“High Time” at The House of Lords by Chamonix Adams Porter

July 12th, 2012

When criminal justice policy is debated in parliament, the presence of serving prisoners and week-old infants might be considered unusual. On July 9th, though, Safe Ground bridged the gap between prisoners and policy-makers at our ground-breaking “High Time” event at the House of Lords. This hour-long presentation demonstrated the results of Family Man and Fathers Inside courses, and helped sector leaders to examine the future of prison education.

The event, held in a beautiful green room overlooking the Thames, centered on a presentation by graduates and tutors of the courses. After a brief introduction by Lord Ramsbotham, a patron of Safe Ground, and Michael, a recently released graduate of Fathers Inside, graduates presented a scene from the Safe Ground film “Blinda”, a modern adaptation of Wilde’s “The Selfish Giant,” filmed in HMP Wandsworth. This performance is used in the presentations at the end of Family Man and Fathers Inside courses, and features many of the challenges that prisoners’ partners and families may face. A man in prison, Frank, has a heated argument with his partner, Jill, about his lack of contact with his son, Wayne. Later in the presentation, the graduates revisited the characters from Blinda, this time by performing an ‘honest phone call’ between Frank and Wayne.

The drama used in Safe Ground courses was repeatedly noted as a key feature that sets Family Man and Fathers Inside apart from other prison courses. In an interview after the presentation, James Wise-Ford, a prison officer and Fathers Inside tutor from HMP Huntercombe stated, “Once you start to trust the students and they trust each other, then the floodgates open, and you can just chip away–chip chip chip–at what they’re thinking, what they’re feeling.” [Click on media player below for full interview]

Another unique facet of Safe Ground courses that featured prominently in the event was the involvement of families. Clive Ludlow, prison officer at HMP Belmarsh and veteran tutor of Family Man and Fathers Inside courses, said in an interview, “It’s a no-brainer, isn’t it? If somebody has a stable home life, somewhere to go, and they’re supported by their family, then of course that stops the cycle of crime.” Sally Sherwin, a Fathers Inside tutor at HMP Huntercombe, said “It’s a jigsaw that all matches up. All the pieces are there when everybody’s together.” [Hear full interview below]

Graduates–ranging from those who are currently incarcerated to ones who were released 14 years ago–shared their experiences of prison and resettlement. Safe Ground’s ‘What Next Day’, which helps to connect prisoners to housing, education, employment, health and other support linked one graduate to the St Giles Trust, by which he is now employed. One graduate earned a teaching qualification and is currently completing a sociology degree. “In terms of it leading to places, the sky’s the limit,” he said.

In addition to resettlement, reoffending was a hot topic. Though many had been habitual offenders caught in the “revolving door” of the prison system, not one of the graduates had reoffended since their courses. Wise-Ford stated, “They kind of learn to deal with things through talking, through communication, and taking a bit of a backwards step before they react to things. They think before they act. So within the prison itself and within the community, they’re less likely to reoffend. Ludlow pointed out that the courses cover not only the Children and Families portion of the Seven Pathways to Reducing Reoffending, but also supports other pathways such as Education, Training, and Employment and Attitudes, Thinking, and Behavior, and Accommodation and Support.

After the presentation, Safe Ground Executive Director Charlotte Weinberg chaired a question and answer session with the delegates.

Damian Evans, the governor of HMP Highpoint, expressed concerns that the new OLASS 4 contracts may make it more difficult for prisons to secure funding for Family Man and Fathers Inside. Education Providers are now required to almost exclusively only deliver work that enables students to gain qualifications on the LARA, which are currently being updated. Crispin Blunt, Minister for Prisons and Probation, responded that he and John Hayes, Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning (also present), had arranged the new policies so that governors have greater agency in procuring, and therefore that Governor Evans should be able to procure the courses he wanted. [LISTEN]

Jenny Chapman, Shadow Labour minister for prisons, discussed the possible role of Safe Ground not only in reducing reoffending but in preventing offending in the first place. She questioned whether courses like Family Man and Fathers Inside could be adapted to the community as an early intervention or alternative to custody. Safe Ground are currently developing Family Man in the Community in collaboration with Hampshire Probation and Spurgeons, which are anticipated will be used as both a preventative measure to offending and reoffending behavior. One graduate who is currently employed as a gang-prevention mentor stated that he felt that there was certainly a place for courses in prevention, and we should work collaboratively in an effort to breakdown the cycle of offending at every stage.

John Hayes MP, said that he was optimistic about the ways in which the course increased students’ employability. “It’s all about the transferrable skills,” stated one graduate. The communication skills developed in Safe Ground courses can lead to employment in any discipline. Scott Whitnall, Family Man Graduate for example said: “..before I did the course there is no way I would have stood up in front of you people and spoken like that. I’ve been to job interviews where I have used the skills that I learnt and projected myself to the interviewer and get the job, which is why I’m working now…”

Another FM graduate Navroz Sarkari said of the course: “…it’s the transferrable skills that are embedded in the course that you can take anywhere, to any job…You can’t run before you can walk…there’s stuff embedded in those courses that is just so important… before I done the course… the course gave me the confidence to go on to do PTTLS…and then I’m doing an Open University course in Sociology. So in terms of leading to other places the sky’s the limit…”

The Manchester College expressed commitment to continuing to facilitate the delivery of Safe Ground courses, which is a step towards Family Man and Fathers Inside a place in prisons. Even in economically tumultuous times, the charity is pushing forward with pioneering new programmes. One graduate, who had been a repeat offender for years, stated that Safe Ground had kept him out of prison. Calculating the cost of incarceration against the cost of delivery, he demonstrated the substantial saving to the government. He finished with “Is Safe Ground worth it? You do the sums.”

The delegates mingled with the presenters for a long time—laughing with their children, meeting their families, scheduling meetings with members of the Safe Ground team. The stories of the presenters had stressed to the delegates that, however challenging, funding for Safe Ground programmes is a key step forward in reducing reoffending.

Click here to see photographs of the event, and below play interviews given by some of the delegates present.