Released prisoners at risk of re-offending without safe haven, says Wiltshire charity
Alabaré has told us stable accommodation halves the chances of re-offending
A homeless charity in Wiltshire is warning of a crisis in support for people leaving prisons, with services at risk of crumbling due to financial pressures.
Salisbury-based organisation, Alabaré, says people who are released need adequate support services to keep them from reoffending, with the charity warning that as many as 70,000 supported homes and rehabilitation programmes are set to be lost due to a lack of funding.
It's believed that offenders finding stable accommodation are 50% less likely to commit further crimes, with Alabaré's Vanessa Bedford telling us the first two weeks following release are crucial.
"It is the time when they're rather nervous about being out of prison," she said.
Vanessa added: "If they haven't got somewhere safe to go, this is when they re offend to get back somewhere safe and, to them safe is prison if they've got nowhere to go.
"They will re offend knowing full well that they will be either recalled to prison because they're on probation or they will be reincarcerated."
'They might have nowhere to go'
Vanessa told us that the rough sleeper team in Wiltshire has picked up several people who have spent time at Earlstoke prison, but aren't originally from the county.
"They haven't got friends and family to rely on, to sofa surf, and they haven't always got the means to be able to get back to where they came from, or they might not want to go back. That might be where the influences are that they don't want to return to."
It leaves these people between a rock and a hard place, as the Council has no duty to look after the person as there is 'no local connection', which is where organisations like Alabaré step in.
The charity tends to run at 95% capacity in its supporting accommodation, but Vanessa insists its designed to be a springboard for people rediscover their independence.
Government insists it will take action
The Government has pledged to boost funding for probation services as well as increase prison spaces.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "This Government will ensure we never put the public at risk by running out of prison places again.
“We are building new prisons and on track for 14,000 places by 2031 – the largest expansion since the Victorians. Our sentencing reforms will force prisoners to earn their way to release or face longer in jail for bad behaviour, while ensuring the most dangerous offenders can be kept off the streets.
“We will also increase probation funding by £700 million by 2028/29 to tag and monitor tens of thousands more offenders in the community, as well as expanding our community accommodation service for those at risk of homelessness.”