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www.thegriffinssociety.org
Volunteering for All?A Qualitative Study of Women Ex-offenders’ Experiences of Volunteering
Clare Taylor
Research Paper2008/01
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Acknowledgements
Iwouldliketothankthefollowingpeoplefortheirparticipation,supportandencouragementwiththisresearchproject.Iamextremelygratefulfortheopportunitytoconductthispieceofresearch.
Theeightwomenwhoparticipatedinmyinterviews,thankyouforyourhonesty,opennessandwillingnessDrDavidDownes,LondonSchoolofEconomicsDrKateSteward,formerDirector,TheGriffinsSocietyCathyStancer,previousDirectorofWomeninPrisonStevenHowlett,RoehamptonUniversityTheGriffinsSocietyCouncilfortheopportunitytoconductthispieceofresearchandconstructivefeedbackthroughouttheyearNumerousprofessionalswhoassistedmewithinformationandtheirtime,inparticularBenGattyandGregMandelman
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Contents1. Introduction
ResearchAimsMethodofDataCollectionTheSampleGroupReliabilityandValidityTheOutcomes
2. VolunteeringinContext
DefiningVolunteeringWherePeopleVolunteerTheExtentofVolunteeringVolunteeringOpportunitiesWhoVolunteers?
3. WomeninPrison
VolunteeringwithinPrisonsListenerSchemesVolunteeringintheCommunityfromPrisonGainingSelfConfidenceFeelingNormalNotHavingtoDiscloseConvictionsTheImportanceofSupport
4. WomenafterPrison
LackofSupportWhatSupportdoWomenNeed?PracticalSupportTheRehabilitationofOffendersAct(1974)andCriminalRecordBureauchecksDisclosingConvictionsEmotionalSupportWhatabouttheRisks?
5. TheBenefitsofVolunteering
VolunteeringasaWorkTasterDevelopingSoftSkillsChangingWaysofThinkingDevelopingSelfConfidenceinWorkRelatedSkills
6. TheDisadvantagesofVolunteering
BoringandRepetitiveWorkExploitationLackofSupportandSupervisionWorkingfornoPaymentVolunteeringaLongTermProcess
7. WhatCanMakeVolunteeringaGoodExperience?
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IndividualisedVolunteeringTrainingTheImportanceofStructureandSupportNextSteps
8. ConclusionsandRecommendations
References
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CHAPTERONE–INTRODUCTIONInrecentyears,therehasbeenanincreasedinterestinvolunteering,withnumerousgovernment
iniativeslaunchedtoencouragepeopletogetmoreinvolved.Machin(2005)namesthreeexamples
ofsuchinitiatives;MillenniumVolunteers(aimedatincreasingparticipationinvolunteeringof18‐24
yearolds),theBlackandMinorityEthnicTwinningInitiative(toincreaseinvolvementamongstblack
andethnicminoritygroups)andtheHomeOfficeOlderVolunteers’Initiative(toimprovethe
quantityandqualityofopportunitiesforthoseover50yearsold).Volunteeringhasbecomebig
businesswithmoreandmoreopportunitiesavailableandrecordnumbersofpeoplevolunteering.
Nationalstatisticssuggestthatbetween2001and2003,thenumbersofpeoplevolunteering
formallyhadincreasedbyapproximately1.5million(HomeOffice,2004).
TheretoohasbeenafocusonincreasingvolunteeringwithintheCriminalJusticeSystem,withthe
mainaimbeingtoreducelevelsofre‐offending.InMay2007,TheNationalOffenderManagement
Service(NOMS)producedaconsultationdocumenttitledVolunteerscan:TowardsaVolunteering
StrategytoReduceRe‐Offending.Containedwithinthedocumentisavisionforhowopportunities
whichallowvolunteerstogointoprisonstosupportoffenderscanbringadditionalskillsand
expertisetotheworkoftheprisonservice.Additionally,offendersvolunteeringwhilstinprisonand
aftertheirrelease,canbuildtheirconfidenceandselfesteem.Insum,thesetwotogether:
‘provideanopportunityforcommunitiestohelpreducere‐offending,whichisofbenefitnot
only to offenders, but also to their families, victims and society as awhole’ (NOMS, 2007,
p.5).
TheNOMSstrategyhasfourkeyaims,whichare;toincreasethenumberanddiversityofvolunteers;
tobecomemorestrategicinvolunteerdevelopment;toimprovesupporttovolunteers;andto
establishtheimpactofvolunteering.Todatetherehasbeenverylittleresearchconductedintothe
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issuesandimpactsofoffendersorex‐offendersvolunteering.AlthoughtheNOMS(2007)document
doesmentionthebenefitsforoffendersofvolunteering,thefocusismoreon(law‐abiding)
volunteersgoingintoprisonsfromthecommunity.
Farrant&Levenson(2002)carriedoutresearchonbehalfofPrisonReformTrustintovolunteering
amongstprisonersandthebenefitsitcouldmaketoboththeindividualsinvolvedandtotheprison
environment.Theyarguedthat‘volunteeringcanincreasetheconfidenceandself‐esteemof
prisonersbyallowingthemtotakeresponsibilityatatimewhenmostdecisionsaremadefor,rather
thanbythem’(p.36).However,theyfoundthattherewerefarfeweropportunitiesforwomen
prisonerstovolunteerthantherewereformen.Theydidnotgoontoexploreoffenders
volunteeringaftertheirreleasefromprison.
ResearchbyEllis,HowlettandO’Brien(2004)exploredthelinkbetweenvolunteeringandsocial
exclusion.Theyhighlightedthebarrierstoformalvolunteeringfacedbyindividualsfromblackand
minorityethnicgroups,disabledpeopleandpeoplefromanoffendingbackground–allofwhom
havebeenidentifiedasbeingunder‐representedinformalvolunteering.Whilstoffenderswere
includedinthisresearch,therewaslessfocusonthemthanontheothertwogroupssothereare
stillunexploredquestionsabouttheirparticipationin,andexperiencesof,volunteering.
Neitherpieceofresearchfocusedspecificallyontheexperiencesofwomen.Itwouldappearfroma
reviewoftheliteraturethatthereseemstobealackofresearchintooffendersandex‐offenders
volunteering.Itisfelt,therefore,thatthiscouldbeatimelyandworthwhilepieceofresearch.
Myinitialinterestcamefrommyexperienceofworkingonaneducation,trainingandemployment
projectinLondonfortwoyears,whichwasspecificallysetuptoprovidesupporttowomenafter
theirreleasefromprison.Someofthewomenwhotookpartintheprojectundertookvoluntary
workasawayofgainingworkexperienceinordertomoveontopaidemploymentinthefuture.
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ThewomenappearedtobenefitagreatdealfromtheirvolunteeringandIwasinterestedinhow
andwhyvolunteeringhadhelpedthem.
Afurtherdimensiontotheresearchismyownpersonalexperienceofbeingawomanex‐offender
andspendingperiodsoftimeincustodyinthelate1990’stoearly2000’s.Bringingthose
experiencesintothisresearch,Iamdrawntowardsfeministstandpointepistemology,whichis
concernedwithbuildingknowledgeandempowermentthroughwomen’slivedexperience.
AccordingtoBrooks(2007,p.55)‘Feministstandpointepistemologyisauniquephilosophyof
knowledgebuildingthatchallengesusto(1)seeandunderstandtheworldthroughtheeyesand
experiencesofoppressedwomenand(2)applythevisionandknowledgeofoppressedwomento
socialactivismandsocialchange’.Whilstsomemayquestionthecharacterisationofwomen
prisonersasoppressedwomen,itshouldbenotedthatmanycomefrombackgroundsofabuse,
exploitationandpoverty.Brooks(ibid)arguesthat‘whilemanythousandsofmen’sliveshavebeen
recognizedandrecordedforcenturiesandacrosscultures,women’slifestorieshavebeen
documentedfarlessoften’.Myexperiencesofbeingawomanprisonerandtodayanex‐prisoner
haveshapedandalteredmyperceptionoftheworld,forwhichImakenoapologies.Whilstthis
pieceofresearchisnotabout‘tellingmystory’,therewillbepointsinthispaperwhereIusesome
ofmyexperiencestoaddfurtherdepthtothestoriestoldtomebythewomenwhomIinterviewed.
ResearchAims
Theaimofconductingthispieceofresearchwastoexplorewomenex‐offenders’experiencesof
volunteering.Therehasbeenafocusonincreasinglevelsofparticipationinvolunteeringinrecent
yearsbutvolunteeringopportunitiesforoffendersandex‐offendershavebeenneglected,despite
thefactthatitisarguedthatvolunteeringcanhelpreducere‐offending‐akeyaimofthecurrent
government.
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Theobjectivewastodiscoverwhetherwomenwhohadvolunteeredfoundittobeapositiveand
beneficialexperience.Theresearchexaminedthewiderissuesaroundvolunteeringandbydoingso
soughttodrawupagoodpracticeguide,whichcouldbeusedbyorganisationsinterestedin
providingvolunteeringopportunitiestoex‐offendersaswellasprisonstaffworkinginprisoner
resettlement.Afurtheraimwastoraiseawarenessofthespecificissuesforwomenex‐offenders
whilstatthesametimegivinghopetoanyfemaleex‐offenderswhomayreadthisdocument.
METHODOLOGY
MethodofDataCollection
Thetechniquesusedtocollectdataforthisresearchwereprimarilyqualitative,partlyduetotime
constraintsbutalsobecausethismethodwasthoughttobethemostappropriateinordertogaina
deeperinsightintotheexperiencesofwomenex‐offendersvolunteeringandalsoorganisations
workingwithwomenex‐offenders.Asemi‐structuredinterviewwasused,whichprovideda
commonframeworkforallinterviewsbutalsoallowedforindividualflexibility,enablingeach
womantofeelcomfortableandtalkaboutwhattheyfeltwasimportantwithintheinterview.
Intotal,eightwomenwereinterviewedforthisresearch.Ithadoriginallybeentheaimtointerview
between10and15womenbut,duetotimeconstraintsandworkcommitments,thiswasnot
possible.AfterdiscussionswithotherFellowsandGriffinsCouncilmembers,itwasdecidedthat
eightwasanadequatenumberofwomentouseforthisresearch.Theintervieweeswereidentified
andselectedfromwomenwhohadtakenpartintheemploymentprojectIhadbeenworkingonand
alsowomenwhovolunteeredtobeinterviewedafterhearingaboutmyresearchandhadatsome
pointbeeninvolvedinvoluntarywork.
ItwashopedthatIwouldinterviewwomenwhohadnotvolunteeredtofindoutwhattheir
perceptionsofvolunteeringwereandalsotointerviewwomenwhohadstartedvolunteeringbut
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notcontinuedtofindoutwhyandwhattheirexperienceshadbeen.Unfortunatelyitwasmuch
moredifficulttoaccessthesewomenandsoalloftheintervieweeswerewomenwhowere
currentlyvolunteeringorwhohadbeenactiveinvolunteeringinthepast.Allinterviewsweretape
recordedandconsentgainedfromthewomenbeforehand.Thewomenwereremindedthat
everythingwasconfidentialandthattheycouldstoptheinterviewatanytimeanddeclinetoanswer
anythingtheyfeltuncomfortablewith.Eachinterviewlastedbetween30‐60minutes.
Afurthertwoface‐to‐faceinterviewswereconductedwithmanagersofvoluntarysector
organisations;oneorganisationwhichsupportedpeoplewithahistoryofsubstancemisuseandan
offendingbackgroundintovoluntaryworkandanotherwhichprovidedservicestopeoplewith
mentalhealthproblemsandusedalargenumberofvolunteers,someofwhomwereex‐offenders.
Questionnaireswerealsodevisedtogatherinformationfromindividualsworkingwithinvoluntary
sectororganisationsabouttheirperceptionsofex‐offendersandtheexperiencesofthosewhichhad
workedwithex‐offenders.ThequestionnairewaspostedonTheGriffinsSocietywebsiteandalso
advertisedthroughtheClinksnetworkandthroughVolunteeringEnglandnewsletter.Intotal,13
individualsfromdifferentorganisationsrespondedbyfillinginthequestionnaire.
TheSampleGroup
Evenwiththeauthor’scloseworkconnectionstowomenprisonersandex‐prisonersandin
particularthosewhowereorwhohadvolunteered,itwasnotstraightforwardtoaccesswomento
interviewabouttheirexperiences.Initially,aroundtwentywomenwerecontactedbyletter
explainingaboutthenatureandpurposeofmyresearchandaskingiftheywouldagreetotakepart.
Thiswassuccessfulinprovidingmewithfiveinterviews.Theauthoraimedtorecruitmorewomen
forinterviewsbyadvertisingonUnlockwebsitebut,unfortunately,thisonlyattractedmaleex‐
offenders.Theremainingintervieweescameaboutduringthecourseoftheresearchby
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professionalswhowereawareofmyresearchspeakingtowomenaboutitwhothenagreedtotake
part.ThetwoprofessionalsIinterviewedwereselectedaftertheyrespondedtomyquestionnaire.
