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

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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.
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