“Breaking the cycle” - Enhancing the lives of offenders, families and communities
Aim – to safely transfer parents from a custodial environment back into the family and community.
This programme aims to provide both parents and their children with the opportunities to redevelop their relationships, learn new skills in which to successfully sustain their relationship post release and feel safe in making this journey.
There are currently an estimated 150,000 children who have a parent in prison and according to Government figures, 7% of primary school children experience imprisonment of their father. There is also evidence that children who have a father with a criminal record are more likely to become involved in offending themselves.
Research tells us that the estimated annual cost of imprisonment is between £37,500 and £120,000 per prisoner when the costs to the inmate’s families and wider society are taken into account.
The colleges’ centre of Crime and Justice studies and Institute of Psychiatry found that prisoner’s families were hidden victims who experienced significant impovishment.
Children, in particularly were suffering hardship due to the imprisonment of family members.
It is crucial that all of the family are able to rebuild their relationship in a safe way, and that the children are safeguarded from further emotional harm and the future consequences of this.
The Extra Mile Group has designed an innovative package of intervention and support to allow families to rebuild their relationships and enjoy a positive future together.
The package consists of a 5 tier programme incorporated into a planned release package, and is aimed at prisoners serving sentences of over 4 years and currently accommodated in an open prison environment, or assessed as Category C & D and are motivated to make positive changes within their family unit.
This programme of intervention and support meets the Government agendas in relation to children, families and communities, i.e. The Police and Justice Bill, Every Child Matters document, the review of the Crime & Disorder Act 1998 – white paper – Building Communities, Beating Crime and the RESPECT Action Plan.