ReliabilityandValidity
Astherewereonlyasmallnumberofwomeninterviewedfortheresearch,thefindingscannotbe
usedtogeneraliseaboutwomenex‐offenders’experiencesofvolunteering.Onthewhole,this
reportfocusesonthepositiveaspectsofvolunteeringbecausethisiswhatthewomenfocusedon.
Thisisnottosaythatpeople’sexperiencesofvolunteeringarealwayspositive,rather,asapictureof
whatworks,theissuesandthemesbroughtupwithinthereportcouldbeusedasaguideto
providingqualityvolunteeringplacements.Additionally,allthewomenwhowereinterviewedfor
theresearchwerelivinginLondon,sothefindingsmayhavealocalratherthananational
resonance.
TheOutcomes
Itishopedthatthefindingsofthisresearchwillyieldrealinsightsintoanunder‐researchedissue
andcreateagreaterawarenessofthespecificissuesanddisadvantagesfacingwomenex‐offenders.
Theycouldalsobeusedasaguidefororganisationswhichareinterestedininvolvingex‐offendersas
volunteerswithintheirorganisationsinthefutureaswellasprisonstaffworkingwithinprisoner
resettlement.
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CHAPTER2–VOLUNTEERINGINCONTEXT
ThefollowingchaptersfocusontheexperiencesoftheeightwomenwhomIinterviewedformy
researchaswellasfeaturinginputfromprofessionalswhohaveworkedwithoffendersandex‐
offenders.Byexploringthecommonthemeswhichemergedfromtalkingtothewomen,Iaimto
buildupapictureinthereader’smindofthejourneythesewomenwentthroughoncetheymade
thedecisiontovolunteer.Themesincludethebenefitsandpotentialnegativeaspectsof
volunteeringaswellassomeofthewiderissuesaroundvolunteeringwhicharespecifictothose
disadvantagedbyhavingacriminalrecord,inthiscasewomen.Thischapterwillattempttodefine
whatismeantbytheterm‘volunteering’andputvolunteeringintocontext,beforemovingontothe
nextchapterswhichlookatsomeofthethemeswhichemergedfromtheinterviews.
Definingvolunteering
Inthisresearch,Ihavebeenfocusingontheexperiencesofwomenwhohavebeenvolunteering
withinorganisations,whatcanbetermed‘formalvolunteering’.Thereisnooneaccepteddefinition
offormalvolunteeringwithintheUnitedKingdom,althoughvariousdefinitionscanbefoundin
governmentreportsandresearchpapers.TheCompactCodeofGoodPracticeonVolunteering
(2005,p.4)definesvolunteeringas:
‘An activity that involves spending time, unpaid, doing something that aims to benefit theenvironmentorindividualsorgroupsotherthan(orinadditionto)closerelatives’.
Theyalsogoontogivealongercontext‐settingdescriptionofvolunteeringbyaddingthat(ibid):
‘Volunteering isanimportantexpressionofcitizenshipandfundamentaltodemocracy. It isthecommitmentoftimeandenergyforthebenefitofsocietyandthecommunity,andcantake many forms. It is freely undertaken and not for financial gain. The principle of non‐payment of volunteers is central to this Code and to the wider sector and society’sunderstandingofvolunteering’.
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Theyfinallysaythat(p.4):
‘Peoplevolunteerformanydifferentreasons.Theymaychoosetovolunteertodevelopskillsorgainexperience,tosocialiseortogivesomethingbacktosociety.Theymayalsovolunteerbecause they feel a moral duty or compelling reasons to take part in voluntary action orsupportaparticularcause.Thekeyelementisthatitisfreelyundertaken’.
Theextentofvolunteering
Withinthevoluntarysector,volunteersmakeahugecontribution.Themostup‐to‐datestatisticson
volunteeringcanbefoundwithintheDepartmentforCommunitiesandLocalGovernmentSurvey
(2007‐2008).Thesurveysuggestedthat73%ofthepopulationinEnglandandWaleshad
volunteeredformallyatleastonceinthelasttwelvemonthsand48%volunteeredatleastoncea
month.AreportpublishedbyNCVO(Clarketal,2006)suggeststhatitwouldrequireanestimated
1.1millionfulltimeworkerstoreplacetheformalvolunteerswhichcurrentlyvolunteerforvoluntary
sectororganisations.Thisiswellovertwicethenumberoffulltimepaidemployeescurrently
workinginthevoluntarysector.Theyestimatethattoreplacethosevolunteerswouldcost£25.4
billion(basedonthenationalaveragewage).Itisperhapsnotsurprisingthatvolunteeringissuch
bigbusinesswhenvolunteersmakesuchacontributiontotheeconomy.
Volunteeringopportunities
Therangeofvolunteeringopportunitiesthesedaysarevastwithawholerangeofvoluntarysector
organisationsoutthere,providingservicestomeettheneedsofmanydifferentsectionsofsociety,
including:women,peoplewithdisabilities,youngpeople,blackandminorityethnicgroupsand
peoplewithmentalhealthproblems.Volunteerscandoallsortsofthings,frombefriending
someonewhofeelsisolated,toassistingwithsportsevents,tohelpingoutacharitywithofficework.
Someorganisationsarelookingforvolunteerswithcertainskills,butmostgivefulltrainingandare
justlookingforsomeonewhoisenthusiastic.Itisalsonowrelativelyeasyforpeopletofindout
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aboutopportunities,providingtheyhavetheresourcesandabilitiestoaccessthem,bygettingin
touchwiththeirlocalvolunteerbureauorbysearchingonlinethroughadatabaseofvolunteering
opportunities.
Ithas,however,beensuggestedthatvolunteeringisconceptualisedtoonarrowlybysomepeople
andseenassomethingwhichiscarriedoutbythosewhoarewhite,middleagedandmiddleclass
(Machin,2005).Thiscanexcludeindividualsandgroupswhodonotseethemselvesasfitting
intothosegroups.Ithasalsobeennotedthatbecause‘volunteering’isconstruedsonarrowly,
manyunderstandittoinvolveonlyalimitednumberofactivitiesandconsequentlydonot
identifywithitorseehowitcouldberelevanttothem(ibid).Thefollowingtwoquotesby
womentakingpartinmyresearchdemonstratethisparticularlywell:
‘BeforeIwenttoprison,Ididn’tknowwhatvoluntarymeant...Ithoughtitwasjustfreeworkand it was just people who would make cups of tea for people. Now I’ve realised thevoluntary sector is big and there’s lots of people that volunteer and sometimes you don’trealisewhose volunteeringandwhose not’ (womenex‐prisonerwho volunteeredwhilst inprison).
‘I’dalwaysthoughtthatvolunteeringwasjustlikeinacharityshoporanoldpeople’shomeand youwere the personwhomopped the floors or skivvied around in an organisation. Idon’tknowwhetherI’vejustbeenluckywiththeorganisationthatIstartedwithbutIdidn’trealise just how many opportunities would open up’ (women ex‐offender who currentlyvolunteers).
Whovolunteers?
The1997NationalSurveyofVolunteering(Davis‐Smith,J,1998)foundthat:
� Youngpeoplearelesslikelytobeinvolvedinvoluntaryworkthanthoseovertheageof45
� Peopleearningmorethan£25,000ayeararemorelikelytovolunteerthanthoseonlow
incomes
� Menandwomenareequallylikelytovolunteer
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Chaptersummary
Thischapterhasattemptedtodefineandputvolunteeringintocontext.Thedefiningfeaturesof
volunteeringarethatitisfreelyundertaken,unpaidandthatitisanactivitywhichaimstobenefit
thewidercommunity.Therearenowmorepeoplevolunteeringandawiderrangeofvolunteering
opportunitiesavailabletopeople.Mostvolunteeringtakesplacewithinvoluntaryandcommunity
groupswherevolunteersmakeahugecontributionwithoutwhich,someorganisationsmaynotbe
abletocontinuetheirwork.Despitethefactthatvolunteeringhasgrownandgonethrough
somethingofanimagemake‐over,somepeoplemaystillperceiveitasbeingirrelevanttotheirlives.
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CHAPTERTHREE–WOMENINPRISON
Fouroftheeightwomeninterviewedforthisresearchmadethedecisiontostartvolunteeringwhilst
theywerestillinprison.Thesefourwomenwereallservinglongersentences(fouryearsandover)
andsohadmoretimetobecomeawareofvolunteeringopportunitiesavailablewithintheirprisons
andbeeligibletovolunteeroutinthecommunitytowardstheendoftheirprisonsentences,
workingtowardsresettlingbackintothecommunity.
Volunteeringwithinprisons
Thevolunteeringexperiencemaybeginforsomeprisonerswithintheprisonwalls.Insomeprisons,
thereareopportunitiesforprisonerstoprovidesupport,adviceorinformationservicestoother
prisonersthroughavarietyofpeersupportschemeswhichhavebeensetupovertheyears.Such
schemesincludeadviceandinformationaroundhousing,educationandemploymenttosupporting
prisonerswithalcoholandsubstancemisuseissuesornewprisonerswhentheyarriveintoprisonon
firstnightincustodyschemes.Farrant&Levenson(2002,p.36)arguedthat:
‘although physically removed from society, people in prison can play a valuable role as
volunteers’.
Peersupportisbasedupontheprinciplethatpeoplehavesomethingtooffereachother,which
cannotbeprovidedbyotherprofessionals.Perhapsthemostwellknownandwellestablishedpeer
supportschemeistheListenerScheme.
ListenerSchemes
ThefirstListenerSchemewassetupinHMPSwanseain1991andnowoperatesin85percentof
prisonsduetoitssuccessofreducingincidentsofself‐harm(Farrant&Levenson,2002).Theaimof
theserviceistoprovideaconfidentialsupportservicetodistressedprisoners,whooftenmayfeel
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depressedandsuicidalbecauseoftheirimprisonment.Listenersaretrainedandsupportedby
Samaritanstafftobefriendsuchprisonersduringtimesofparticulardistressandhelptoreduce
feelingsofisolation.
Oneintervieweetoldmeaboutherfirstexperienceofvolunteeringwhilstinprisonasalistener:
‘MyfirstvoluntaryrolewaswiththeSamaritansinHollowayasalistener.ThereasonIwentintothatwasbecauseIfeltthatIhadaskill,becausepeopleusedtocometomeandtellmeeverythingandtalktomeandsomeonesaidwhydon’tyoubecomealistener?IfoundthatitgavemetimetonotthinkaboutmyownproblemsandthinkaboutotherpeoplesandIthinkyou gain strength within yourself. It also gets you out of your cell, which is a big, bigthing...huge’.
Forthiswoman,itwasanextremelypositiveexperiencewhichhelpedhercopewithherown
imprisonmentaswellasleadingintoothervoluntaryworkandeventuallypaidwork,asherskillsand
confidencedeveloped.However,shedidn’tfeelthatvolunteeringwaspromotedwellwithinthe
prisonandthatmanywomenweren’tawareoftheopportunitieswhichcouldbeavailabletothem,
shesaid:
‘IwasjustluckythatIwasintherightplaceattherighttimeandItalktoeveryoneanywayanditwaswordofmouth, like‘she’squitegoodatthat,youshouldaskhertodothatandthenIwasapproachedtobeapeersupporter. Itwasn’tactuallypromotedfromtheprisonside, it wasmore the outside agencieswhichwere promoting it. I think it’s important topromote volunteer work within the prisons because until they actually do it, the womenwon’trealisethepotentialthey’veactuallygottogoandgetpaidemployment’.
SimilarfindingswerefoundbyFarrant&Levenson(2002)study;althoughtherewasgoodwork
occurringwithinindividualprisons,itwasoftenaresultofindividualcommittedstaffmembersand
notbecauseofacoherentstrategy.Theyalsofoundthattherewereconsiderablyfewer
opportunitiesforfemaleprisonerstovolunteerthantherewereformaleprisoners.
AsonewomanIinterviewedsaid:
‘To be honest, I’m sure if thewomenwere given opportunities, especially fromprison, theprisonenvironmentwouldbeamuchbetterplace.InaplacelikeHolloway,alotofwomen
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are in the building andnochanceof fresh air,onlyhalf an houra day in theweek andanhourintheweekend.Iftheyhadsomethingtodo,voluntaryworkwhetheritwasinoroutoftheprison,itwouldmakepeoplefeelvaluedandmoreappreciated’.
