Young, neglected and back: young men in prison - The Howard ...

Young, neglected and back:
young men in prison
Research briefing: 2

Young, neglected and back: Young men in prison
“And course I’m stressed being in here. I’m not making it up
with my girlfriend, am I I’m not with my family. I’m not down
the pub seeing my mates. I’m not working. I’m not making
money. I’m not saving nothing. I’m not actually doing
anything towards my future in the slightest by being here.
That’s why I’m probably stressed.”
(Michael, age 20)
Introduction
This paper examines the specific needs of young adult men
in prison. Focus and direction on young adults has largely
been absent from recent developments within the criminal justice
system, despite the fact that since 2000, the legislative apparatus
has been in place to allow changes regarding how young
adult offenders can be dealt with. Subsequently, abolition of the
sentence of Detention in a Young Offenders Institution (DYOI)
has not been enacted; therefore young adults have been left languishing
in a political and policy vacuum for over five years.
This lack of strategic focus upon young people in prison has led
to the current unacceptable situation. Young prisoners are in the
unenviable position of being held in some of the most impoverished
regimes within the entire prison estate.
As enactment of abolition of DYOI is once again being mooted, the
Howard League for Penal Reform believes that it is timely to consider
how the needs of young adult offenders can best be met. Nearly 70%
of young men who leave prison will be reconvicted within two years
of their release (RDS NOMS 2004). Therefore, within any one-year,
at least 8,500 offences are committed by young adults who have
been failed by the prison system. Imprisonment fails to meet their
needs, or effectively tackle reoffending. Many of these young people
will end up back in prison on an intractable journey from community
to custody and back again. Finding alternative ways of working with
young adult offenders, which reduce the risks of reoffending rather
than exacerbating them, is necessary in creating safer and more
confident communities.
Out for Good
This briefing is based on emerging findings from the Howard League
for Penal Reform’s research project Out for Good. This is a largescale
research study involving in-depth interviews with 86 young
men, the majority of whom are serving short-term sentences of less
than 12 months. The young men are provided the time and space to
define and discuss their own resettlement needs. All the young men
were interviewed in the first few weeks after their arrival into prison.
Second interviews were conducted with those still in prison at least
two months after the initial interview. In total just under a quarter (20)
were re-interviewed at this point.
An integral aspect of this research is to follow up each of the young
men in the community. This allows us to ascertain: what impact
imprisonment has had upon them; what support they received from
the prison and probation services and others in preparation for
release; and whether their hopes and aspirations for life outside of
the prison walls have been met. This part of the research is ongoing.
To date 15 interviews have been conducted with young men
after their release, and, where appropriate their views have been
included in this report.
The key characteristics of those interviewed are:
The average age was 19 years old.
84 per cent identified themselves as white-British.
The average sentence length was 10.5 months, although the range
was from 4 weeks to 4 years.
Identifying needs
The young adults interviewed as part of the Out for Good research
project have significant concerns including: mental health problems,
substance misuse problems, homelessness, disrupted family
backgrounds, lack of educational qualifications, unemployment or
involvement in casual labour, and experience of care. The majority
came from significantly disadvantaged communities where offending
was endemic. Most had a family member who had been in prison
themselves. It is against this backdrop – of unambiguous social
exclusion – that these young men spent the early years of their lives
(Farrant, 2004). And, although officially now adults, their support
needs remain substantial.
The years 18–21 mark a significant period of change in the lives of
young people. How that transition is managed may have a marked
effect on their future life chances. For young people in prison, what
happens during these crucial years of change may mean the difference
between making decisions which will improve their lives and
encourage them to turn away from crime; or alternatively, continuing
to offend and spending considerable parts of their adult lives in
and out of custody. It is imperative that all agencies involved in dealing
with young adult offenders are clear about the specific needs of
young adults, how they can be met, and what impact this will have
on reoffending. This is in line with the stated aim of the new National
Offender Management Service (NOMS) which is ‘responsible for
designing interventions and services for offenders that are designed
to reduce reoffending and reconviction and protect the public.’
Interim findings from Out for Good
Nearly 1 in 5 young men reported that they were homeless at
the point of their imprisonment or as a result of being sent to
prison.
The number of reported previous convictions ranged from 0 to
41, the average was just under eight previous convictions.
