconcernsthatanorganisationmayhaveaboutusingvolunteerswhoareex‐offenderscan

bethattheyaretakingtoogreatarisk.AccordingtoGaskell(2006)thegrowthofriskmanagement

inthevoluntaryandcommunitysectorhasbeendramaticoverthepastdecade.Thisispartlydueto

cutsingovernmentspendingresultinginanincreaseinvoluntarysectororganisationsproviding

serviceswhichusedtobeprovidedbytheGovernment.Volunteersarenowcarryingoutwork

whichismorecomplexandinvolvesmoreclientworkthaninthepast.Duecaredoeshavetobe

taken,particularlywhenworkingwithvulnerablepeople,forexamplechildren,youngpeopleor

vulnerableadults.

However,mostpeoplewhohaveacriminalrecorddonotposearisktochildren,youngpeopleor

vulnerableadultsanditisimportantthattheyaretreatedfairlyandnotpenalisedforhaving

committedanoffence,particularlywhenitisnotrelevanttotheroleforwhichtheyareapplying.

Nacro(leaflet,nodate)suggestswaysofidentifyingandmanagingrisksaswellasassessing

someone’ssuitability,whichinclude;

� Carryingoutdisclosurechecks

� Meetingwiththeapplicanttodiscusstheroletheyareinterestedinandwhy

� Takingupreferences

� Givingthematrialperiod

� Holdingregularsupervisionsessionsoncetheyareinpost

Anindividual’soffendingbackgroundshouldnotbethesolereasonfordenyingthemvolunteering

opportunities,unlessofcoursetheydoposearisktovulnerableadults,childrenandyoungpeople.


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Ifanorganisationusesgoodrecruitmentandmanagementmethods,riskcanbeminimised.Belowis

aquotefromaprojectmanagerofanorganisationwhichispreparedtotakerisksonex‐offenders:

‘I can’t think of any instance when an ex‐offender has presented any more risky orthreateningbehaviourthananyotheraveragevolunteer,theyarenotdistinguishableinthatway, in any way. I think that’s one of the false concerns that people would have aboutworkingwithex‐offendersisthattheyhavecriminalactivityorbehavioursothey’regonnabring that here. That just doesn’t holdwater for us...inmy experience. That’s not to saythat’sthecasewiththeentirepopulationbutthepeoplewe’vemetit’sjustnotthecase’.


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Chaptersummary

Womenprisonersarefacedwithahugenumberofdifficultiesfollowingtheirrelease,ontopof

tryingtoadjusttolivingbackinthecommunity.Problemsincludehavingnosecure

accommodation,rebuildingrelationshipswithfamiliesandchildren,tryingtosecurebenefitsand

employment.Ifwomendidreceiveadequatesupportaroundtheseissues,itmayreducethe

likelihoodofthemre‐offending.However,inrecentyears,changesinthestructureoftheCriminal

JusticeSystemalongsidearapidincreaseinthenumbersofpeoplebeingsenttoprisonmeanthat

womendonotgetthesupporttheyneedpreandpost‐release.Often,supportwhereavailableis

providedbyvoluntaryandcommunityorganisationswhostruggletomaintainfunding.

Womenmayexperienceawiderangeofemotionsrelatingtotheirpastandtheirfutureincluding

fear,guiltandshame.Volunteeringcanbeawayforwomentostartrebuildingtheirlives,

overcomingsomeofthesefeelingsandprovingtothemselvesandothersthattheyareworthwhile

humanbeings.However,womenmayneedbothpracticalandemotionalsupporttohelpthem

developtheirconfidencetotakethefirststeps.Ofparticularconcerntowomenistheissueof

disclosingtheirconvictionsandanareawheretheyneedrealsupportandunderstanding.

Organisationsmayfeeltheyaretakingariskonvolunteerswithacriminalrecordbuttherearesteps

whichcanbetakentoassessanindividuals’suitabilityforaroleaswellasmanagingtheperceived

risks.Understandinghowdifficulttheprocessisforwomenandthinkingofwaystomakeitless

embarrassingandscaryforthemisreallyimportant.


39

CHAPTERFIVE‐THEBENEFITSOFVOLUNTEERING

Themainreasonthatthewomenwhovolunteeredaftertheirreleasefromprisongavefor

volunteeringwastogainemployment.However,whentheystartedtotalkabouttheirexperiences,

whattheytoldmeindicatedthattheygainedalotmore.Iwouldliketoopenthischapterupwith

somequotesfromwomentalkingabouthowtheyfeelaboutvolunteeringandthengointosomeof

thebenefitsthewomentalkedabout.

‘It’sexciting,themostexcitingthinginmylifeattheminute,thewholethingthat’sgoingonaroundcareerandtheopportunitiesthatareoutthere.Itfeelsabitunbelievablesometimesthat Icancomefromwhere I’vecomefromandhavethekindof lifethat I’vegotgoingontoday. It feels likea secondchance tobehonestand thatmyworldhas just really startedopeningup.IfeellikeI’vegotafutureforthefirsttime’.