Volunteeringinthecommunityfromprison
Therecanbeopportunitiesforprisonerstovolunteeroutsidetheprisonwallsforexternal
organisations,providingthatprisonersareeligibletoapplyforaresettlementlicence.However,
theseareonlyopentoasmallpercentageofprisoners.ThePrisonReformTruststudy(Farrant&
Levenson,2002,p.24)intovolunteeringwithinprisonsfoundthatinall,only1.05percentof
prisoners,oronein95prisonerswerevolunteeringoutsideoftheprisonenvironment.Inorderto
qualify,aprisonermustbesentenced,servingoveratwelvemonthsentenceandhavecompleteda
thirdoftheirtotalsentenceorfourmonths,whicheverislonger.Theymustalsopassarisk
assessment.Asmanywomeninprisonareonlyservingshortsentencesforminoroffencesand
almosttwo‐thirdsofallwomenreceivedintoprisonperyearareonremand(HomeOffice,2003)
mostarenoteligibleforthis.Thisislikelytobethereasonwhyofthoseinterviewed,onlywomen
whohadbeenservinglongersentenceshadvolunteeredoutinthecommunitywhilstinprison.
Volunteeringcanoffermanybenefitstoprisonersby,forexample:improvingtheirchancesof
gainingemploymentbythemgainingworkexperience,improvingtheirskillsandconfidenceand
enablingthemtogainarecentworkreference.Forlongertermprisonerswhoarelikelytobefaced
onreleasewithalabourmarketwhichhaschangedduringtheirtimeinprison,itcanbeawayof
gainingnewskillsrelevanttothelabourmarket.Particularlyforwomenprisoners,whoasagroup
aredisadvantagedintermsofworkhistory,(41percenthadnoworkhistoryatallaccordingtothe
SocialExclusionUnitReport,2002)itcouldbetheirfirstexperienceofbeinginvolvedinanykindof
work.Itisalsoimportantinenablingprisonerstobecomefamiliarwiththeoutsideworldafter
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beingimprisoned,oftenforlongperiodsoftime.ForthewomenIinterviewedwhowereinvolvedin
volunteeringoutsideoftheprisonwalls,therewerebenefitswhichwillbediscussedbelow.
Gainingselfconfidence
Manywomenwhoenterprisonhavealreadyexperiencedextremehardshipsintheirlivesandcome
fromdisadvantagedbackgroundscharacterisedbyabuse,addictionandpoverty;prisoncouldbe
seentofurtherstigmatiseandcharacterisethemas‘damagedwomen’.BaronessCorston
conductedareviewofvulnerablewomencaughtupinthecriminaljusticesystemandnotedthat,in
general,vulnerablewomeninprisonweremothers,hadsubstancemisuseandalcoholproblems.
Theyhadbeensexuallyorphysicallyharmedandabused(sometimesboth),hadself‐harmed,
sufferedfrommentalhealthproblemsandwerepoor(HomeOffice2007).
Similarfindingsarenotedintheliterature.Forexample,Borrilletal(2001)indicatedintheir
researchthatalmosttwo‐thirdsofwomeninprisonhaveadrugproblem,whileotherresearchhas
suggestedthatoverhalfofwomeninprisonhavesuffereddomesticviolenceandoneinthreehas
experiencedsexualabuse(Singletonetal,1998).ThePrisonService(2004)suggestedthatin2003,
30percentofwomenwerereportedtohaveharmedthemselvescomparedwithjustsixpercentof
men.Althoughwomenmadeupjustsixpercentoftheprisonpopulationatthetime,they
accountedfor46percentofallrecordedself‐harmincidents.AccordingtoSingletonetal(1998),
two‐thirdsofwomeninprisonshowsymptomsofatleastoneneuroticdisorder,suchasdepression,
anxietyandphobiasandmorethanhalfaresufferingfromapersonalitydisorder.Amongstthe
generalpopulation,lessthanonefifthofwomensufferfromthesedisorders(ibid).Muchhasbeen
writtenovertheyearsaboutthepovertyofmanywomenwhogotoprison.Carlen(1988)argued
thatcrimeisoftenalogicalresponsetowomen’spositionandawayofescapingtheirsituationof
livinginpoverty.
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Corstonalsofoundthatalthoughthewomenshemetindifferentprisonsappearedconfidentatfirst
andwereloud,thiswasusedtomasktheirvulnerabilitiesandlackofself‐confidenceandself‐
esteem(HomeOffice2007).Whenyoulookatthebackgroundsofmanyofthewomenwhoendup
inprison,itisnotsurprisingthattheylackself‐confidenceandbelief.Theymayhavebeen
imprisonedforbeingoffendersbutmany,althoughtheywouldnotwantthemselvesdefinedinthis
way,havebeenvictimsthemselves.
However,itisnotjustthebackgroundsofthewomen’slivesthatcanaffecttheirself‐confidencebut
theactualday‐to‐dayrealityofimprisonmentandthelackofnormalsocialinteractionsthatwe
oftentakeforgranted.
Onewomanintervieweesaid:
‘Afterbeing inprison for so longyou justgetused tobeingamongst femalesand thestaffmembers soyoudon’thaveconfidenceabout reintegratingwithotherpeople exceptwhenyou’re on visits. It gaveme the confidence to sit downand talk to people again. If I hadcomestraightoutandnotdonevoluntaryworkitwouldhavebeenverydifficultandIwouldprobablyhavebeenmorenervous’.
Thisisnottosaythatimprisonmentdoesnotaffectmaleprisonersinsimilarways,butthatfor
women,particularlybecauseinWesternculturewomen’sidentityisconstructedaroundnotionsof
feminityandtheirrolesasmothersandcarers,therecanbeanaddedelementofshameandthat
theyarebeingpunishedforbeing‘badwomen’.
Aworkerfromawellknownorganisationthatplacesoffendersintovoluntaryworktowardstheend
oftheirsentencessaid:
‘Wenoticethatwomenoffendersareoftenlessconfidentthanmenandalotmorereluctanttotalkabouttheiroffences’.
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Feelingnormal
Afterspendingtimeinprisonthereisoftenthefeelingofbeingdifferentandnotlike‘normal’
people.Volunteeringcanhelptomakeprisonersfeelapartofsocietyagainandgainsomesortof
normalitybeforetheyarereleased.
Oneintervieweewhohadvolunteeredtowardstheendofhersentencesaid:
‘It’s a way of gaining your own confidence again, for being out there and having to getdressedupandgotoworkeveryday,whenyou’reonthetrainyou’rejustlikeeveryoneelseandyou’regoingtowork.It’sagoodfeeling’.
Anotherintervieweesaid:
‘Itgivesme thechance togetused to theoutsideworldandnot feel isolated in theprisonenvironment,youcangetusedtothatinstitutionalfeelingandfeellostwhenyougoout’.
Ihadtheopportunityofbeingabletovolunteeroutsideoftheprisontowardstheendofmyprison
sentenceandithelpedmebecomefamiliarwithbeingoutsideagainandhavingnormalsocial
interactionswithpeopleoutsidetheprison.Thiswasthestartofmefeeling,insomeway,likea
humanbeingagain,althoughnothingcanprepareprisonersforhowtheywillfeeluponrelease,
particularlyafterservingalongtermsentence(overfouryears).
Nothavingtodiscloseconvictions
Formanypeoplewithacriminalrecord,especiallythosewhohavebeentoprison,thethoughtof
havingtodisclosetheirconvictionstopotentialemployers,completeacriminalrecordscheckand
facenegativeattitudestowardsthembecauseoftheirconvictionscanbeahugeworry(thiswillbe
discussedinfurtherdetaillaterinthispaperasitwasdiscussedwithallinterviewees,notjustthose
whohadvolunteeredwhilstinprison).Sometimes,thefearcanbesogreatthattheywouldrather
notgothroughwithit.
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Securingvoluntaryworkwhilstinprisoncantakesomeofthepressureoff,astheprisonerknows
thattheorganisationinvolvedwillbemadeawareoftheirsituationofbeinginprison.Someone
fromtheprisonliaiseswiththeorganisationontheirbehalfandsotheprisonercanfeelabitmore
atease.
Oneintervieweesaid:
‘ThereasonwhyIdidn’thavetodoanyofthosechecksisbecauseIwasstillinprison,semi‐openprisonwhenItookthejobs,sotheprisonorganiseditforyoubasically. I’msure, theorganisationwhereIwasworking,workingwithvulnerableadults,thatwhateveryourcrimeyou would have to do a CRB check and I don’t know how theywould viewmy particularoffence. I was not lucky, but it was good forme that I was in therewhen I got the jobsbecauseIdon’tknowthatIwouldhavegotthemoffmyownback,Idon’tknow‘cosI’venottried’.
Althoughtheissueofdisclosureisstillgoingtocomeupforprisonersandex‐prisonersinthefuture,
beingacceptedbyanorganisationthefirsttimemayincreasesomeone’sself‐confidenceandmake
itmorelikelythattheywouldconsiderapplyingforvoluntaryorpaidworkinthefuture.
Theimportanceofsupport
Somethingwhichcameupinmostoftheinterviewswashowimportantitwastohavesomeone
frominsidetheprison,towhomthewomencouldturntoforsupport.Onewomanwho
volunteeredforthelastyearofherprisonsentence,talkedaboutherexperienceofthis:
‘IwasstillinprisonwhenIwasvolunteeringbuttheguythatgetsthegirlstheworkhe’salsolikeourmentor,someonewecanalwaysgotoifwe’vegotanyproblems,positivestufftoo;hewasfantasticandhewasreallyhandson.Hewasn’tsomeonewhogotyouthejobandthenwentonto thenext person,he used to pop inandseeus atwork andseewewas allright. Youknewthathewasn’t therecheckingup onus,hewasmakingsure thatwewasgetting treated properly. Hewas fantastic and I think it’s quite important that you havesomeone,beitagrouporonepersonwhoyoucanfallbackon,especiallyinoursituationasoffendersorex‐offenders, youneedsomeonewhoyoucan fallbackonandmakesureyouarebeingtreatedproperly’.
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Inevitably,therearegoingtobeissuesthatcomeupwhensomeonevolunteersfromwithinprison.
Theymaynotwantpeopletoknowthattheyareinprisonandbeuncertainaboutexactlywhois
awareofit.Theymayfaceembarrassmentwhenfacedwithdifficultquestionsor,ifpeoplearen’t
awareoftheirsituation,feelbadathavingtoconstantlypassupinvitationstoattendsocialevents
outsideofworkinghours.Onewomantalkedaboutherexperienceofhavingtodealwithquestions
fromcolleagues:
‘WhereIwasworkingitwasareallybigbuilding,aboutfortypeopleworkinginthereandIknowforafactnotallofthemknewwhereIwassosometimesitgotabitdifficultlikewheredoyourchildrengotoschoolandhowcomeyoutravelsofarifyousayyoulivein*****andIwasgoingallthewayto*****andifsomeoneasksyouwhereyouliveyounaturallysayitwithout thinking. A couple of people didn’t know initially and then they found out and Iwasn’t aware that they’ve found out but they never treated me any different, they werereally kind and therewasno negativity frompeople itwas justme feeling awkwardabouthowtoanswertheirquestions’.
Insomecases,itwasreassuringtoknowthattherewasexternalsupportavailable,evenifthey
didn’tneedtousethemforawhile.Onewomansaid:
‘It’s important to have someonewho knowswhere you’re coming fromand to be there ifyou’ve had a bad experience that day, for example: if someone has just found out whatyou’vedoneorthatyou’reanex‐offenderandthey’ve treatedyoulikecrap. Someoneyoucangotoandsaythismademefeellikethis.Ithelpsevenifyoudon’tusethemforamonth,toknowthatthey’rethereifyouneedthem.Ithinkit’sreallyimportant’.
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Chaptersummary
Therearearangeofvolunteeropportunitiesavailableforprisonershowever,theyareoftennotwell
publicisedwithinprisonsandthereisalackofstrategicleadershipforvolunteering.Therearefewer
opportunitiesforwomenprisonerstovolunteerthanmaleprisonersandoften,womenprisoners
maybepreventedfromvolunteeringinthecommunityaspartoftheirresettlementbecausethey
areservingshortsentences.Whenwomenprisonersaregiventheopportunitytovolunteer,itcan
havemanybenefitsforthem,including;allowingthemtogainselfconfidence,feeling‘normal’,
enablingthemtobecomefamiliarwiththeoutsideworldbeforetheirreleaseandhelpingtoreduce
feelingsofisolationwhilsttheyareinprison.However,ifwomenaretotakepartinvoluntarywork,
eitherwithintheprisonoroutinthecommunityondayreleasefromprison,havingsomeonetoturn
toforsupportiscrucial.
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CHAPTERFOUR–WOMENAFTERPRISON
Womenarefacedwithalargenumberofissuesupontheirrelease,includingtryingtogainaccessto
andreformbondswiththeirchildren,securingaccommodation,securingbenefitentitlementsand
tryingtosecureemployment.Unlesswomendoreceiveadequatesupportaftertheirrelease,
whichcanaidtheminsuccessfully‘resettling’backintotheircommunities,reoffendingismore
likely.Wordssuchas‘resettlement’and‘reintegration’aremisleadingwordsastheyimplythat
individualswere‘settled’and‘integrated’intheircommunitiesbeforetheyenteredprison,which
manywerenot(seeforexampleRaynor,2007).However,evidenceshowsoneofthemostthingsin
assistingoffenderstosettleandstayawayfromcrimeandleadlawabidinglivesisgaining
employment.TheTradeUnionCongress(TUC)hasarguedthat:
‘Helpingex‐offendersintojobsisoneofthemosteffectivewaysofpreventingthemfromre‐offending:allofusarelesslikelytobevictimsofcrimeifwecanhelpex‐offendersintowork’(TradeUnionCongress,2001,citedinFarrant&Levenson,2001,p,3).