60% had been in prison previously. On average they had been
in prison on two previous occasions.
Over half (54%) had not been in work prior to prison. 44% had
been in some kind of employment (be it casual, part time or
full time). Only two of the 86 young men had been in full time
education.
The average age at which a first offence was committed was
reported as being at 11 years old.
The average age of those who had been in prison previously
was reported as being 16 years old.
40% had no qualifications at the time of interview. 45% had
a qualification gained before prison and 15% had gained a
qualification whilst in prison.
24% had been in some kind of care.
54% linked their offending to alcohol use.
49% linked their offending to drug use.
59% reported that they were aware that a family member was,
or had been in prison.
32% were fathers, had a pregnant partner or ex-partner.
43% reported some kind of mental health need. 1 in 10
reported that they self-harmed, felt suicidal, or had attempted
suicide. 11% were on some form of medication, of which half
were on anti-depressants.

Young, neglected and back: Young men in prison
The policy background
Young adult prisoners are the forgotten and neglected section of the
prison population (Howard League for Penal Reform, 2003). The
Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 abolished the sentence
of Detention in a Young Offender Institution. A commitment
was made by the Government not to implement the abolition until
a Prison Service Order (PSO) had been issued. (Prison Service
Orders provide detailed guidance to prison staff on how to implement
policy). There is some concern that, without any clear direction,
and in order to cut costs, the implicit recognition of the needs of this
age group will be lost. In 2000, the Government said that preparing
any such PSO would involve ‘consultation with interested bodies’.
Therefore, any administrative changes that affect young adults
should only be made following extensive consultation.
In 2001 the Government’s manifesto stated that:
“We will build on our youth justice reforms to improve the
standard of custodial accommodation and offending behaviour
programmes for 18–20 year old offenders.”
(Labour Party Manifesto, 2001)
However, the Labour Party Manifesto 2005 contained no specific
reference to the needs of this age group despite growing evidence
that young adult prisoners have a raft of specific needs that are not
being met. Following years of neglect and with no strategic focus
on young adults, simply transferring these young people into an illprepared,
and already overstretched adult prison estate is unlikely
to meet their needs.
The most recent annual report from the Chief Inspector of Prisons
(2005) yet again raised concerns about the needs of young adults.
These included:
Reports that 32% of young adults had at some time felt unsafe
whilst they were in prison.
Young adults were mixing with older prisoners.
A lack of appropriate places for young adults, with many held in
prisons with multiple populations.
Young adults were often held at a great distance from home; and
were liable to be moved between sites, at short notice and for short
periods of time.
Between 1994 and 2004 the number of young adult men in prison
rose by over 20% (Hansard, House of Lords written answer 7 April
2005). Furthermore, over 20% of prisons hold just one young adult
– a situation which is unlikely to make the young person feel safe,
and where it is doubtful that adequate consideration of their age specific
needs can be given (Hansard, House of Lords written answer
7 April 2005).
The Chief Inspector of Prisons concludes that young adults:
“Still remain some of the most overlooked and underresourced
prisoners. Our reports record significant gaps
between the provision for juveniles and young adults…
Some establishments resembled transit camps, rather than
effective young offender institutions…Bullying is a particular
concern for this age-group.”
(HMCIP, 2005)
The transition: childhood to adulthood
Young people’s lives change rapidly and dramatically between the
ages of 16 and 25 (Social Exclusion Unit, 2004). A move towards
independence – the transition to adulthood – generally occurs at this
time. During this transition, there is an increasing need to access
services personally rather than through parents or carers. Moreover,
during this period of change there may be a greater need for
services and other forms of interventions to help support making
more independent decisions, many of which will affect the rest of a
young person’s life.
Seen as an important area of Government policy, the Social Exclusion
Unit (SEU) is currently undertaking work on the transition from
childhood to adulthood. Previous work by the SEU had shown that
98% of young adults accessing services had more than one problem
or need. Young adults who drop out of education, training or
work – or who drift into crime – can face severe long-term personal,
social and financial consequences, as can their families (Social
Exclusion Unit, 2005).
Young people with severe or multiple needs – such as homelessness,
substance misuse, offending or mental health problems –
need to access a range of services in order to address the various
problems they have. But too often services approach someone’s
problems as individual issues rather than looking at them as interrelated.