‘There’s somanydifferent things you can do and it is a feel good factor and you feel likeyou’re putting something back. Some of the volunteer work you can do is so, so, soimportant that that in itself givesyouabuzz anda kick thatwhat you’re actually doing isreallyimportanttosomebody’.

Volunteeringasaworktaster

TheSocialExclusionUnit(2002)foundthat41percentofwomenprisonershavenoworkhistoryat

all.InasurveyconductedbyHamlynandLewis(2000),itwasfoundthatofthewomenprisoners

theyinterviewedwhohadpreviouslybeenemployed,themajorityhadbeeninmanualwork.One

ofmyintervieweessaid:

‘Iworkedyearsago;nothingreallycreativethough,justbarworkandrunningavideoshop.I’ve now found myself a career because of the voluntary work I was doing before’(intervieweewhonowworksfulltimeforawomen’scharity).

Volunteeringcanbeanopportunityforwomentoexperiencetheworkenvironmentforthefirst

timeortryadifferentkindofworkthantheyhavebeenusedtowhichmayopenupother


40

opportunitiesforthem.Also,becausemanywomenhavealimitedexperienceofworking,together

withlowlevelsofself‐confidence,theymaybeunsureaboutwhatitistheywanttodo.

Volunteeringmayofferthemanopportunitytotrythingsouttoseeiftheydolikeit.

‘I’mworkingwith old people, which I didn’t think I’dwant to do and I actually enjoy it. Isupposethat’sanothergoodthingaboutvolunteeringisthat it’sopenedupotherthingstome that Imight not otherwise have thought about’ (volunteer supportworker, formerly areceptionist).

Developingsoftskills

Softskillsmaybeseentobeavagueterm,whichcanencompassawidevarietyofworkplaceskills.

Theyarethekindofskillswhichareoftentakenforgrantedbutare,infact,extremelyimportantand

areoneofthekeythingsthatemployerslookfor.Theyincludeskillssuchastheabilityto

communicateandinteracteffectivelywithothers,workwellinateam,possessself‐confidenceand

takeresponsibility.Theymaycomeeasilytosomeonewhohasworkedforaconsiderableamount

oftime,butforwomenwhohavehadlittleornopreviousworkhistoryandchaoticlifestylesinthe

past,theycanbedifficulttoacquire.Volunteeringcanbeavaluableopportunitytohelptobuild

theseskills.Belowaresomeofthesoftskillswomentalkedaboutintheinterviewswithme.

Reliability

Onewomansaid:

‘Mytimekeepinghasgotbetter;Iwasrubbishatthatbeforeandcouldn’tgetanywhereontime!I’mbecomingmoreconsistentasaperson,likeI’mabletobethereontime’.

Anotherwomansaid:

‘Ican’texplainitbutIfeel I’mgettingbetter intermsofaworksense...I’mshowingupandI’mbeingconsistentaboutit’.


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Workplaceandsocialinteractions

Volunteeringwasimportantinhelpingwomeninteractwithco‐workersandalsowithmembersof

thepublic.Onewomansaid:

‘Volunteeringwasgreatformegettingusedtobeinginaworkenvironmenteverydayand,you know, interactions with colleagues...massively, really positive experiences I’ve had sofar’.

Anotherwomansaidaboutvolunteering:

‘Igainedloadsofskillsaswellasjustgenerallyworkingwiththepublicandgettingbackintoworking’.

Volunteeringmayalsobeawayforwomentostartbuildingpositiverelationshipswithpeople

outsideoftheirnormalsocialnetwork.Thiscanbeparticularlyimportantifwomenaretryingto

breakoutofthecycleofreoffendinganddistancethemselvesfromfriendsandacquaintanceswho

havebeenpartoftheirdrugusingandoffendinginthepast.Onewomansaid:

‘Volunteeringwasareally,reallypositiveexperience,withtheothervolunteersthatIworkedwithwe all went and socialised together on a Friday night and Imade some really goodfriends’.

Developingselfconfidenceandselfesteem

Thishasalreadybeenmentionedelsewhereinrelationtowomenvolunteeringfromprison,butitis

alsoimportantforwomenwhovolunteeraftertheirreleasefromprisontoo.Onewomansaid:

‘Withthe***(adviceservicewherevolunteering)coswegettodothisfourmonthstraining,that’s really good cos I can takemy timeand I don’t feel as if I’mbeing put in a positionwhereIcan’thandleitornotlikebeingattheotherplacewhereIhadtostuffenvelopes.It’sgood formy self‐esteem because I can kind of grown into the position and take my timeaboutit.MyconfidenceisdevelopingallthetimeasIdo’.


42

Changingwaysofthinking

Volunteeringalsohelpedsomeofthewomentogainsomeperspectiveontheirlivesbyworking

withotherpeoplewhowerealsoexperiencingdifficultiesintheirlives,especiallyforonewoman

whosufferedfromdepression.

‘Igetalotfromvolunteeringinthat itmakesmefeelbetteraboutmyself.SometimeswiththeclientgroupI’mworkingwith itgivesmeabitofperspectiveonwell,actuallymylife isquiteinordercomparedtosomepeoplesoittakesmeoutofmyselfalittlebit,mypoormekindofsyndromethatIhavegoingonalot’.

