With so much negative news around about the justice system and crime it was good to be able to visit a local scheme which has been a huge success and meet some of the beneficiaries. I was invited to see the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Community Rehabilitation Company over in Hastings who effectively run the local probation service for over 9,000 low and medium risk offenders.
I met staff and ‘clients’ on one of their ‘One Stop Shop’ days where a wide variety of local agencies and voluntary organisations give comprehensive advice and support to get back on the straight and narrow, into voluntary or paid work and crucially out of jail sustainably. Rates of re-offending have remained stubbornly high at around 40-50% nationally over the last 15 years with short custodial sentences deemed particularly counter-productive but results in our area have broken the trend which is why I wanted to see them.
Many offenders in the probation service have a series of interconnected problems including mental illness, addiction, poor qualifications or chaotic family backgrounds. Just dealing with one without addressing the rest often results in a vicious cycle of failure so this scheme attempts to look at more holistic solutions. They operate a series of ‘community payback’ schemes and are laws looking for charities and other worthy causes who need help whilst they also work with businesses prepared to give work opportunities to ex-offenders. Shoe repairer Timpsons for example have made a virtue out of it with hugely impressive results.