However,althoughemploymentmaybeanimportantpartoftheresettlementprocess,women
experiencesignificantbarrierstogainingemploymentonreleasefromprison(Cox,2001,quotedin
McPherson,2007).Gelsthorpeetal(2007,p.13)pointoutthelackofavailabilityofwomenspecific
communityprovisionandworkplacements.Furthermore,manywantandindeedneedtowork,but
facedwithdifficultieswithhousing,health,communityandfamilyreintegration,employmentis
oftennotthenumberonepriority.
Eaton(1993)interviewed34womenex‐prisonerswhohadmanagedtotransformandmoveforward
withtheirlives.Shefoundthattransformationoccurredasaresultofaccesstoadequatehousing,
employmentandhealthfacilities.Furthermore,‘Recognitionbyothers,andtheopportunitytorelate
aspeopleofequalworth,hadenabledthesewomentoestablishthemselvesintheirowneyes,andin
theeyesofothers,ascontributingandvaluedmembersofsociety’(Eaton,1993,p.101).
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Volunteeringmaybeonlyoneaspectofthis,butitcouldbethestartofwomendevelopingself‐
worthandfeelingtheyhavesomethingtocontribute;beingapartofinsteadofonthefringesof
society.
Manywomenprisonershavepoororlimitedvocationalskills,lowlevelsofeducationalattainment,
alackofsocialandprofessionalnetworkswhichwouldassistthemtofindemployment,lackof
recentworkexperienceandalackofmotivationandself‐confidence(McPherson,2007).
Volunteeringcanbeagoodwayforwomentoeasetheirwayintotheworldofworkinanon‐
pressuredway,(discussedfurtherinChapterFive).However,inorderforwomentotakethatfirst
step,theyneedsupporttobeavailableandtobemadeawareofwheretheycanturntoforhelpand
support.
Lackofsupport
Womenfaceconsiderabledifficultiesre‐establishingthemselvesafterprison.Regardlessofthe
lengthofsentence,butparticularlyifsomeonehasspentaconsiderableamountoftimeinprison,it
canbedifficultadjustingtolifeoutsideoftheprisongates.Althoughweknowthatprisonersneed
helptoresettleinthecommunity,andthatsuccessfulresettlementwillhelpreducere‐offending,in
recentyearstherehavebeensignificantchangeswithinthecriminaljusticesystemwhichmeanthat
often,thereisalackofsupportavailableforprisonersbothbeforeandaftertheirrelease.
In1992,femalescomprisedonly3.4percentoftheaverageannualpopulationincustodybutthis
almostdoubledto6.1percentin2002(HomeOffice,2003).Duringthisperiodtheannualaverage
femalepopulationincreasedfrom1577to4299.Thisconstitutedamassive173percentincreasein
thefemalepopulationcomparedwithonlyafiftypercentincreaseinthemalepopulation,although
itisstillthecasethatthenumericalincreaseinmaleprisonersisfargreaterthanthatforwomen.
From2005tothepresenttime,thenumbersofwomenincarceratedhaveremainedhigh,fluctuating
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between4200to4600.Thesehighernumbersofwomenprisonershaveputpressureonresources
andstaff,perhapsleavingwomenwithpoorerorinadequatepre‐releaseandresettlementplans.
Alongsidethegrowthoftheprisonpopulationandanobviousstretchonresources,therehavebeen
considerablechangestothestructureoftheCriminalJusticeSystem.In2004,theNationalOffender
ManagementSystem(NOMS)wassetupinresponsetoagovernmentledreviewofthestructures
relatingtoprisonandprobation.Gelthsthorpe(2007,p.54)describesNOMSasanover‐arching
body,whichwasintendedtopromoteefficientoffendermanagementthroughoutthesystem.
Gelsthorpe(2007)explainsthatundertheNOMSsystem,resourcesareallocatedaccordingtoriskof
harmorreconvictionbasedonfourtiersofservicedelivery.AccordingtotheFawcettSociety
(2004),womengenerallypresentlowerlevelsofharmandreconvictionthanmen.Thismeansthat
women,often,willdisproportionatelyfallintothefirsttwotiers(madeupoflowerriskoffenders
withfewercrimonogenicneeds).Theimplicationofthisisthatwomenoffendersneeds,mayoften
beoverlooked.Theyaremorelikelytobethesubjectoflessintensiveordersattractingfewer
resourcesandsupervisedbylessqualifiedand/orlessexperiencedoffendermanagers.Onthe
otherhand,men(particularlyhighrisksexualandviolentoffenders)willreceivemuchgreater
attention(Gelsthorpe,2007,p.54).
TheeightwomenIinterviewedforthisresearchallhaddifferentexperiencesoftheprobation
serviceaftertheirrelease.Somefeltthattherewasn’tenoughsupportandalackofunderstanding
aroundtheirneeds.Oneintervieweewhohadbeeninpaidemploymentbeforeherreleasefrom
prisonsaidthisaboutherexperience:
‘Thelastfifteenmonthssinceprisonhavebeenquitebusy,plusmycontractendedsoIhadtofindnewworksothatwasanotherchallengeagain.Iwenttoprobationandtoldthemthis,Ithought theywere one of themain peoplewho could enhance the volunteerwork for ex‐offendersbecausetheyhaveregularcontactwiththembuttheyneveroncesaidtome‘wellifyoufinishworkandyouhaven’tgotajobwouldyouliketodoabitofvoluntarywork’or‘this iswhat’sonoffer for you’. If theywouldhave readmy fileproperly theywould haveseenthat I’vebeendoingvoluntaryworkformostofmysentencesoIthinktheycouldbea
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lotmoreinvolvedthanhowtheyactuallyare.Theydon’treallypromoteyouasaperson,toself develop, to gain new skills to make you employable or to go and do some voluntarywork’.
Alackofinformationonwheretogethelpwasaproblemforanotherinterviewee,whosaid;
‘I’vehadalotofproblems.It’sbeenquitealongtimesinceprisonandbecauseIhaven’thadthesupportIhaven’tbeenabletomoveon. Icouldn’tmoveoutofbeingstuckinthesameposition because I didn’t knowhow to. Since I’ve beengetting support things are gettingbetter.IneededsupportallthetimebutIdidn’tknowhowtogetit.Ididn’tknowwheretogoorwhattodo’.
However,oneintervieweeindicatedhowhavingasupportiveprobationofficerwhowas
encouragingherwasmakingadifferencetoherlife;
‘I reallywould like togo intoprobationwork,myprobationofficer is really spurringmeonand has said tome there’s all these different courses that if you want to be a probationofficer you need. He’s really spurring me on to do that, which is really good. Within 6monthsI’llbeofflicence,completedlawandlegalstudiesOUandthenI’llstart,throughhimIthink,identifyingwhatthebarriersaregoingtobe‘cosobviouslythere’sgoingtobesomeandhowwecanovercomesomeifpossible’.
Whatsupportdowomenneed?
ThemajorityofthewomenwhomIinterviewedforthisresearchhadbeenreceivingpost‐release
supportfromvoluntarysectoragencies,whichwereprovidingservicesspecificallytomeettheneeds
ofex‐offenders.However,theproblemwithprojectssuchastheseisthattheyareoftenonly
fundedforarelativelyshortperiodoftime,withfurtherfundingoftenbeingdependenton
unrealistictargetsbeingmet.Consideringthedifficultiesthatmanywomenprisonersfaceafter
theirrelease,itisoftenthecasethatthetargetsarenotmetandfundingcomestoanend.
Iworkedonaneducation,trainingandemploymentprogrammeforwomenex‐prisonersfortwo
yearsandleftbecausefurtherfundingwasnotawardedforthesereasons.Havingbuiltup
experienceofworkingwiththisclientgroup,itseemedquiteapparenttomethatanyprojectaiming
tomeettheneedsofwomenex‐prisonersneedstobefundedonalongertermbasis,duetothe
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complexityofmanyofthewomen’sproblemsandlives.Aquotewhichseemstosumthisupquite
wellsaysthattheproblemsofwomencaughtupinthecriminaljusticesystemanddrugsagencies:
“largeknotsthathavetobepainstakinglyunpicked,oftenovermanyyears”(DrugScope,2005,p.63).
PracticalSupport
Themainreasonthatthewomenwhotookpartinmyresearchgaveforvolunteeringwastoenable
themtomoveintopaidemploymentinthefuture.Formanywomenwhohavebeentoprisonthis
canseemlikeanunachievablegoalandsohastobetakeninastep‐by‐stepway.Volunteeringcan
beoneofthefirststepstowardsgettingintoworkbutisn’talwaysastraightforwardprocess,
especiallyforpeoplewithacriminalrecord,andneedstobebrokendownfurther.Oneinterviewee
said:
‘With how I’vegone intovoluntarywork I thinksomewhere like *** (organisationworkingwith women prisoners and ex‐prisoners) or **** (organisation working with people withhistory of offending and substance misuse) they seem less threatening than going to avolunteercentre. I knowa lotofpeopleareusing**** (organisationworkingwithpeoplewithahistoryofoffendingandsubstancemisuse)togetintovoluntaryworksothatkindofproject, which caters towards peoplewho have got long gaps in employment and variousissuesfromthepastareessentialinhelpingpeoplegetintovoluntaryworkbecauseitcanbequiteadifficultprocesssothatkindofsupportisreallyneeded.Supportaroundapplicationforms, CV’s, around convictions all of that is massive really in helping people make thattransition’.
Becausemanywomenwhohavebeentoprisonhavealimitedornon‐existentworkhistoryand
educationalbackgroundandsufferfromissuesaroundself‐confidence,thethoughtofputting
togetheraCV,fillingoutanapplicationformorgoingthroughaninterviewcanbeextremelynerve‐
wracking.Oneintervieweesaid;
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‘FillinginavolunteeringapplicationformcanbeverysimilartofillinginapaidemploymentapplicationformsoIthinkpeoplecanbeputoffandIwasactuallyquitesurprisedathowdifficulttheprocesscanbe’.
Itisreallyimportantthatwomendoreceiveintensivesupportandcoachingaroundtheseissuesand
thatorganisationswhoarethinkingaboutusingex‐offendersasvolunteersareawareofhow
difficultitcanbeforthem,atleastintheearlydaysoftryingtocreateanewlifeforthemselves,and
takestepstomakethesituationeasierforthem.Aworkerfromamentalhealthcharityfor
homelesspeopleinLondon,whichdoesuseex‐offendersasvolunteers,saidthis:
‘OnouroldapplicationformstheyusedtohavethingslikeCVandtwowrittensectionsanditwas really cumbersomeandoff‐puttingand Iwouldn’twant to do that. Every time IwritedownmyCVIfeeluncomfortableaboutit.Now,it’stickboxes;tellusaboutyourself,whatareyourhobbies,interestsandreferences.Apartfromjustaskingpeopletowritetheirnameonapieceofpaperitcouldn’tbeeasierforpeople.Theinterviewisreallyinformal,wewanttofindoutwhypeoplewanttoworkhere;isitforprofessionalreasons?Alotofpeoplejustwanttoexplorewhatthislookslikeandthat’sfantastic,that’swhatwewant’.
TheRehabilitationofOffendersAct(1974)andCriminalRecordBureaux(CRB)Checks
TheRehabilitationofOffendersAct(1974)isthelegislationthatex‐offendershavetotakeinto
accountwhenapplyingforvoluntaryworkorpaidemployment.TheActisshortbutcomplexand
canbedifficulttounderstand.Essentially,theActallowssentencestobecome‘spent’afteracertain
periodoftime,providingthelengthofaprisonsentencedoesnotexceed30months.Thismeans
thatafteraperiodoftime,ex‐offenderswillnothavetorevealtheirpreviousconvictions,ifasked,
topotentialemployers.Prisonsentencesoflessthan30monthscanbecomespentafterthreeanda
half,five,sevenortenyearsdependingonthelengthofsentenceandageatthetime.Prison
sentencesof30monthsandovercanneverbecomespent.
WhentheActwasintroducedoverthreedecadesago,theaimsweretoassistoffendersinmoving
forwardwiththeirlivesbyallowingthem,asitwill,‘towipetheslateclean’afteranumberofyears.