Italsohelpedanotherwomantoreflectonandre‐evaluatehowshehadpreviouslybeenliving

beforeprison.Shesaid:

‘Moneyruledmylife.IhadallthismoneyandIdidn’tknowwhattodowithit.EventhoughI wasworking at the time, I gotmore enjoyment from getting that lump ofmoney (fromcrime)ratherthanmywages.Doingvoluntarywork,it’snotthemoney,it’stheappreciationand the achievement at the end of it that’s more important. I wake up every morningrushinghere.Ifyou’daskedmethatafewyearsago,Iwouldn’thavethoughtthat.Iwouldhavebeenlookingathowtomakemynext loadofmoneyandthat’sthehonest truth. It’smademeappreciatethingsmoreandvaluefamilyandjustmademerealisehowluckyIam’.

Developingconfidenceinworkrelatedskills

Themainreasonwomengaveforpursuingvoluntaryworkwastoenablethemtomoveintopaid

employmentinthefuture.AllofthewomenIinterviewedsaidthattheirconfidenceintheirability

toperformworkrelatedtasksandtheirbeliefthattheywouldsecureemploymentinthefuturehad

improvedbyvolunteering.Onewomansaid:

‘My initial reason for starting voluntary work was because I had lost my job and myconfidencewasatalow.SinceI’vebeenvolunteering,I’vestartedbelievinginmyselfagain,believingthatIcandothingsandIamcapableofgettingpaidwork’.


43

Onewomanwhohadvolunteeredthroughouthertimeinprisoninavarietyofroles,talkedabout

howherconfidencehaddeveloped,shesaid:

‘Igainedahell ofa lot fromvolunteering; themain areas formewere timemanagement,interpersonal and people skills, organisational skills and how to manage people. I wasresponsiblefortimesheetsandrotasandthenopeningupspreadsheetsandlearningmyselfonthecomputer.Alsogettingusedtotalkingtopeopleinauthority,Iusedtohavetogotogovernorsandbossesofdifferentdepartmentswherethegirlswereworkingandsaytothem‘weneedtocomeanddothis,thatandtheother’.

IwouldliketousethiswomanasanexampleofsomeonewhodevelopedalongwhatIwillterma

positivecontinuum.Acontinuumisawordusedtodescribe

‘acontinuoussequenceinwhichtheelementsnexttoeachotherareverysimilarbutthelast

andthefirstareverydifferent’(OxfordDictionary,2001,p.185).

Whenthisparticularwomanenteredprisonshehadalimitedworkhistory,andinherownwords,

‘hadworkedbutnotdoinganythingcreative’.In2005,whilststillinprisonshereceivedVolunteer

oftheYearawardforhervolunteeringworkwithawellknownvoluntarysectororganisationandby

thetimeshehadleftprison,shehadgainedenoughskillsandexperiencethatshesays,‘found

myselfacareer,insteadofjustajob,acareer’.

Thiswomanwaspro‐activeinfindingoutaboutopportunitieswhichwereonofferintheprisonsshe

washeldinandtookadvantageofthem.Througheachvolunteeringopportunitysheundertook,

shewasabletoenhanceherskillsfurther,whichenabledhertoprogressbothpersonallyand

professionally.Startingoffasalistener,sheworkedherwayuptobecomingacoordinatorofthe

Listeners;workedfortheCARAT’steamprovidingsupporttootherprisonerswithsubstancemisuse

issuesandrunningpeersupportgroups;becameawingrepresentativeandsatonboardsforracial

andsuicideawarenessandwasalsoapproachedtotakepartinagroundbreakingpeerresearch

projectwhichshewaspaidfor.Whenshemovedprisons,thisledontovoluntaryworkoutinthe


44

communityforthisorganisationasanadvisorforblackandethnicminoritywomen,whichthen

enabledhertogainmoreskillswhichledherontopaidworkinthelastyearofherprisonsentence.

Shewasthenofferedemploymentforthisorganisationattheirheadofficefollowingherrelease

fromprison.Sherecentlychangedjobsagainandsaysthis:

‘Itreally isanexcitingtimeforme,especiallybeingwithinaneworganisationbut I’vealsobeengivenmyownroleandthingstodowhichIwillbetheleadonalotoftheprojectsthataregoingon. It’sscarybutalsoexcitingaswell. Thefreebiesweregoodbecausetheygotme intoplacesandmyfoot inthedoorandmynameknownbutnowit’s abitmorethanthat,IwanttomakemycareerprogressandIwanttoearnsomemoney.Soyeah,I’venowfoundmyselfacareerandbecauseofthejobIwasdoingbeforeI’venowgotthisjob.Idon’tthinkthatwouldhaveallbeenpossible ifIdidn’tgaintheskillsthat Igainedthroughdoingthe voluntary work. I think volunteering is really, really important for self‐developmentbecause itgivesyouachance todevelop theskills thatyoualreadydohavebutalso learnnewskillsandmaybeaswellteachyouwhatyoudolikeanddon’tlike’.

