My Heart Bleeds For Them, Rob…

Rob Owen (chief executive of the St Giles Trust) disagrees with the conclusions drawn over the re-offending rates for short-term prisoners:

Our charity works on the frontline with prison leavers, offering practical support and training opportunities. Short-sentence prisoners are unable to access the same level of support as those with longer sentences and are often released homeless, mentally distressed and with very little money to survive on.

Prison is supposed to be a punishment, you know. It’s not supposed to set you up for life. Might I suggest the old answer, ‘Don’t get sent there in the first place!’..?

Obviously no one should be soft on crime and the public are understandably very fearful about becoming victims of it. But these services prevent thousands of unnecessary future victims.

So you claim. They also keep many people – like yourself - in employment.

Now, please try and tell me that’s not a factor in your pleading, so I can laugh in your face.

The article states: "Clarke said both prison and non-custodial sentences needed to do much more to address the underlying causes of crime, such as drugs and mental illness."

One man we helped had more than 80 convictions and had been in and out of prison for much of his adult life; when he was last released, more than 18 months ago, we supported him to get proper housing and address his drug problems. Today he is resettled and a much valued, highly effective staff member at our trust, helping hundreds of other prison leavers make a similar transition.

One swallow doth not make a summer, yet it seems one anecdote doth indeed make data…