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However,somepositionsareexemptfromtheAct,notablythosewhichinvolveworkingwith
childrenorvulnerableadults.Forthesepositions,theorganisationwouldasktheapplicantto
disclosealltheirpreviousconvictions,bothspentandunspent,andwouldusuallyaskthemto
undergoacriminalrecordsbureau(CRB)checkwhichwouldshowupalltheirconvictions.Thisis
usedasasafetymechanismtopreventpeoplewithseriousconvictionsfromworkingwiththese
groups.However,sincetheActwasintroduced,thelistofexceptionshasgrownincreasinglylong,
tothepointnowwherethereareveryfewwhicharenotexempt,meaningthatformanypostsCRB
checksarerequired(Humphreys,2001,p.2).Aworkerfromanorganisationwhichsupportspeople
withanoffendingbackgroundintovoluntaryworksaidthisaboutCRBchecks:
‘Psychologically, clients often feel that they are going to be scrutinised and may well berejected. TheCRBprocessdoesn’t seem to bear the feelings andpractical concernsof theclientinmind.Thereisalsoalackofclarityastowhatoffence(s)makessomeoneunsuitable.I think that the increased requirement of CRBs taking place without a concordantconsiderationof howtheprocessaffectsclientshas led to aworkplaceculture thatcanbeexperiencedaspunitiveandinaccessiblebyclientsandencouragesa risk‐averseattitudeinorganisations’.
TheActisnowalmost35yearsold.Since1974,sentencingandoffendingpatternshavechanged
andtherearemorepeoplebeingsenttoprisonforlongerperiodsoftime,morepeoplewhose
convictionswillneverbecomespent.Theimpactofthisisthattherearenowmorepeoplethanever
whoareexperiencingdisclosureproblemsandbeingrestrictedinthetypeofworktheycando,both
voluntaryandpaidwork.Thiscanhappenevenwheretheirconvictionsareoldandnotrelevantto
thepositiontheyareapplyingfor.Individualsare,ineffect,beinghandeddownalifesentence
(Humphreys,2001,p.5)becausetheycannevergetawayfromtheirpast.Oneintervieweesaid:
‘Ithinkthetimescaleintermsofhowlongpeoplehavetodiscloseshouldberelookedat.IthinktheGovernmenthaveallthesestrategiesforoffendersandex‐offenderstoworkbutthey’renotimplementingthem.Ithinkinactualfact,thewholesystemneedstoberevitalised’.
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TheHomeOfficecommissionedareviewoftheActandareportwaspublishedcalledBreakingthe
Circle(HomeOffice,2002).Therewashopefromindividualsandorganisationsinvolvedwithinthe
CriminalJusticeSystemthattheActwouldindeedberevisedandtakeintoaccountthemany
changeswhichhadtakenplace.Unfortunatelythereportwasnotactedon;offendersarenothigh
onthepoliticalagendaeventhoughcrimeandreducingre‐offendingare!Thingscouldpotentially
getworseforthosebeingreleasedfromprisonas,fromOctober2009onwards,thenewVettingand
BarringScheme,involvingtheIndependentSafeguardingAuthority(ISA),willbeintroduced.This
willhaveamajorimpactontherecruitmentandmonitoringpracticesofpeopleworkingor
volunteeringwithchildrenorvulnerableadults.Oncetheschemeisfullyrolledoutitwillbeillegal
tohiresomeoneinaregulatedactivitywhoisnotregisteredwith,andhasthereforenot
beencheckedby,theISA.Thenewschemewillcoveremployeesandvolunteersintheeducation,
careandhealthindustries,affectingsome11.3millionpeople(DCSFwebsite,downloaded15.9.08).
Itisunclearatthepresenttime,whichoffenceswouldmakesomeonequalifyfor‘barring’from
volunteerrolesorhowlongpeoplewouldhavetowaitafterservingaprisonsentence.
Disclosingconvictions
Therewasawidespectrumoffeelingstowardsdisclosure,fromacceptancethroughtodeepshame,
althoughallofthewomeninterviewedunderstoodwhytheprocesshadtotakeplace.Thereisnot
spacetodiscussalloftheissueswhichcameupsoIwilldiscusstheoneswhichstoodoutandcame
upthemost.
Embarrassment
Threeofthewomenspokeabouttheprocessbeingembarrassing,oneintervieweesaid:
‘TheorganisationwhereI’mworkinghavegotacopyofmypreviousconvictionsonpaper.Ifoundthatreallyembarrassingcostherewereloadsofpagesanditwasreallythick.Itwas
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quitehardtobringitinandhandittoherandgethertogoandphotocopyitbutyouknow,Ididitandyeah...’.
Anotherintervieweesaid:
‘I’mnot really ashamedofmy convictions because they’re not that serious but I do find itembarrassinghavingtotalkaboutthemtoastranger’.
Fear
Fourofthewomentalkedaboutbeingfearful,scaredandnervousaboutdisclosingtheirconvictions.
Oneintervieweesaid:
‘Really,itisscarybecausewhileIwasinprisonandthenafterIcameoutIwasworkingfor****(housingcharity)whoalreadyknewallwhatI’ddonesoafterthatIhadtostepoutsideofthatenvironmentandgotoaneworganisationswhodon’tknowthatI’vebeentoprisonandit’slike,howaretheygoingtolookatme?ThatwasreallyscarybecausenowI’vegottogothroughthiswholething‘I’manex‐offender,I’vebeentojail,thisthatandtheother’.
Oneintervieweewassofearfulabouthavingtodisclosethatshehadpurposelyputoffapplyingformorevoluntaryworkafterprison,eventhoughshewantedtovolunteer:
‘Thinkingaboutdisclosure,myheartjustpoundsandIjustdon’tknowhowI’mgoingtowalkintoaninterviewwiththemevenknowingbecausethey’vereadaletterorhavingtositthereandsayit.Iknowit’sreallygoingtobeabarrierformeandI’mnotsurehowtoovercomeitreally. I justput ittothebackofmymindbut Ishouldn’t, Ishouldtryandaddress itbut Idon’tknowhowto.WhenthetimecomesIwillneedthesupport...IknowIwill’.
Shameandstigma
Oneintervieweefeltparticularlyashamedaboutheroffenceandfeltlikeitwasholdingherback:
‘Ithinkit’sashamething,I’mashamed.Idon’twanttokeeprelivingthebiggestmistakeinmylifebut Ihavetogetonwiththefuture. It’ssomethingthatatthemomentIcan’tdealwith facing, I just can’t do it. I will...I have to because I can’t have gone through all theexamsandstuffthatI’vegainedfornothing.Itwouldjustbeatotalwaste’.
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AworkerfromahealthcharityforwomeninLondon,whichhadsetupapeersupportprojectfor
womenwhoareHIVpositiveandhadbeentoprisonsaid:
‘OnseveraloccasionswomenhavedisclosedtomethattheyfindbeingHIVeasiertolivewiththanbeinganex‐offenderbecauseofthestigmaandshameattachedtoit’.
Ifoundthistobequiteshockinginitiallybutcouldunderstandwhysomeonemightfeelthisway.
Thestigmaaroundbeingawomenoffendercanbedeeplyinternalisedandparticularlywhen
womenareconvictedofseriousoffence(s)theycanfeelgreatshamearoundthis.Itcanbedifficult
tomoveonfromthesefeelings,especiallysoonafterbeingreleasedfromprisonwhenfeelingsare
extremelyraw.
Itstruckmefromtalkingtothewomenthattheshametheyfeltwasaresultoffeelingthattheyhad
letthemselvesandthoseclosetothemdown.Theyneededtomakesomekindofresolutionwithin
themselvesandforgivethemselvesforwhattheyhaddone.Iknowmyselfthisisnotaneasything
todoandmayonlyhappenovertimeaspeoplegrowandputmoretimebetweenthemselvesand
whathashappenedinthepast.Beinggivenachancetoprovetothemselvesandothersthatthey
areworthwhilehumanbeingsmaybepartoftheprocessofdoingthis.Volunteeringcouldbeone
ofthechancestheyneedtohelpthemmoveonandweneedtofindwaystohelpembarrassed,
fearfulandashamedwomentofindtheprocessofapplyingtobeavolunteerlessoffputting,
threateningandscary.
Toomuchinformation
Twoofthewomenspokeabouttheamountofinformationthatisrequiredwhenapplyingfor
voluntaryorpaidwork.Onesaid:
‘I feel that unless you are invited to a second interview, you shouldn’t have to disclosebecauseyou’resendingyourCVoffwithacoveringlettertoalltheseorganisations.Halfofthe time they don’t even get back to youwith an interview. So now your personal life is
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floatingaroundinallthesedifferentoffices!It’saverysmallworldandIdon’tseethatyouhave todiscloseyourconvictionsona firstapplication form. It shouldbethe lawthatyoushouldn’thavetodiscloseyourconvictionsuntilasecondinterviewbecauseitautomaticallygivesyouahandicap’.
Irecallasituationmyselfwhenapplyingforworkandwasaskedtosenddetailsofprevious
convictionswiththeapplicationform.Icalledtheorganisationuptoclarifythattheyneededallthis
informationandwastoldquiterudelythatifIdidn’tandIwastobeshortlisted,Iwouldn’tbecalled
foraninterview.IntheendIdidsendofftheinformationbutwasn’tshortlisted.Itleftmefeeling
vulnerableandangry.Idon’tconsidermyselftobemassivelyself‐confident,butforwomenwith
lessselfconfidenceandwhoarelessarticulatethanmyself,Icanimaginethatthisprocesscouldbe
reallydamaging.Ithinkthatorganisationsneedtobeawareofthisandincorporatenon‐
discriminatorypracticesintotheirrecruitmentmethods.
TheissueofdisclosureandCRBcheckswasabigworryformostofthewomenanditwasclearthat
supportwasreallyneededaroundthis.Oneintervieweesaid:
‘TheorganisationI’mwithhashelpedmetoopenupandtotalkaboutitintherightway.Ithink if Ihadn’tbeenwiththisorganisationIwouldhavebeenreallystrugglingtoapplyforjobsandhavingtodisclosemyconviction,IthinkIwouldhavefounditreallydifficult’.
Anotherintervieweemadeasimilarcomment:
‘I think with disclosing my convictions it’s been very useful because I think I would havestruggled if I didn’t have an organisation thatwas so involved in helping youdislcose andgivingyoulotsofdifferentpossibilitiesaboutdisclosing’.
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Emotionalsupport
Someofthewomentalkedabouttheimportanceoffeelingsupportedemotionally.Onewoman
whowasexperiencingdifficultiesinhervoluntaryworksaid:
‘When itwasn’tworking out inmy firstvoluntaryplace, I couldgoback to ***** (supportworker) and talk to her about it and tell her that I hate it. Shewas really supportive andhelpedmetofindsomethingelse.Itwasreallygoodtohavesomeonethere’.
Anotherwomanwhohadbeenaheavydruguserformanyyearsfounditquitedifficulttoadjustto
aworksettinginthebeginningbutfeltreallysupportedaroundthis,shesaid:
‘Mymain support has been *** (supportworker), I’ve been able to go to himwith stuff.Back in the beginning I had quite bad depression and I felt quite supported around that.There were certain days I had to have off or had to leave early and he was reallyunderstanding’.
Invariablytherearegoingtobespecificissuesforsome,althoughnotall,womenex‐offendersby
thenatureoftheirbackgroundsandlifeexperiences.Thiscouldmeanthatsometimestheymay
requireahigherlevelofsupportthanyouraveragepersoninthebeginning.However,thisdoesnot
meanthatthiswillalwaysbethecaseoncetheyhavedevelopedtheskillstofaceday‐to‐dayliving
andsocialinteractions.Oneprojectmanagersummedthisupquitewell:
‘Whatseems tobe thecase isthatourvolunteerscomingfromanex‐offenderbackgroundhavemore difficulties dealingwith the boundaries issues. Whatwe try anddo is supportthemas bestwe can, people in those situations. My instinctwas to say that they canbemorechallengingbutthey’renotreally.It’sreallyimportantforustoworkwiththisgroup,justas it’s importantforustoworkwithrefugees,singlemumsandyoungpeople. They’renot gratuitouslymore difficult and they provide all the benefits, if notmore than anyoneelse’.
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Whatabouttherisks?
Oneoftheconcernsthatanorganisationmayhaveaboutusingvolunteerswhoareex‐offenderscan
bethattheyaretakingtoogreatarisk.AccordingtoGaskell(2006)thegrowthofriskmanagement
inthevoluntaryandcommunitysectorhasbeendramaticoverthepastdecade.Thisispartlydueto
cutsingovernmentspendingresultinginanincreaseinvoluntarysectororganisationsproviding
serviceswhichusedtobeprovidedbytheGovernment.Volunteersarenowcarryingoutwork
whichismorecomplexandinvolvesmoreclientworkthaninthepast.Duecaredoeshavetobe
taken,particularlywhenworkingwithvulnerablepeople,forexamplechildren,youngpeopleor
vulnerableadults.