Thiswomanwasclearlydeterminedtousevolunteeringtoheradvantageandgainasmuchfromit

asshecould.Sheofferssomeadvicetootherwomenwhoareinasimilarsituationbasedonher

experiences:

‘Ithinkyoustillhavetolookatit,eventhoughitisvoluntary,likeajob.Youcan’tjustcomeintovolunteeringthinkingit’s justsomethingtodo....Ican’tbebothered, Idon’thavetogotoday if I don’twant to because they’re notpayingme. It’s not like that, especially if youwant tomoveforwards inwhatever it isyouwant todo. Youhavetobestructuredwithinyourselfofwhatyouwant to do. Give yourself a timescale...ok,well I’lldo thisvoluntaryworkforsixmonthsandinthattimeIwanttoachievethisthatandthat.Ithinkthatiftheorganisation sees your commitment they will promote you within your voluntarywork...wouldyouliketocomeinforanextradayortakeonmoreresponsibility’.

Summaryofchapter

Manywomenex‐prisonerswanttogainemploymentandbuildacareerforthemselves.However,

thismayfeelimpossibleduetothedisadvantagestheyfaceinthelabourmarket,forexamplehaving

acriminalrecord,limitedworkhistoryandlackofqualifications.Volunteeringcanprovidemany

benefitstothewomenandopenthemuptoopportunitieswhichtheyhadneverthoughtpossible.

Someofthebenefitsinclude,experiencingtheworkenvironmentforthefirsttime,developingsoft


45

skillsandworkrelatedskills,whichinturnhelpstodeveloptheirself‐confidenceandself‐esteem.

Forsomeofthewomeninvolvedinthisresearch,volunteeringreallywasalifechangingexperience

whichhasincludedmakingasuccessfulcareerforthemselves.However,inordertodothis,women

dohavetoputinhardwork,showcommitmentandtreatvolunteeringasifitwerepaidwork.


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CHAPTERSIX–POTENTIALNEGATIVEASPECTSTOVOLUNTEERING

Throughoutthispaper,Ihaveprimarilyfocusedonthepositiveexperienceswomenhadwhilst

volunteeringandhowithelpedthemmoveforwardwiththeirlives.Itwascleartomethatthe

womenIspoketohadgainedagreatdealfromvolunteering.However,therecanbecertain

negativeaspectstovolunteering,whichinturncanaffectthekindofexperienceavolunteerhasand

whethertheyarelikelytocontinuevolunteering.Thisisalsolikelytoinfluencehoweffectivethe

relationshipbetweenthevolunteerandtheorganisationisandthequalityofworkthevolunteer

produces.Belowaresomeofthenegativeaspectsthewomenbroughtupduringtheinterviews.

Boringandrepetitivework

Volunteeringcansometimesbetypifiedbybeingaskedtocarryoutboringtasks.Thereare

elementstomostpeople’sworkwhichmaybeconsideredtobeboringbuthavetobedone.

However,itisunfairtoexpectavolunteertoexclusivelycarryoutboringandrepetitivetasks.They

shouldbeofferedavarietyoftasks,wherepossible,toallowthemtoutiliseanddeveloptheirskills.

Onewomanstartedoffvolunteeringforalarge,wellknownhealthcharityandspokeofher

experience:

‘IthoughtitwasgoingtobereallygoodintheeventsdepartmentbutIendedupjuststuffingenvelopes.Ididn’tfeellikeIwasgettinganythingoutofit.Thewholepointofvolunteeringissothat Icangoandapplyfora jobandI’vegotskills IcanbringtoapositionwhereI’mgoing toget paid. Itwasdemoralising. I stayed thereabout twomonths and then left. Itried to stick it out but it never got any better...I’ve got better things to do than stuffenvelopesthanks’.

Exploitation

Thisiscloselylinkedwiththepointmadeabove.Therecanbeatendencyforpeopletofeel

exploitedwhentheyarenotbeingpaidfortheworktheyaredoing,whilstatthesametimebeing

consistentlyaskedtodoworkwhichisnothelpingthemtogainnew,ifany,skills.Organisations


47

shouldthinkaboutthetaskstheyneeddoing,drawuparoledescriptionandmakesurethe

volunteerunderstandswhatisbeingaskedofthembeforeofferingthemvoluntarywork.Oneofthe

womenspokeofherexperienceoffeelingexploitedinhervoluntaryworkplacement;

‘Itjustfeltasthoughtheyhadeverythingsewnupandtheyhadpeopletodojobsandtheywantedvolunteerstodothestufftheydidn’twanttodo’.

Anothersaid:

‘Inmyexperienceitisquitehardtofindsomewheredecentbecausetherearealotofplacesthatwilltakeyoutodotherubbishjobsortodojobsthattheydon’twanttopaysomeonetodo.Thenyoudon’tgetthebenefitsreally’.