As a result, individuals can find themselves on unpredictable
and repetitive journeys around different agencies, or worse, on
a downhill trajectory that further compounds their social exclusion
(Social Exclusion Unit, 2005). The young men in this study had an
array of needs that required some kind of positive intervention; all
too often these needs were not met and resulted in a somewhat
inevitable downward spiral into offending and imprisonment. One
young man told us:
“I was homeless… I got kicked out of home when I was 16
and I was living on my own from 16 until now, living in all the
different hostels and then I got a flat when I was 17 and all
my mates would come round all the time and we turned it
into a party house and the police closed it down so I ended
up being homeless again, lived with my gran for a week,
and then I got sent in here.”
(Jason, age 19)
However, the SEU recognises that national policy makers have not
placed sufficient weight on young people’s thinking and behaviour
when they have designed policies aimed at them. They conclude
that ‘this oversight means that policy interventions aimed at young
people risk failing’. It is essential that the views of young people are
actively sought and used to inform policy decisions.
From community to custody to community
The unique aim of Out for Good is to provide the young men interviewed
the time and space to consider what they think would be
fundamental to their successful reintegration into society, providing
them with the best opportunities to desist from crime. A variety
of issues were mentioned ranging from having independent stable
housing, to setting and achieving personal goals. The table below
presents the resettlement needs identified by the young men as
necessary for their successful reintegration.

Young, neglected and back: Young men in prison
Resettlement need identified Percent of sample who
referred to this need
Gaining employment 55
Having stable housing 26
Staying with or getting a girlfriend 24
Having a child 20
Positive family relations 20
Control drug use 17
Control alcohol use 15
Ability to drive legally 12
Set clear and achievable goals 12
Financial security 9
Staying away from peer group 9
Making better personal choices 7
Stop getting involved in violence 6
Consider the impact of offending 3
Move away from the area 3
Go to college 3
Previous convictions/orders annulled 2
Access to appropriate help 1
None 7
One young man succinctly pulled some of these issues together
when he explained:
“If I was to stop committing crime I’d need a job, a place to
live and settle down with a girl. I know what I need to do; it’s
just making it happen.”
(Daniel, age 20)
Another young man thought that it would be far more useful if time
spent in prison was used to ensure that prisoners gained some form
of qualification that would help them to get a job when they were
released:
“Everyone should come out of prison with a qualification,
you’re not doing anything else whilst you’re in here, just sitting
in a cell. But they [prison officers] don’t care. You might
as well do something that will get you a qualification so that
when you go out you can go straight into the workforce.
Instead of like dossing around trying to sell some weed or
something, you’d have a qualification.”
(Kurt, age 19)
Interestingly, three of the five most frequently mentioned issues
related to personal and family relations. All too often the importance
of family ties is seen as being of more relevance to women in prison
rather than young men.
Separation from families, friends and partners caused a great deal
of distress whilst the young men were in prison:
“In a way…I’m still missing my family.”
(Yasin, age 20)
Additionally, findings from the Resettlement Survey 2003 (Niven
and Stewart, 2005) suggest that opportunities for involving families
and partners in the resettlement of prisoners should be increased.
Unfortunately however, nearly a third of the young men in our sample
did not receive any visits from their families whilst they were in
prison. In general, the young men said that it was their decision not
to have visits, although whether this was or was not the case is difficult
to determine.
“I don’t want my family to come and visit me. Told my mum
that. It’s not the sort of place I’d let my mum go. I wouldn’t
want her in a place like this. It’s not that sort of place.”
(James, age 19)
Without adequate support, nor appropriate interventions to meet the
needs of young adults in prison, we risk high levels of reoffending,
reconvictions and a return to prison.
Conclusions
Virtually all of the young men interviewed as part of the Howard
League for Penal Reform’s Out for Good research project on the
resettlement needs of young adults in prison identified a range of
complex issues that required some kind of support or intervention if
they were to desist from further offending. Moreover, many of these
needs can be related to the transition from childhood and youth
into adulthood. A number of the young men related this shift to their
changing relationship to offending, often regarding their involvement
in crime as ‘kids stuff’ and something they needed to stop in order to
become ‘men’. Careful management of this transition is crucial if real
progress is to be made in reducing reoffending by young men.
