Can writing stop prisoners reoffending?

By Liam Allen

Arts reporter, BBC News
An organisation that sends writers into prison to work with offenders is among arts groups across England that fear their funding is about to be cut. But can arts for prisoners save the government money?

Erwin James, a former inmate who served 20 years for two "appallingly serious" murders, says prisons are "full of people who are not very good at communicating effectively or appropriately".

"They can communicate with a pool ball in a sock or a razor on the end of a toothbrush or by shouting and bawling," he adds.

The 53-year-old says he went into prison in 1984 "with massive social inhibitions, I couldn't speak or to talk people, I was always acting, I was always trying to be somebody else - I didn't know who the hell I was".

"What we did in the group went back to the wing with us and made us more thoughtful and more reflective," he says. "Writing does that."

To read the full article, click here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12879042

Young offenders trapped in cycle of homelessness and re-offending

Barnardo’s, the children’s charity, has produced a new report, ‘No Fixed Abode’, showing the link between poor accommodation provision and re-offending for young offenders who are falling through the cracks in services, creating a group of young people trapped in cycle of crime.
74% of young offenders end up back in prison within 12 months of release because they lack ongoing support to help them rebuild their lives and readjust to life on the outside. Young offenders in custody are a very vulnerable group of people, with 40% of them having been homeless before their sentence, 20% suffering from depression and 25% struggling with special educational needs. To ensure that they receive the help they need to break the cycle of crime and find the support they need to reach their full potential, it is vital that they have access to services when they near their release.
Click here to read full article: http://daylightcpt.org/downloads/No%20fixed%20abode%20press%20release%20-%201%20march%202011.pdf

Young offenders leaving custody for life of homelessness and reoffending

Children as young as 13 released from custody without a safe place to live, Barnados study finds

Children as young as 13 are being released from custody without a safe place to live, forcing them into a cycle of homelessness and reoffending, research has shown.

Barnardo's has found that thousands of young people leave custody every year and end up sleeping on friends' sofas, sharing bed-and-breakfasts with drug addicts and alcoholics, or being evicted on to the streets.

In 2009-10, youth offender institutions referred 4,147 young people to the charity, all of whom said housing was among their top five concerns.

"Young people who offend are among the most vulnerable in society; a quarter have special educational needs and almost a fifth have depression, yet children as young as 13 are sent back to families who can't cope and end up without a safe place to live," said Anne Marie Carrie, Barnado's chief executive.

Click here to read full article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/feb/28/young-offenders-released-homelessness-crime?CMP=twt_fd