Anotherwomanwhoworkedforawellknownhomelessnesscharityspokeaboutseeingother

volunteersbeingexploited:

‘Wehadsomevolunteerswithinsomeoftheservicesandthemanagersoftheservicesusedthemforreallyboringjobsortheywouldhaveserviceuserscomeinasvolunteersofeveningtimesandhavethemwashingcups,emptyingbinsandmakingtea’.

Lackofsupportandsupervision

AlthoughallofthewomenIinterviewedhadeventuallygottoaplacewheretheyfelttheywere

benefittingorhadbenefittedfromvolunteering,threeofthewomendescribedvolunteeringat

organisationswheretheydidn’tfeelsupportedandasaresultlefttosearchforsomethingwhich

couldbettermeettheirneeds.Onewomansaid:

‘Ijustgotpassedaroundanditwaswhoeverneededsomethingdoingandthey’djusttellmewhattheywantedmetodoand Iwouldn’tseethemfortherestoftheday. TherewasnotalkoftrainingmeorhelpingmeandIneverfeltthatIcouldtalkupaboutitsoIdecidedthebestthingtodowouldbetoleaveandtrysomewhereelse’.

Anotherwomansaid:

‘ThereweretimesatoneorganisationwhereIwasn’treallytoldtoomuchaboutwhatIwassupposedtobedoing. Iusedtofeelabitunsureaboutaskingbecauseitwasa reallybusy


48

officeand Ifeltabitoverwhelmed. I foundthatabitfrustratingandIdid leaveintheendbecausesomething else hadcomeupso it just felt like it hadcometo anaturalend to behonest’.

Itisnotunreasonableforavolunteertoexpectsimilartreatmenttopaidemployeesinan

organisationwheretheyarevolunteering.Forexample,theyshouldhaveanamedpointofcontact

withintheorganisation,accesstosupportandsupervisionandencouragedtoundertaketraining

wherepossible.Supervisionsessionsdon’thavetobetooformalandcanbeusedasanopportunity

forboththevolunteerandthesupervisortoaddressanyproblemsandneedsaswellasdevelopa

positiverelationship.Alloftheaboveareinlinewithgoodpracticeguidelines.

Workingfornopayment

Ibringthisupbecausethefindingsfrommyinterviewssurprisedme.Iwasexpectingwomenwhen

askedaboutnotbeingpaidtosaythattheyfeltthattheywerebeingexploitedbutactually,the

oppositewastrue.Althoughmostofthewomensaidnotgettingpaidwasafinancialdisadvantage,

theyfelttheyweregettingrewardsinotherwayswhichequalledgettingpaid,suchastraining,lunch

andtravelexpenses,workexperienceandevenextrathingssuchasgettingthecostsofapassport

paid.Onewomanevensaidthatshefeltthatnotgettingpaidwasanadvantagebecauseitgavea

certainsenseoffreedominnotbeingboundbymoney.Thisparticularwomanhadquitemixed

feelingsaboutgoingbacktoworkandsoforher,volunteeringseemedalessthreateningand

pressuredalternative.

Anotherwomansaid:

‘BeforeprisonIusedtoworkMondaytoFridayandsometimessixdaysaweek,allIthoughtaboutwasthepaycheck.IprobablycouldgetapaidjobtomorrowbutbecauseIenjoytheenvironment I’mworking in and feel thework is so important, I don’t want to leave untilsomeoneelsecomesin’.


49

Whilstthewomeninvolvedinthisresearchdidnotseenotgettingpaidasanegativeaspectof

volunteeringanditwasinfactapositiveforsomeofthewomen,itisimportantthatvolunteersare

encouragedtoclaimfortheiroutofpocketexpenses,suchastravelandlunchallowanceandexpect

tobepaidpromptly.Organisationsshouldalsobeawarethatsomewomenmayfinditdifficultto

findthemoneyfortheirtravelexpensesandbepreparedtopayforthisinadvanceifneeded.

Volunteering:Alongtermprocess

ThemainreasonthewomenIinterviewedgaveforvolunteeringwastogetthemintoaposition

wheretheycouldbecomeemployable.Thelengthoftimethewomanhadvolunteeredforvaried;

onewomanhadvolunteeredforaroundsixmonthsandthenleftduetostartingacollegecourse,

fourofthewomenhadbeenvolunteeringforayear,onewomanhadvolunteeredoutsidethe

prisonforayearbeforebeingreleased,anotherwomanfornineteenmonthsbeforebeingreleased

andonewomanhadvolunteeredformostofthesevenyearsshespentinprison,bothinsideand

outsidetheprisonwalls.

Atthetimeofwritingthisreport,sixmonthsafterinterviewingthewomen,fouroftheeightwomen

wereinpaidemployment,whilsttheotherwomenwerestillvolunteeringhopingtomoveontopaid

employment.Thiswouldseemtosuggestthatgiventheconsiderablelengthoftimethewomen

werevolunteering,itcanbealongtermprocess.Hereiswhatonewomansaid;

‘Ifyouwanttogoinsomewhereandgouptheladder,Idon’tnecessarilythinkvolunteeringthatcouldhappen. Itmay...itmayhappenbutnot inallplaces thatyou’llvolunteer;you’lljust go in and be in the same position. If you want to prosper in a career I don’t thinkvolunteeringisnecessarilygonnadothatforyou’.

