Prisons Early Release Extension to 70 Days - Our comment
We comment on the Government's extension of their prisons’ early release scheme to allow people to leave prison up to 70 days before the end of their sentence.
Coming out of prison
Coming out of prison can be a stressful and unsettling experience. This can be made much worse if prison leavers don’t have the building blocks in place to build a life for themselves on the outside. Having the basics, such as housing, in place also reducing the chance someone will reoffend. At Nacro we believe that prison should be the start of building something better not a road to nowhere. At Nacro we believe no-one should come out of prison homeless or without support.
Our services for those coming out of prison
For those coming out or prison we offer a range of services and support for individuals to help rebuild their lives, whether they’re coming out prison with a tag or coming out of prison on licence.
Finding housing after leaving prison
For many prison leavers, a home to return to isn’t always an option, despite how important it is. Coming out prison homeless is a situation many face. We know that people coming out of prison homeless have an 50% increased chance of reoffending. Nacro provide a range of housing services for people who have been in the justice system.
Our Community Accommodation Service Tier 2 (CAS-2) provides housing and support to people on bail or released from prison on license across England and Wales.
Visit our work in housing to find out more information, learn more about our Step Forward floating support and offender housing, or explore our Service Finder.
Alternatively, you can contact our team.
Looking after your mental health after prison
A critical part of resettlement is looking after your mental health. We support prison leavers through our wellbeing services.
Personal Wellbeing Support is tailored to each individual and includes help with social inclusion, emotional wellbeing, engagement with family and others, and support to build positive lifestyles and futures. The service is for men leaving prison or on community orders and under supervision of the Probation Service and is currently available in Hertfordshire, Suffolk, and Northamptonshire.
Employment after prison
Finding a job can be difficult for people with a criminal record. As part of Nacro’s Criminal Record Support Service we offer individuals advice on understanding their criminal record, the rules around employment after prison and how to apply for jobs.
Our guidance is designed to support individuals to understand their convictions and what they need to disclose when applying for jobs, travelling, applying for housing, finance, and more.
You can contact our Criminal Record Support Service on:
Call: 0300 123 199
Email: helpline@nacro.org.uk
Learn more about Criminal Record Support Service here.
Campaigning for better rehabilitation for those coming out of prison
We not only support individuals coming out of prison, but also champion and drive the systematic changes that need to happen to the criminal justice system.
We have successfully campaigned for changes on how and when people are released.
The day of release can be a race against the clock for people as they try to find somewhere to stay, apply for benefits and see their probation officer. Doing this on a Friday before everything closes for the weekend can mean people end up homeless or without money for days.
End Friday Releases
People released from prison on a Friday face an almost impossible challenge to get the support they need before the weekend. Our End Friday Releases campaign created to drive the changes needed.
Our campaign End Friday Releases saw a change in legislation that means people aren’t released on a Friday.
We also campaigned for changes to the Discharge Grant, the money given to people as they leave prison. In 2021, the Government announced an increase in the discharge grant for the first time since 1995, from £46 to £76.
Learn more about our campaigning work here.
News and campaigns about coming out of prison
We regular comment on the news and inform policymakers through our campaigns. You can see our highlights here.
Mental health in prison
People in prison are more likely to suffer with mental health problems than the general population and over half of people in prison report mental health issues such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. Discover more about our work and support services.
The impact of the early release scheme in our housing services
People are released early with short notice and because prison staff are overstretched they don’t always let us know in advance of people coming out. Learn more from those working with individuals being release early.
Speak to our experts
We provide regular insight and expertise for policymakers and journalists. Our team regularly work with national, regional, local, and broadcast media outlets in relation to the support and changes needed for those coming out of prison.
If you’re looking for commentary or insight into policy needs, government decisions or developing stories, contact our Media team.