Running a resettlement project for young offenders - Nacro

Tätigkeitsbericht derJugendwartefür das Jahr 2009

Running a resettlement project for young offendersConclusionthey could to help the young people, includingrelocating young people so they were morelikely to stay out of trouble, and referring themto drug support services such as the CARATservice (counselling assessment referral advicethroughcare service), once it was established inthe prison. Such intervention did make animpact: On-Side participants identified withproblematic drug use were more likely to bereconvicted than those without a drug problem,even if they received some help from theproject. However, those who did not receive anyhelp to overcome their problems were muchmore likely to be reconvicted than those whodid get help. This again highlights theimportance of providing such support for theyoung person.‘Yes, it’s helped me a lot really because if it wasn’tfor this, I would probably be going out and just begoing back to the same old stuff, doing, just beingnothing really.’The national reconviction rate for juvenileoffenders who have been detained is 84%. Thereconviction rate for On-Side participants, at58%, shows that the project has been a particularsuccess – especially given that the young peoplewith whom it has dealt are some of the mostvulnerable in society. 5 Those on the On-Sideproject who received help with employmentand/or education, accommodation, mental healthproblems, and violence and anger managementwere all less likely to be reconvicted than thosewho did not get help with identified problems. Itis imperative, therefore, that juvenile offendersare released from custody with comprehensiveresettlement packages involving intensive,individualised support.Given that On-Side has reduced re-offendingrates among prolific offenders, it could beclaimed that the project has brought aboutsubstantial savings to the criminal justicesystem.Furthermore, On-Side has offered ‘added value’to both HMYOI Portland and numerous statutoryagencies, including social services, youth justiceteams, the Probation Service, and more recently,area youth offending teams. Developing ajoined-up approach, could not only create agreater understanding of the difficulties thatthese young people face, but also show that,with the right help, such problems can beovercome.5 Please note that the full two-year reconviction rate is not yetavailable for all On-Side participants: at the time of evaluation,data on a two-year follow-up were only available for thosewho joined the project soon after it started. For theseparticipants, the reconviction rate was 60%. More informationon these figures is contained in the On-Side evaluation report(forthcoming, contact details on p.2).page 9

About NacroNacro, the crime reduction charity, is dedicated to makingsociety safer. We have an unrivalled expertise in developingeffective solutions to crime and stimulating fresh thinking onhow best to reduce it, based on over 30 years of experience.Combining practical services to individuals, communities andorganisations with pioneering campaigns, Nacro lobbies forbetter ways to reduce crime, while demonstrating how thismight be done in practice.Nacro’s resettlement serviceNacro’s resettlement service provides information and advicefor prisoners, ex-offenders and people involved or working withthem. If you want to find out more about Nacro’s resettlementservice, contact Nacro’s Resettlement Plus Helpline, 169Clapham Road, London, SW9 0PU, tel: 020 7840 6464.Nacro’s Research and Evaluation SectionNacro’s Research and Evaluation Section runs major researchand evaluation contracts across the breadth of crime reductionand criminal justice fields. The section produces a regularnewsletter, Evidence for change, and briefings. The briefingsand newsletter are circulated in a regular mailing and posted onthe Nacro website, www.nacro.org.ukTo find out about the research mailing, contactinfo@nacrocsp.org.uk or 020 7501 0551. For more informationabout the work of the Research and Evaluation Section, contactresearchinfo@nacrocsp.org.ukpage 10

Running a resettlement project for young offendersKey findings from Nacro’s On-Side projectIntensive resettlement work with the young people has been a vital factor inreducing reconvictions and breaking the cycle of crime. Nacro’s On-Side project atHMYOI Portland was established to ensure that the most vulnerable juveniles inthe prison received the information, help and support they need to identify andtackle the range of difficulties they are likely to face on release. This reportdiscusses the strengths of the On-Side project in working with juvenile offendersand significantly reducing re-offending. It looks at the people involved, theapproaches taken to reduce reoffending, and the benefits that were gained. Itstresses the importance of seeing young people as part of the solution to reducingcrime and disorder, not just as part of the problem.£5.00