Additionally,mostofthewomenIinterviewedhadvolunteeredformorethanoneorganisation,

somebecausetheydidn’tfeelsufficientlychallengedinthevoluntaryworktheyweredoing,others


50

becausetheydidn’tfeelsupportedwellenoughbytheorganisationorbecausetheywantedtotry

somethingelsethatwasmoresuitedtothem.

Onewomansaid:

‘Atthemoment,I’menjoyingwhatIdobutit’stakenmequiteawhiletogettothatpoint...ittookmequiteawhileofgoingtodifferentplaces’.

Summaryofchapter

Themainargumentofthisresearchpaperisthatvolunteeringcanbeusedasapositiveaspectof

womenprisoners’resettlementbackintotheircommunitiesandthatitcanhelpthembuildanew

lifeforthemselves,developnewskillsandassistthemwithgainingemploymentinthefuture.

However,gettingtothispointmaybealongtermprocessandthereareothercertainnegative

aspectstovolunteeringwhichmayaffectthekindofexperienceawomanhasandwhethershe

choosestocontinuevolunteering.Theseinclude,consistentlybeingaskedtocarryoutboringand

repetitivework,feelingexploitedandnotreceivingadequatesupportandsupervision.Womenex‐

prisonersmaylacktheself‐confidencebringuptheseissuesandsochoosetoleave.Ifan

organisationhasmadeacommitmenttousingvolunteerswithacriminalrecordthentheyshould

alsomakeacommitmenttotreatingthemfairly,whichwillprovideimmensebenefitsnotonlyto

thevolunteerbuttotheorganisationalso.


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CHAPTERSEVEN‐WHATCANMAKEVOLUNTEERINGAGOODEXPERIENCE?

ThroughoutthispieceofresearchIsoughttheviewsofprofessionalsandwomenex‐offenderson

whattheyseeasgoodpracticeinrelationtovolunteering.Thehopeisthatthisinformationwillbe

usefultoorganisationswhichprovidevolunteeringopportunitiesorwouldliketointhefuture,

particularlytowomenwhohavebeentoprisonorhaveacriminalrecord.BelowIwillfocusonthe

threekeypointstocomeoutofconversationsandcorrespondencewithbothgroups.

Individualisedvolunteering

Peoplewillnaturallyhavedifferentmotivationsforvolunteeringandexpectationsofwhattheywant

togetoutofit.Womenex‐offendershaveambitionsandadesiretosucceedthesameastherestof

thepopulationasthisresearchhashighlighted.Theyhavedreamsofgainingemploymentinthe

future,becomingindependentandbreakingthecycleofre‐offending.Ifvolunteeringistoassist

themindoingthis,ithastoberelevanttotheirneedsandcapabilities.OnewomanIinterviewed

said:

‘It is important that the volunteer work is structured in a way that is beneficial to theorganisationbutalsototheindividualaswellbecauseifitdoesn’tthenthey’regoingtohaveabadexperience’.

AmanagerwhoIinterviewedabouthisworkwithexoffenders,spokeabouthowtheorganisation

triedtoensurethatindividualsgetwhattheywantoutofvolunteering:

‘We ask people...what do youwant to do? Theymake that choice andwe support it. Itlooksdifferentforeachperson.Ithinkthat’swherewewentwronginthepast,thinkingthateveryoneshould lookthesamebutthetruthis,no‐onesuniverse isthesamesowhyshouldourprocessassumethatpeoplegothroughthisatthesamerate?Peoplecanchoosetakeontoo much and decide to back off or decide that the whole process isn’t right for them.They’ve come through their own experience, they’ve gone through a process andwant toshareitwithothers,theyhaveanideaofwhatthat’sgoingtolooklike.’


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Training

SixofthewomenIinterviewedsaidthatreceivingtrainingforrolesandtohelpthemdevelop

professionallywasimportant.Onewomansaid:

‘At***(adviceservicewheresheisvolunteering) I’mjustkindoftraining,soforoneofthedayswe’re all just been taught different things and different areas. It’s trainingwithin agroup, which I quite enjoy. It’s all very clear what I’m doingwhich is good. Previousy, Ihaven’thadaparticularplanaboutwhatI’mdoingorwhereI’mgoingwiththevolunteering.I’ve beendoing things but I’m not surewhere it’s going because it’s not clear. This way IknowI’mtrainingtobeanadvisorandthat’swhatI’mgoingtobe.IknowwhatIneedtodotogettherewhichisreallygood’.

Trainingmaybeespeciallyimportantforwomenex‐offenderswho,asagroup,oftenhavealimited

workhistoryaswellasalackofeducationalachievements.Trainingcanbeawayofbuildingup

theirconfidenceaswellastheirCV.Itcanalsobeawayoflettingvolunteersknowthatthework

theyaredoingisvaluedandappreciated,particularlyastherearenofinancialrewardsfortheir

work.