However,mostpeoplewhohaveacriminalrecorddonotposearisktochildren,youngpeopleor
vulnerableadultsanditisimportantthattheyaretreatedfairlyandnotpenalisedforhaving
committedanoffence,particularlywhenitisnotrelevanttotheroleforwhichtheyareapplying.
Nacro(leaflet,nodate)suggestswaysofidentifyingandmanagingrisksaswellasassessing
someone’ssuitability,whichinclude;
� Carryingoutdisclosurechecks
� Meetingwiththeapplicanttodiscusstheroletheyareinterestedinandwhy
� Takingupreferences
� Givingthematrialperiod
� Holdingregularsupervisionsessionsoncetheyareinpost
Anindividual’soffendingbackgroundshouldnotbethesolereasonfordenyingthemvolunteering
opportunities,unlessofcoursetheydoposearisktovulnerableadults,childrenandyoungpeople.
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Ifanorganisationusesgoodrecruitmentandmanagementmethods,riskcanbeminimised.Belowis
aquotefromaprojectmanagerofanorganisationwhichispreparedtotakerisksonex‐offenders:
‘I can’t think of any instance when an ex‐offender has presented any more risky orthreateningbehaviourthananyotheraveragevolunteer,theyarenotdistinguishableinthatway, in any way. I think that’s one of the false concerns that people would have aboutworkingwithex‐offendersisthattheyhavecriminalactivityorbehavioursothey’regonnabring that here. That just doesn’t holdwater for us...inmy experience. That’s not to saythat’sthecasewiththeentirepopulationbutthepeoplewe’vemetit’sjustnotthecase’.
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Chaptersummary
Womenprisonersarefacedwithahugenumberofdifficultiesfollowingtheirrelease,ontopof
tryingtoadjusttolivingbackinthecommunity.Problemsincludehavingnosecure
accommodation,rebuildingrelationshipswithfamiliesandchildren,tryingtosecurebenefitsand
employment.Ifwomendidreceiveadequatesupportaroundtheseissues,itmayreducethe
likelihoodofthemre‐offending.However,inrecentyears,changesinthestructureoftheCriminal
JusticeSystemalongsidearapidincreaseinthenumbersofpeoplebeingsenttoprisonmeanthat
womendonotgetthesupporttheyneedpreandpost‐release.Often,supportwhereavailableis
providedbyvoluntaryandcommunityorganisationswhostruggletomaintainfunding.
Womenmayexperienceawiderangeofemotionsrelatingtotheirpastandtheirfutureincluding
fear,guiltandshame.Volunteeringcanbeawayforwomentostartrebuildingtheirlives,
overcomingsomeofthesefeelingsandprovingtothemselvesandothersthattheyareworthwhile
humanbeings.However,womenmayneedbothpracticalandemotionalsupporttohelpthem
developtheirconfidencetotakethefirststeps.Ofparticularconcerntowomenistheissueof
disclosingtheirconvictionsandanareawheretheyneedrealsupportandunderstanding.
Organisationsmayfeeltheyaretakingariskonvolunteerswithacriminalrecordbuttherearesteps
whichcanbetakentoassessanindividuals’suitabilityforaroleaswellasmanagingtheperceived
risks.Understandinghowdifficulttheprocessisforwomenandthinkingofwaystomakeitless
embarrassingandscaryforthemisreallyimportant.
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CHAPTERFIVE‐THEBENEFITSOFVOLUNTEERING
Themainreasonthatthewomenwhovolunteeredaftertheirreleasefromprisongavefor
volunteeringwastogainemployment.However,whentheystartedtotalkabouttheirexperiences,
whattheytoldmeindicatedthattheygainedalotmore.Iwouldliketoopenthischapterupwith
somequotesfromwomentalkingabouthowtheyfeelaboutvolunteeringandthengointosomeof
thebenefitsthewomentalkedabout.
‘It’sexciting,themostexcitingthinginmylifeattheminute,thewholethingthat’sgoingonaroundcareerandtheopportunitiesthatareoutthere.Itfeelsabitunbelievablesometimesthat Icancomefromwhere I’vecomefromandhavethekindof lifethat I’vegotgoingontoday. It feels likea secondchance tobehonestand thatmyworldhas just really startedopeningup.IfeellikeI’vegotafutureforthefirsttime’.
‘There’s somanydifferent things you can do and it is a feel good factor and you feel likeyou’re putting something back. Some of the volunteer work you can do is so, so, soimportant that that in itself givesyouabuzz anda kick thatwhat you’re actually doing isreallyimportanttosomebody’.
Volunteeringasaworktaster
TheSocialExclusionUnit(2002)foundthat41percentofwomenprisonershavenoworkhistoryat
all.InasurveyconductedbyHamlynandLewis(2000),itwasfoundthatofthewomenprisoners
theyinterviewedwhohadpreviouslybeenemployed,themajorityhadbeeninmanualwork.One
ofmyintervieweessaid:
‘Iworkedyearsago;nothingreallycreativethough,justbarworkandrunningavideoshop.I’ve now found myself a career because of the voluntary work I was doing before’(intervieweewhonowworksfulltimeforawomen’scharity).
Volunteeringcanbeanopportunityforwomentoexperiencetheworkenvironmentforthefirst
timeortryadifferentkindofworkthantheyhavebeenusedtowhichmayopenupother
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opportunitiesforthem.Also,becausemanywomenhavealimitedexperienceofworking,together
withlowlevelsofself‐confidence,theymaybeunsureaboutwhatitistheywanttodo.
Volunteeringmayofferthemanopportunitytotrythingsouttoseeiftheydolikeit.
‘I’mworkingwith old people, which I didn’t think I’dwant to do and I actually enjoy it. Isupposethat’sanothergoodthingaboutvolunteeringisthat it’sopenedupotherthingstome that Imight not otherwise have thought about’ (volunteer supportworker, formerly areceptionist).
Developingsoftskills
Softskillsmaybeseentobeavagueterm,whichcanencompassawidevarietyofworkplaceskills.
Theyarethekindofskillswhichareoftentakenforgrantedbutare,infact,extremelyimportantand
areoneofthekeythingsthatemployerslookfor.Theyincludeskillssuchastheabilityto
communicateandinteracteffectivelywithothers,workwellinateam,possessself‐confidenceand
takeresponsibility.Theymaycomeeasilytosomeonewhohasworkedforaconsiderableamount
oftime,butforwomenwhohavehadlittleornopreviousworkhistoryandchaoticlifestylesinthe
past,theycanbedifficulttoacquire.Volunteeringcanbeavaluableopportunitytohelptobuild
theseskills.Belowaresomeofthesoftskillswomentalkedaboutintheinterviewswithme.
Reliability
Onewomansaid:
‘Mytimekeepinghasgotbetter;Iwasrubbishatthatbeforeandcouldn’tgetanywhereontime!I’mbecomingmoreconsistentasaperson,likeI’mabletobethereontime’.
Anotherwomansaid:
‘Ican’texplainitbutIfeel I’mgettingbetter intermsofaworksense...I’mshowingupandI’mbeingconsistentaboutit’.
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Workplaceandsocialinteractions
Volunteeringwasimportantinhelpingwomeninteractwithco‐workersandalsowithmembersof
thepublic.Onewomansaid:
‘Volunteeringwasgreatformegettingusedtobeinginaworkenvironmenteverydayand,you know, interactions with colleagues...massively, really positive experiences I’ve had sofar’.
Anotherwomansaidaboutvolunteering:
‘Igainedloadsofskillsaswellasjustgenerallyworkingwiththepublicandgettingbackintoworking’.
Volunteeringmayalsobeawayforwomentostartbuildingpositiverelationshipswithpeople
outsideoftheirnormalsocialnetwork.Thiscanbeparticularlyimportantifwomenaretryingto
breakoutofthecycleofreoffendinganddistancethemselvesfromfriendsandacquaintanceswho
havebeenpartoftheirdrugusingandoffendinginthepast.Onewomansaid:
‘Volunteeringwasareally,reallypositiveexperience,withtheothervolunteersthatIworkedwithwe all went and socialised together on a Friday night and Imade some really goodfriends’.
Developingselfconfidenceandselfesteem
Thishasalreadybeenmentionedelsewhereinrelationtowomenvolunteeringfromprison,butitis
alsoimportantforwomenwhovolunteeraftertheirreleasefromprisontoo.Onewomansaid:
‘Withthe***(adviceservicewherevolunteering)coswegettodothisfourmonthstraining,that’s really good cos I can takemy timeand I don’t feel as if I’mbeing put in a positionwhereIcan’thandleitornotlikebeingattheotherplacewhereIhadtostuffenvelopes.It’sgood formy self‐esteem because I can kind of grown into the position and take my timeaboutit.MyconfidenceisdevelopingallthetimeasIdo’.
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Changingwaysofthinking
Volunteeringalsohelpedsomeofthewomentogainsomeperspectiveontheirlivesbyworking
withotherpeoplewhowerealsoexperiencingdifficultiesintheirlives,especiallyforonewoman
whosufferedfromdepression.
‘Igetalotfromvolunteeringinthat itmakesmefeelbetteraboutmyself.SometimeswiththeclientgroupI’mworkingwith itgivesmeabitofperspectiveonwell,actuallymylife isquiteinordercomparedtosomepeoplesoittakesmeoutofmyselfalittlebit,mypoormekindofsyndromethatIhavegoingonalot’.
Italsohelpedanotherwomantoreflectonandre‐evaluatehowshehadpreviouslybeenliving
beforeprison.Shesaid:
‘Moneyruledmylife.IhadallthismoneyandIdidn’tknowwhattodowithit.EventhoughI wasworking at the time, I gotmore enjoyment from getting that lump ofmoney (fromcrime)ratherthanmywages.Doingvoluntarywork,it’snotthemoney,it’stheappreciationand the achievement at the end of it that’s more important. I wake up every morningrushinghere.Ifyou’daskedmethatafewyearsago,Iwouldn’thavethoughtthat.Iwouldhavebeenlookingathowtomakemynext loadofmoneyandthat’sthehonest truth. It’smademeappreciatethingsmoreandvaluefamilyandjustmademerealisehowluckyIam’.
Developingconfidenceinworkrelatedskills
Themainreasonwomengaveforpursuingvoluntaryworkwastoenablethemtomoveintopaid
employmentinthefuture.AllofthewomenIinterviewedsaidthattheirconfidenceintheirability
toperformworkrelatedtasksandtheirbeliefthattheywouldsecureemploymentinthefuturehad
improvedbyvolunteering.Onewomansaid:
‘My initial reason for starting voluntary work was because I had lost my job and myconfidencewasatalow.SinceI’vebeenvolunteering,I’vestartedbelievinginmyselfagain,believingthatIcandothingsandIamcapableofgettingpaidwork’.
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Onewomanwhohadvolunteeredthroughouthertimeinprisoninavarietyofroles,talkedabout
howherconfidencehaddeveloped,shesaid:
‘Igainedahell ofa lot fromvolunteering; themain areas formewere timemanagement,interpersonal and people skills, organisational skills and how to manage people. I wasresponsiblefortimesheetsandrotasandthenopeningupspreadsheetsandlearningmyselfonthecomputer.Alsogettingusedtotalkingtopeopleinauthority,Iusedtohavetogotogovernorsandbossesofdifferentdepartmentswherethegirlswereworkingandsaytothem‘weneedtocomeanddothis,thatandtheother’.
IwouldliketousethiswomanasanexampleofsomeonewhodevelopedalongwhatIwillterma
positivecontinuum.Acontinuumisawordusedtodescribe
‘acontinuoussequenceinwhichtheelementsnexttoeachotherareverysimilarbutthelast
andthefirstareverydifferent’(OxfordDictionary,2001,p.185).
Whenthisparticularwomanenteredprisonshehadalimitedworkhistory,andinherownwords,
‘hadworkedbutnotdoinganythingcreative’.In2005,whilststillinprisonshereceivedVolunteer
oftheYearawardforhervolunteeringworkwithawellknownvoluntarysectororganisationandby
thetimeshehadleftprison,shehadgainedenoughskillsandexperiencethatshesays,‘found
myselfacareer,insteadofjustajob,acareer’.
Thiswomanwaspro‐activeinfindingoutaboutopportunitieswhichwereonofferintheprisonsshe
washeldinandtookadvantageofthem.Througheachvolunteeringopportunitysheundertook,
shewasabletoenhanceherskillsfurther,whichenabledhertoprogressbothpersonallyand
professionally.Startingoffasalistener,sheworkedherwayuptobecomingacoordinatorofthe
Listeners;workedfortheCARAT’steamprovidingsupporttootherprisonerswithsubstancemisuse
issuesandrunningpeersupportgroups;becameawingrepresentativeandsatonboardsforracial
andsuicideawarenessandwasalsoapproachedtotakepartinagroundbreakingpeerresearch
projectwhichshewaspaidfor.Whenshemovedprisons,thisledontovoluntaryworkoutinthe
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communityforthisorganisationasanadvisorforblackandethnicminoritywomen,whichthen
enabledhertogainmoreskillswhichledherontopaidworkinthelastyearofherprisonsentence.