Imprisoning young men at this critical stage in their lives can have a
massively detrimental effect upon their development and their future
life chances. Alternatives to custody should be sought in all possible
cases. The criminal justice system should instead work to resolve
conflict and repair harm. It should encourage offenders to acknowledge
the impact of what they have done and give them an opportunity
to make reparation. Those who have suffered harm should have
this harm or loss acknowledged and amends made.
Gender issues pervade both male and female prisons, yet most
research fails to consider how gender impacts upon, and frames
the male experience of imprisonment. Nonetheless some research
has started to recognise the importance of gender and it has
been suggested that prisons harbour a ‘hypermasculine’ culture
(Jewkes, 2005). It is unsurprising then that a noxious mix of violence
and intimidation can be found in many institutions that hold young
men. The young men themselves appear to recognise the dangers
of such a culture, and identify their families, partners and the creation
of new family units as crucial to their successful resettlement.
“Well, you know it’s my girlfriend who’s keeping me out of
trouble, she doesn’t use drugs and that, so I have to stay
away from them when I’m at hers or she’ll go mental.”
(Craig, age 18)

Young, neglected and back: Young men in prison
Recommendations
In all possible cases, effective community interventions should
be sought for young adult offenders. All stakeholders must
recognise that imprisonment, even for a short period of time,
ruptures lives and the damage is often irreparable. Contact
with families and friends is made difficult; employment
and housing, both key in reducing reoffending, may be lost,
and health, both physical and mental, may be detrimentally
affected.
Young adults have a range of specific needs that will not be
met if they are mainstreamed into the adult prison system.
Any young adult who is held within the prison system should
have their needs identified and met taking into account their
age and vulnerability.
The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 needs to be
amended to recognise that having an unspent conviction
causes considerable problems to ex-offenders in relation
to their employment prospects – a situation which is compounded
when the offender is young and may therefore face
difficulties in gaining any work experience.
Many young prisoners suffer from a lack of a supportive adult.
With the development of NOMS, consideration should be
given to ensuring young offenders have a positive and supportive
adult in their lives.
Family ties are important in facilitating access to services and
support to young prisoners. Nevertheless family relations may
be fractious. Family mediation should therefore be available
to all those who may benefit from such a service.
References
Farrant, F. (2004) A Sobering Thought: Young men in prison. London:
Howard League for Penal Reform.
HMCIP (2005) Annual Report of HM Chief Inspector for Prisons England and
Wales. London: TSO.
Home Office (2002) Criminal Statistics: England and Wales 2001. London:
Home Office.
Home Office (2004) Population in Custody, Quarterly Brief October to
December 2004. London: Home Office.
Home Office (2004) Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 2003.
London: Home Office.
Howard League for Penal Reform (2003) Busy Doing Nothing: Young men on
remand. London: Howard League for Penal Reform.
Jewkes, Y. (2005) Men Behind Bars “Doing” Masculinity as an Adaptation to
Imprisonment. Men and Masculinities 8 (1) 44–63.
Metcalf H., Anderson T. and Rolfe H. (2001) Barriers to employment for
offenders and ex-offenders. Leeds: CDS.
Niven, S. and Stewart, D (2005) Resettlement Outcomes on Release from
Prison in 2003. London: Home Office.
RDS NOMS (2004) Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 2003.
London: Home Office.
Singleton et al (2000) Psychiatric Morbidity among young offenders in
England and Wales. London: Office for National Statistics.
Social Exclusion Unit (2000) Report of Policy Action Team 12: Young People.
London: ODPM.
Social Exclusion Unit (2004) Breaking the Cycle: Taking Stock of Progress
and Priorities for the Future. London: ODPM.
Social Exclusion Unit (2005) Transitions – a Social Exclusion Unit interim
report on young adults. London: ODPM.
Solomon, E (2004) A Lost Generation: the experiences of young people in
prison. London: Prison Reform Trust.
Report written by Finola Farrant
Additional research: Rosie Meek
1 Ardleigh Road, London N1 4HS
Tel: 020 7249 7373 Fax: 020 7249 7788
Email: info@howardleague.org Web: www.howardleague.org
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Published 2005