‘WhenIwasat****(women’scharitywhereshewasvolunteering),theworkwasgoodbutthen I was kind of doing a job that could have been a paid job really and I wasn’t evengettinganytraining.ItwasgoodandIenjoyeditbutIstillfeltlikeIwasn’tprogressinganditwasn’ttomyadvantage’.

Theimportanceofstructureandsupport

Womenwhospokeofsuccessfulvoluntaryworksaidthattheyfelttheywerewellsupportedwithin

theorganisationwheretheywerevolunteering.Feelingsupportedincludedhavingregular

supervision,paymentofoutofpocketexpensesandhavingonepersontheycouldtalkto.Beloware

someofthethingsthewomensaid.

‘Mysupervisionwasdoneexactlythesameasapaidemployee,onceeveryfewweeks.ItwasreallyregularasifIwasanemployeeandtheymadesureallmyexpenseswerepaid’.


53

‘Ididn’tlikethatplacebecausethingsweresupposedtohappenbuttheyneverdid.Weweresupposedtohaveastaffmeetingeveryweekbutitneverhappenedandreviewingmythingsneverhappened.Alotofthingsweresupposedtohappenbutdidn’tinpractice’.

Anotherwomansaid,

‘I’vegotavolunteerco‐ordinatorat****(communityorganisationwheresheisvolunteering)whosupervisesmeandIcangotoher...she’sreallygood.She’sgotmeonsometrainingcoursesandshe’sjustthereforme.ThegoodthingisaswellcosI’vegotanillnessaswellandshe’squiteunderstandingofthatifIcan’tbethere’.

NextSteps

Ifyouareaprofessionalwhoisnowencouragedtotakeonvolunteersafterreadingthispaperthere

arearangeofresourcesthatcouldhelpyougetstarted.VolunteeringEnglandwebsitehasawide

rangeofpublicationsandGoodPracticeGuides,themajorityofwhicharefreetodownload.They

covereverythingfromwritingpoliciesandagreementstorecruiting,managingandsupporting

volunteersandhaveanumberofdifferentpublicationsrelatingtoex‐offenders.Clinks,anational

bodythatsupportvoluntaryorganisationsintheCriminalJusticeSystem,alsoofferanumberof

publicationsaboutvolunteering,prisonsandex‐offenderswhichcanbeaccessedfromtheir

publicationslistontheirwebsite.

Ifyouareafemaleex‐offenderwhoisnowinspiredtodosomevolunteeringthenitmaybeusefulto

contacttheGriffinsSocietyinthefirstinstance.Theyaimtoprovideeasilyaccessibleinformation

aboutUKresourcesandprojectswhicharetheretosupportfemaleex‐offenders.Nacroisacrime

reductioncharitywhichalsoaimstosupportandworkwithex‐offendersanddeprivedcommunities.

Theymayalsobeabletoadviseyouofprojectsinyourareaorpartofthecountry.


54

CHAPTEREIGHT‐CONCLUSIONSANDRECOMMENDATIONS

Theaimofthisresearchprojectwastoexplorewomenex‐offenders’experiencesofvolunteering

andtodiscoverwhetherwomenwhohadvolunteeredfoundittobeapositiveandbeneficial

experience.Thereisadistinctlackofresearchintotheeffectsandimpactvolunteeringhasuponex‐

offenders’lives,andparticularlywomenex‐offenders.ThewomenwhoIinterviewedhadall

benefittedfromvolunteeringindifferentwaysandtodifferentlevels.Somehadvolunteeredfor

longperiodsoftimewhilstinprisonandthenoutinthecommunityontemporarylicencewhilststill

servingtheirsentences.Others,hadvolunteeredonlyaftertheirreleasefromprison,onewoman

startedtovolunteermanyyearslater.Shehadnotvolunteeredimmediatelyonreleasebecauseshe

felttherewasalackofsupportandinformationavailabletoherfollowingherrelease.

Prisonisanidealplaceforwomentostartvolunteeringbecausetheyhavetimeontheirhandsand

manywillbethinkingofmakingchangestotheirlivestohelpthemstayoutofprisoninthefuture.

However,forwomenservingshortersentences,volunteeringwhilstinprisonisperhapsnota

realisticoption.Onlythewomenwhohadservedlongersentenceshadvolunteeredwhilstinprison

butallhadfoundittobebeneficialinhelpingthemdevelopself‐confidence,workrelatedskills,

feelingnormalandbecomingfamiliarwiththeoutsideworldonceagain.Support,whereithad

beenpresentfromstaffwithintheprison,hadbeenvalued.However,itwasfeltbysomeofthe

womenthattherewasn’tenoughdonetopromotevolunteeringwithintheprisonenvironment.

Oftenwomenareonlyencouragedtoundertakevoluntaryworktowardstheendoftheirsentences,

wheninactualfact,womencouldvolunteermuchearlieronwithintheprisonwalls.Moreshould

bedonetopromotevolunteeringandcreateopportunitieswithinallprisonsandthereshouldbea

coherentstrategyimplementedsothatgoodpractice(developmentandmaintenance)isfostered

andisnotsimplylefttocommittedindividualmembersofstaff.Thereshouldbeasstrongafocus


55

onoffendersvolunteeringasthereisonmembersofthecommunitygoingintoprisonsvoluntarilyto

workwithoffenders.