Shewasthenofferedemploymentforthisorganisationattheirheadofficefollowingherrelease
fromprison.Sherecentlychangedjobsagainandsaysthis:
‘Itreally isanexcitingtimeforme,especiallybeingwithinaneworganisationbut I’vealsobeengivenmyownroleandthingstodowhichIwillbetheleadonalotoftheprojectsthataregoingon. It’sscarybutalsoexcitingaswell. Thefreebiesweregoodbecausetheygotme intoplacesandmyfoot inthedoorandmynameknownbutnowit’s abitmorethanthat,IwanttomakemycareerprogressandIwanttoearnsomemoney.Soyeah,I’venowfoundmyselfacareerandbecauseofthejobIwasdoingbeforeI’venowgotthisjob.Idon’tthinkthatwouldhaveallbeenpossible ifIdidn’tgaintheskillsthat Igainedthroughdoingthe voluntary work. I think volunteering is really, really important for self‐developmentbecause itgivesyouachance todevelop theskills thatyoualreadydohavebutalso learnnewskillsandmaybeaswellteachyouwhatyoudolikeanddon’tlike’.
Thiswomanwasclearlydeterminedtousevolunteeringtoheradvantageandgainasmuchfromit
asshecould.Sheofferssomeadvicetootherwomenwhoareinasimilarsituationbasedonher
experiences:
‘Ithinkyoustillhavetolookatit,eventhoughitisvoluntary,likeajob.Youcan’tjustcomeintovolunteeringthinkingit’s justsomethingtodo....Ican’tbebothered, Idon’thavetogotoday if I don’twant to because they’re notpayingme. It’s not like that, especially if youwant tomoveforwards inwhatever it isyouwant todo. Youhavetobestructuredwithinyourselfofwhatyouwant to do. Give yourself a timescale...ok,well I’lldo thisvoluntaryworkforsixmonthsandinthattimeIwanttoachievethisthatandthat.Ithinkthatiftheorganisation sees your commitment they will promote you within your voluntarywork...wouldyouliketocomeinforanextradayortakeonmoreresponsibility’.
Summaryofchapter
Manywomenex‐prisonerswanttogainemploymentandbuildacareerforthemselves.However,
thismayfeelimpossibleduetothedisadvantagestheyfaceinthelabourmarket,forexamplehaving
acriminalrecord,limitedworkhistoryandlackofqualifications.Volunteeringcanprovidemany
benefitstothewomenandopenthemuptoopportunitieswhichtheyhadneverthoughtpossible.
Someofthebenefitsinclude,experiencingtheworkenvironmentforthefirsttime,developingsoft
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skillsandworkrelatedskills,whichinturnhelpstodeveloptheirself‐confidenceandself‐esteem.
Forsomeofthewomeninvolvedinthisresearch,volunteeringreallywasalifechangingexperience
whichhasincludedmakingasuccessfulcareerforthemselves.However,inordertodothis,women
dohavetoputinhardwork,showcommitmentandtreatvolunteeringasifitwerepaidwork.
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CHAPTERSIX–POTENTIALNEGATIVEASPECTSTOVOLUNTEERING
Throughoutthispaper,Ihaveprimarilyfocusedonthepositiveexperienceswomenhadwhilst
volunteeringandhowithelpedthemmoveforwardwiththeirlives.Itwascleartomethatthe
womenIspoketohadgainedagreatdealfromvolunteering.However,therecanbecertain
negativeaspectstovolunteering,whichinturncanaffectthekindofexperienceavolunteerhasand
whethertheyarelikelytocontinuevolunteering.Thisisalsolikelytoinfluencehoweffectivethe
relationshipbetweenthevolunteerandtheorganisationisandthequalityofworkthevolunteer
produces.Belowaresomeofthenegativeaspectsthewomenbroughtupduringtheinterviews.
Boringandrepetitivework
Volunteeringcansometimesbetypifiedbybeingaskedtocarryoutboringtasks.Thereare
elementstomostpeople’sworkwhichmaybeconsideredtobeboringbuthavetobedone.
However,itisunfairtoexpectavolunteertoexclusivelycarryoutboringandrepetitivetasks.They
shouldbeofferedavarietyoftasks,wherepossible,toallowthemtoutiliseanddeveloptheirskills.
Onewomanstartedoffvolunteeringforalarge,wellknownhealthcharityandspokeofher
experience:
‘IthoughtitwasgoingtobereallygoodintheeventsdepartmentbutIendedupjuststuffingenvelopes.Ididn’tfeellikeIwasgettinganythingoutofit.Thewholepointofvolunteeringissothat Icangoandapplyfora jobandI’vegotskills IcanbringtoapositionwhereI’mgoing toget paid. Itwasdemoralising. I stayed thereabout twomonths and then left. Itried to stick it out but it never got any better...I’ve got better things to do than stuffenvelopesthanks’.
Exploitation
Thisiscloselylinkedwiththepointmadeabove.Therecanbeatendencyforpeopletofeel
exploitedwhentheyarenotbeingpaidfortheworktheyaredoing,whilstatthesametimebeing
consistentlyaskedtodoworkwhichisnothelpingthemtogainnew,ifany,skills.Organisations
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shouldthinkaboutthetaskstheyneeddoing,drawuparoledescriptionandmakesurethe
volunteerunderstandswhatisbeingaskedofthembeforeofferingthemvoluntarywork.Oneofthe
womenspokeofherexperienceoffeelingexploitedinhervoluntaryworkplacement;
‘Itjustfeltasthoughtheyhadeverythingsewnupandtheyhadpeopletodojobsandtheywantedvolunteerstodothestufftheydidn’twanttodo’.
Anothersaid:
‘Inmyexperienceitisquitehardtofindsomewheredecentbecausetherearealotofplacesthatwilltakeyoutodotherubbishjobsortodojobsthattheydon’twanttopaysomeonetodo.Thenyoudon’tgetthebenefitsreally’.
Anotherwomanwhoworkedforawellknownhomelessnesscharityspokeaboutseeingother
volunteersbeingexploited:
‘Wehadsomevolunteerswithinsomeoftheservicesandthemanagersoftheservicesusedthemforreallyboringjobsortheywouldhaveserviceuserscomeinasvolunteersofeveningtimesandhavethemwashingcups,emptyingbinsandmakingtea’.
Lackofsupportandsupervision
AlthoughallofthewomenIinterviewedhadeventuallygottoaplacewheretheyfelttheywere
benefittingorhadbenefittedfromvolunteering,threeofthewomendescribedvolunteeringat
organisationswheretheydidn’tfeelsupportedandasaresultlefttosearchforsomethingwhich
couldbettermeettheirneeds.Onewomansaid:
‘Ijustgotpassedaroundanditwaswhoeverneededsomethingdoingandthey’djusttellmewhattheywantedmetodoand Iwouldn’tseethemfortherestoftheday. TherewasnotalkoftrainingmeorhelpingmeandIneverfeltthatIcouldtalkupaboutitsoIdecidedthebestthingtodowouldbetoleaveandtrysomewhereelse’.
Anotherwomansaid:
‘ThereweretimesatoneorganisationwhereIwasn’treallytoldtoomuchaboutwhatIwassupposedtobedoing. Iusedtofeelabitunsureaboutaskingbecauseitwasa reallybusy
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officeand Ifeltabitoverwhelmed. I foundthatabitfrustratingandIdid leaveintheendbecausesomething else hadcomeupso it just felt like it hadcometo anaturalend to behonest’.
Itisnotunreasonableforavolunteertoexpectsimilartreatmenttopaidemployeesinan
organisationwheretheyarevolunteering.Forexample,theyshouldhaveanamedpointofcontact
withintheorganisation,accesstosupportandsupervisionandencouragedtoundertaketraining
wherepossible.Supervisionsessionsdon’thavetobetooformalandcanbeusedasanopportunity
forboththevolunteerandthesupervisortoaddressanyproblemsandneedsaswellasdevelopa
positiverelationship.Alloftheaboveareinlinewithgoodpracticeguidelines.
Workingfornopayment
Ibringthisupbecausethefindingsfrommyinterviewssurprisedme.Iwasexpectingwomenwhen
askedaboutnotbeingpaidtosaythattheyfeltthattheywerebeingexploitedbutactually,the
oppositewastrue.Althoughmostofthewomensaidnotgettingpaidwasafinancialdisadvantage,
theyfelttheyweregettingrewardsinotherwayswhichequalledgettingpaid,suchastraining,lunch
andtravelexpenses,workexperienceandevenextrathingssuchasgettingthecostsofapassport
paid.Onewomanevensaidthatshefeltthatnotgettingpaidwasanadvantagebecauseitgavea
certainsenseoffreedominnotbeingboundbymoney.Thisparticularwomanhadquitemixed
feelingsaboutgoingbacktoworkandsoforher,volunteeringseemedalessthreateningand
pressuredalternative.
Anotherwomansaid:
‘BeforeprisonIusedtoworkMondaytoFridayandsometimessixdaysaweek,allIthoughtaboutwasthepaycheck.IprobablycouldgetapaidjobtomorrowbutbecauseIenjoytheenvironment I’mworking in and feel thework is so important, I don’t want to leave untilsomeoneelsecomesin’.
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Whilstthewomeninvolvedinthisresearchdidnotseenotgettingpaidasanegativeaspectof
volunteeringanditwasinfactapositiveforsomeofthewomen,itisimportantthatvolunteersare
encouragedtoclaimfortheiroutofpocketexpenses,suchastravelandlunchallowanceandexpect
tobepaidpromptly.Organisationsshouldalsobeawarethatsomewomenmayfinditdifficultto
findthemoneyfortheirtravelexpensesandbepreparedtopayforthisinadvanceifneeded.
Volunteering:Alongtermprocess
ThemainreasonthewomenIinterviewedgaveforvolunteeringwastogetthemintoaposition
wheretheycouldbecomeemployable.Thelengthoftimethewomanhadvolunteeredforvaried;
onewomanhadvolunteeredforaroundsixmonthsandthenleftduetostartingacollegecourse,
fourofthewomenhadbeenvolunteeringforayear,onewomanhadvolunteeredoutsidethe
prisonforayearbeforebeingreleased,anotherwomanfornineteenmonthsbeforebeingreleased
andonewomanhadvolunteeredformostofthesevenyearsshespentinprison,bothinsideand
outsidetheprisonwalls.
Atthetimeofwritingthisreport,sixmonthsafterinterviewingthewomen,fouroftheeightwomen
wereinpaidemployment,whilsttheotherwomenwerestillvolunteeringhopingtomoveontopaid
employment.Thiswouldseemtosuggestthatgiventheconsiderablelengthoftimethewomen
werevolunteering,itcanbealongtermprocess.Hereiswhatonewomansaid;
‘Ifyouwanttogoinsomewhereandgouptheladder,Idon’tnecessarilythinkvolunteeringthatcouldhappen. Itmay...itmayhappenbutnot inallplaces thatyou’llvolunteer;you’lljust go in and be in the same position. If you want to prosper in a career I don’t thinkvolunteeringisnecessarilygonnadothatforyou’.
Additionally,mostofthewomenIinterviewedhadvolunteeredformorethanoneorganisation,
somebecausetheydidn’tfeelsufficientlychallengedinthevoluntaryworktheyweredoing,others
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becausetheydidn’tfeelsupportedwellenoughbytheorganisationorbecausetheywantedtotry
somethingelsethatwasmoresuitedtothem.
Onewomansaid:
‘Atthemoment,I’menjoyingwhatIdobutit’stakenmequiteawhiletogettothatpoint...ittookmequiteawhileofgoingtodifferentplaces’.
Summaryofchapter
Themainargumentofthisresearchpaperisthatvolunteeringcanbeusedasapositiveaspectof
womenprisoners’resettlementbackintotheircommunitiesandthatitcanhelpthembuildanew
lifeforthemselves,developnewskillsandassistthemwithgainingemploymentinthefuture.
However,gettingtothispointmaybealongtermprocessandthereareothercertainnegative
aspectstovolunteeringwhichmayaffectthekindofexperienceawomanhasandwhethershe
choosestocontinuevolunteering.Theseinclude,consistentlybeingaskedtocarryoutboringand
repetitivework,feelingexploitedandnotreceivingadequatesupportandsupervision.Womenex‐
prisonersmaylacktheself‐confidencebringuptheseissuesandsochoosetoleave.Ifan
organisationhasmadeacommitmenttousingvolunteerswithacriminalrecordthentheyshould
alsomakeacommitmenttotreatingthemfairly,whichwillprovideimmensebenefitsnotonlyto
thevolunteerbuttotheorganisationalso.
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CHAPTERSEVEN‐WHATCANMAKEVOLUNTEERINGAGOODEXPERIENCE?
ThroughoutthispieceofresearchIsoughttheviewsofprofessionalsandwomenex‐offenderson
whattheyseeasgoodpracticeinrelationtovolunteering.Thehopeisthatthisinformationwillbe
usefultoorganisationswhichprovidevolunteeringopportunitiesorwouldliketointhefuture,
particularlytowomenwhohavebeentoprisonorhaveacriminalrecord.BelowIwillfocusonthe
threekeypointstocomeoutofconversationsandcorrespondencewithbothgroups.
Individualisedvolunteering
Peoplewillnaturallyhavedifferentmotivationsforvolunteeringandexpectationsofwhattheywant
togetoutofit.Womenex‐offendershaveambitionsandadesiretosucceedthesameastherestof
thepopulationasthisresearchhashighlighted.Theyhavedreamsofgainingemploymentinthe
future,becomingindependentandbreakingthecycleofre‐offending.Ifvolunteeringistoassist
themindoingthis,ithastoberelevanttotheirneedsandcapabilities.OnewomanIinterviewed
said:
‘It is important that the volunteer work is structured in a way that is beneficial to theorganisationbutalsototheindividualaswellbecauseifitdoesn’tthenthey’regoingtohaveabadexperience’.
AmanagerwhoIinterviewedabouthisworkwithexoffenders,spokeabouthowtheorganisation
triedtoensurethatindividualsgetwhattheywantoutofvolunteering:
‘We ask people...what do youwant to do? Theymake that choice andwe support it. Itlooksdifferentforeachperson.Ithinkthat’swherewewentwronginthepast,thinkingthateveryoneshould lookthesamebutthetruthis,no‐onesuniverse isthesamesowhyshouldourprocessassumethatpeoplegothroughthisatthesamerate?Peoplecanchoosetakeontoo much and decide to back off or decide that the whole process isn’t right for them.They’ve come through their own experience, they’ve gone through a process andwant toshareitwithothers,theyhaveanideaofwhatthat’sgoingtolooklike.’
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Training
SixofthewomenIinterviewedsaidthatreceivingtrainingforrolesandtohelpthemdevelop
professionallywasimportant.Onewomansaid:
‘At***(adviceservicewheresheisvolunteering) I’mjustkindoftraining,soforoneofthedayswe’re all just been taught different things and different areas. It’s trainingwithin agroup, which I quite enjoy. It’s all very clear what I’m doingwhich is good. Previousy, Ihaven’thadaparticularplanaboutwhatI’mdoingorwhereI’mgoingwiththevolunteering.I’ve beendoing things but I’m not surewhere it’s going because it’s not clear. This way IknowI’mtrainingtobeanadvisorandthat’swhatI’mgoingtobe.IknowwhatIneedtodotogettherewhichisreallygood’.
Trainingmaybeespeciallyimportantforwomenex‐offenderswho,asagroup,oftenhavealimited
workhistoryaswellasalackofeducationalachievements.Trainingcanbeawayofbuildingup
theirconfidenceaswellastheirCV.Itcanalsobeawayoflettingvolunteersknowthatthework
theyaredoingisvaluedandappreciated,particularlyastherearenofinancialrewardsfortheir
work.
‘WhenIwasat****(women’scharitywhereshewasvolunteering),theworkwasgoodbutthen I was kind of doing a job that could have been a paid job really and I wasn’t evengettinganytraining.ItwasgoodandIenjoyeditbutIstillfeltlikeIwasn’tprogressinganditwasn’ttomyadvantage’.
Theimportanceofstructureandsupport
Womenwhospokeofsuccessfulvoluntaryworksaidthattheyfelttheywerewellsupportedwithin
theorganisationwheretheywerevolunteering.Feelingsupportedincludedhavingregular
supervision,paymentofoutofpocketexpensesandhavingonepersontheycouldtalkto.Beloware
someofthethingsthewomensaid.
‘Mysupervisionwasdoneexactlythesameasapaidemployee,onceeveryfewweeks.ItwasreallyregularasifIwasanemployeeandtheymadesureallmyexpenseswerepaid’.
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‘Ididn’tlikethatplacebecausethingsweresupposedtohappenbuttheyneverdid.Weweresupposedtohaveastaffmeetingeveryweekbutitneverhappenedandreviewingmythingsneverhappened.Alotofthingsweresupposedtohappenbutdidn’tinpractice’.
Anotherwomansaid,
‘I’vegotavolunteerco‐ordinatorat****(communityorganisationwheresheisvolunteering)whosupervisesmeandIcangotoher...she’sreallygood.She’sgotmeonsometrainingcoursesandshe’sjustthereforme.ThegoodthingisaswellcosI’vegotanillnessaswellandshe’squiteunderstandingofthatifIcan’tbethere’.
NextSteps
Ifyouareaprofessionalwhoisnowencouragedtotakeonvolunteersafterreadingthispaperthere
arearangeofresourcesthatcouldhelpyougetstarted.VolunteeringEnglandwebsitehasawide
rangeofpublicationsandGoodPracticeGuides,themajorityofwhicharefreetodownload.They
covereverythingfromwritingpoliciesandagreementstorecruiting,managingandsupporting
volunteersandhaveanumberofdifferentpublicationsrelatingtoex‐offenders.Clinks,anational
bodythatsupportvoluntaryorganisationsintheCriminalJusticeSystem,alsoofferanumberof
publicationsaboutvolunteering,prisonsandex‐offenderswhichcanbeaccessedfromtheir
publicationslistontheirwebsite.
Ifyouareafemaleex‐offenderwhoisnowinspiredtodosomevolunteeringthenitmaybeusefulto
contacttheGriffinsSocietyinthefirstinstance.Theyaimtoprovideeasilyaccessibleinformation
aboutUKresourcesandprojectswhicharetheretosupportfemaleex‐offenders.Nacroisacrime
reductioncharitywhichalsoaimstosupportandworkwithex‐offendersanddeprivedcommunities.
Theymayalsobeabletoadviseyouofprojectsinyourareaorpartofthecountry.
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CHAPTEREIGHT‐CONCLUSIONSANDRECOMMENDATIONS
Theaimofthisresearchprojectwastoexplorewomenex‐offenders’experiencesofvolunteering
andtodiscoverwhetherwomenwhohadvolunteeredfoundittobeapositiveandbeneficial
experience.Thereisadistinctlackofresearchintotheeffectsandimpactvolunteeringhasuponex‐
offenders’lives,andparticularlywomenex‐offenders.ThewomenwhoIinterviewedhadall
benefittedfromvolunteeringindifferentwaysandtodifferentlevels.Somehadvolunteeredfor
longperiodsoftimewhilstinprisonandthenoutinthecommunityontemporarylicencewhilststill
servingtheirsentences.Others,hadvolunteeredonlyaftertheirreleasefromprison,onewoman
startedtovolunteermanyyearslater.Shehadnotvolunteeredimmediatelyonreleasebecauseshe
felttherewasalackofsupportandinformationavailabletoherfollowingherrelease.
Prisonisanidealplaceforwomentostartvolunteeringbecausetheyhavetimeontheirhandsand
manywillbethinkingofmakingchangestotheirlivestohelpthemstayoutofprisoninthefuture.
However,forwomenservingshortersentences,volunteeringwhilstinprisonisperhapsnota
realisticoption.Onlythewomenwhohadservedlongersentenceshadvolunteeredwhilstinprison
butallhadfoundittobebeneficialinhelpingthemdevelopself‐confidence,workrelatedskills,
feelingnormalandbecomingfamiliarwiththeoutsideworldonceagain.Support,whereithad
beenpresentfromstaffwithintheprison,hadbeenvalued.However,itwasfeltbysomeofthe
womenthattherewasn’tenoughdonetopromotevolunteeringwithintheprisonenvironment.
Oftenwomenareonlyencouragedtoundertakevoluntaryworktowardstheendoftheirsentences,
wheninactualfact,womencouldvolunteermuchearlieronwithintheprisonwalls.Moreshould
bedonetopromotevolunteeringandcreateopportunitieswithinallprisonsandthereshouldbea
coherentstrategyimplementedsothatgoodpractice(developmentandmaintenance)isfostered
andisnotsimplylefttocommittedindividualmembersofstaff.Thereshouldbeasstrongafocus
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55
onoffendersvolunteeringasthereisonmembersofthecommunitygoingintoprisonsvoluntarilyto
workwithoffenders.
Releasefromprisonisanespeciallyturbulenttimeforanyone,moresoforwomengiventhatmany
aremothers,singleandhomelessuponrelease.Alackofsupportmakesreoffendingandfurther
imprisonmentmorelikely.Employmentisseentobeoneofthemosteffectivewaysofkeeping
peopleoutofprison,howeverthisisnotarealisticpossibilityforthosewomenbeingreleasedwith
nowheretoliveandstrugglingtore‐establishcontactwithchildrenandfamilies.Additionally,
womenex‐prisonersoftenhavealackofworkexperienceandsolacktheself‐confidenceorskillsto
competeinthelabourmarket.Allofthewomeninvolvedinthisresearchwhoweren’talreadyin
employment,aimedtogainemploymentinthefutureandwereusingorhadusedvolunteeringto
gainexperienceandincreasetheirchancesofgainingemploymentinthefuture.Allthewomen
reportedgainingself‐confidencefromvolunteeringandfeltmorepositiveabouttheirfutures.
Volunteeringhadhelpedthemgainasenseofidentityand,insomecases,forgeanewidentityfor
themselves.
Theshameandstigmaofbeinganex‐offendercanbeespeciallyacuteforwomen.Manyfeelthat
theyhaveletthemselvesdownbutmoreimportantlytheirfamiliesandchildrenandtherecanbea
senseofdeepguilt.Beinggiventheopportunitytoprovethattheyareaworthwhileindividualto
themselvesandtothoseclosetothemcan,insomecases,bealifechangingexperienceasthis
researchhasindicated.
Volunteeringclearlyhadmanybenefitsforthewomenbutitwasalsoofbenefittothe
organisationswhichusedthemasthequotebelowindicates.
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‘Ex‐offenders are not gratuitously more difficult than your average volunteer and theyprovide all the benefits, if notmore than anyone else’ (quoteby ProjectManager,MentalHealthHomelessCharity).
Volunteeringmaynotbeappropriateorthesolutionforeverywomanwhohasbeentoprisonandit
isonlyoneaspect,althoughanimportantone,intheirresettlement.Ihopeifyouarereadingthis
paperyouarenowencouragedtoconsiderusingex‐offendersasvolunteerswithinyour
organisationandthatyouwillbeabletousethisasagoodpracticeguideandlearnfromwhatthe
womentoldmeworkedanddidn’twork.Iwouldliketoleaveyouwithonefinalquoteto
demonstratejusthowmuchofanimpactvolunteeringmadeononewoman’slife:
‘It’s exciting, the most exciting thing in my life at the minute. It feels a bit unbelievablesometimes that I cancome fromwhere I come fromandhave the kindof life that I’ve gotgoingontoday.Itfeelslikeasecondchancetobehonest!’
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POLICYRECOMMENDATIONS
� RevisetheRehabilitationofOffendersAct(1974).Itisoutofdateandhugelydamagingto
ex‐offenderswhodowanttoputtheirpastbehindthemandmoveforwardwiththeirlives.
Isitusefulforsomeonetohavetodisclosetheirconvictionsfortherestoftheirlives?Ifan
individualhasnotreoffendedfortenyearsthepossibilityofthemdoingsointhefutureis
veryslim.Acasebycasesystemwhichallowedforareviewofanex‐offendersprogress
wouldseemtobefairer.
� Initiatealargescalepieceofresearchintotheimpactsofvolunteeringforfemaleoffenders
/ex‐offenders.
� TheGovernmentshouldleadbyexamplebypromotingtheinvolvementofex‐offendersin
publicsectoragencies.Ifemploymentisoneofthemosteffectivewaysofkeepingpeople
outofprison,dosomethingtoenablepeopletostayoutofprison.
� Acoherentstrategywithinprisonsisneededtodevelopvolunteeringforoffenders.This
shouldincludetrainingforprisonstaff.
GOODPRACTICERECOMMENDATIONS
� Ifyouwouldliketouseex‐offendersasvolunteersyoucouldgothroughaprojectwhichis
specificallysetuptoworkwiththisgroup.Theywillbeabletoofferadditionalsupportto
themalso.
� Takeacasebycaseapproachtoindividualswhoapplytovolunteerwithyourorganisation
andwhohavecriminalconvictions.Iftheconvictionisnotrelevanttotheroledon’t
discriminateagainstthemiftheyareotherwisesuitable.
� Holdregularsupport/supervisionsessionswithyourvolunteers.Thisisbeneficialforthem
andforyou.
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� Understandhowdifficultanexperienceitis,especiallyforwomen,todiscloseconvictions.
Leaveoffaskingforinformationaboutconvictionsuntilyoumeetthem.
� Individualisevolunteeringplacementswhereyoucanorberealisticaboutwhatyoucan
offer.
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59
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