Releasefromprisonisanespeciallyturbulenttimeforanyone,moresoforwomengiventhatmany

aremothers,singleandhomelessuponrelease.Alackofsupportmakesreoffendingandfurther

imprisonmentmorelikely.Employmentisseentobeoneofthemosteffectivewaysofkeeping

peopleoutofprison,howeverthisisnotarealisticpossibilityforthosewomenbeingreleasedwith

nowheretoliveandstrugglingtore‐establishcontactwithchildrenandfamilies.Additionally,

womenex‐prisonersoftenhavealackofworkexperienceandsolacktheself‐confidenceorskillsto

competeinthelabourmarket.Allofthewomeninvolvedinthisresearchwhoweren’talreadyin

employment,aimedtogainemploymentinthefutureandwereusingorhadusedvolunteeringto

gainexperienceandincreasetheirchancesofgainingemploymentinthefuture.Allthewomen

reportedgainingself‐confidencefromvolunteeringandfeltmorepositiveabouttheirfutures.

Volunteeringhadhelpedthemgainasenseofidentityand,insomecases,forgeanewidentityfor

themselves.

Theshameandstigmaofbeinganex‐offendercanbeespeciallyacuteforwomen.Manyfeelthat

theyhaveletthemselvesdownbutmoreimportantlytheirfamiliesandchildrenandtherecanbea

senseofdeepguilt.Beinggiventheopportunitytoprovethattheyareaworthwhileindividualto

themselvesandtothoseclosetothemcan,insomecases,bealifechangingexperienceasthis

researchhasindicated.

Volunteeringclearlyhadmanybenefitsforthewomenbutitwasalsoofbenefittothe

organisationswhichusedthemasthequotebelowindicates.


56

‘Ex‐offenders are not gratuitously more difficult than your average volunteer and theyprovide all the benefits, if notmore than anyone else’ (quoteby ProjectManager,MentalHealthHomelessCharity).

Volunteeringmaynotbeappropriateorthesolutionforeverywomanwhohasbeentoprisonandit

isonlyoneaspect,althoughanimportantone,intheirresettlement.Ihopeifyouarereadingthis

paperyouarenowencouragedtoconsiderusingex‐offendersasvolunteerswithinyour

organisationandthatyouwillbeabletousethisasagoodpracticeguideandlearnfromwhatthe

womentoldmeworkedanddidn’twork.Iwouldliketoleaveyouwithonefinalquoteto

demonstratejusthowmuchofanimpactvolunteeringmadeononewoman’slife:

‘It’s exciting, the most exciting thing in my life at the minute. It feels a bit unbelievablesometimes that I cancome fromwhere I come fromandhave the kindof life that I’ve gotgoingontoday.Itfeelslikeasecondchancetobehonest!’


57

POLICYRECOMMENDATIONS

� RevisetheRehabilitationofOffendersAct(1974).Itisoutofdateandhugelydamagingto

ex‐offenderswhodowanttoputtheirpastbehindthemandmoveforwardwiththeirlives.

Isitusefulforsomeonetohavetodisclosetheirconvictionsfortherestoftheirlives?Ifan

individualhasnotreoffendedfortenyearsthepossibilityofthemdoingsointhefutureis

veryslim.Acasebycasesystemwhichallowedforareviewofanex‐offendersprogress

wouldseemtobefairer.

� Initiatealargescalepieceofresearchintotheimpactsofvolunteeringforfemaleoffenders

/ex‐offenders.

� TheGovernmentshouldleadbyexamplebypromotingtheinvolvementofex‐offendersin

publicsectoragencies.Ifemploymentisoneofthemosteffectivewaysofkeepingpeople

outofprison,dosomethingtoenablepeopletostayoutofprison.

� Acoherentstrategywithinprisonsisneededtodevelopvolunteeringforoffenders.This

shouldincludetrainingforprisonstaff.

GOODPRACTICERECOMMENDATIONS

� Ifyouwouldliketouseex‐offendersasvolunteersyoucouldgothroughaprojectwhichis

specificallysetuptoworkwiththisgroup.Theywillbeabletoofferadditionalsupportto

themalso.

� Takeacasebycaseapproachtoindividualswhoapplytovolunteerwithyourorganisation

andwhohavecriminalconvictions.Iftheconvictionisnotrelevanttotheroledon’t

discriminateagainstthemiftheyareotherwisesuitable.

� Holdregularsupport/supervisionsessionswithyourvolunteers.Thisisbeneficialforthem

andforyou.


58

� Understandhowdifficultanexperienceitis,especiallyforwomen,todiscloseconvictions.

Leaveoffaskingforinformationaboutconvictionsuntilyoumeetthem.

� Individualisevolunteeringplacementswhereyoucanorberealisticaboutwhatyoucan

offer.


59

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Documents

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