Giving them back their dignity

1
Giving them back their dignity

• A Review of the Adelaide House Outreach Project
  for Women Offenders
• Anne Worrall and Margaret Gough

2
Background

• Butler Trust commission
• Promotes and encourages positive regimes in UK
  prisons and probation services by
• Identifying and promoting excellence and
  innovation by staff
• Developing and disseminating best practice in the
  care and resettlement of offenders
• The 2007 Butler Trust Lord Woolf Award was given
  to Pat Thomas, manager of Adelaide House for an
  innovative Outreach Project.
• Keele University invited to undertake a review

3
Adelaide House

• Adelaide House, Liverpool, is owned and run by
  the Church of England.
• Approved Premises for female offenders supervised
  by the Merseyside Probation Service Area
• 25 bed hostel 20 beds are funded by NOMS
• Secured separate charitable funding in 2007-
  40,000 to fund use of remaining unused 5 beds
  for one year for outreach project

4
Adelaide House Outreach Project

• Short-term prisoners
• Referrals 58 in 2007
• Resident profiles (n 32)
• Age, risk
• Substance misuse, health
• Families
• Regime

5
Dignity

• Provisional definition A state or quality of
  being worthy of honour or respect
• Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human
  Rights proclaims that All human beings are born
  free and equal in dignity and in rights.
• Like I used to say, why cant I be normal? I
  used to pass windows, I used to stand there
  crying and see families enjoying themselves and
  me walking and got to live on the streets.

6
Interviews with women

• Numerous previous prison sentences
• None had previously left prison to independent
  housing indentifying boredom and returning to
  past associates as significant in resuming drug
  use and crime
• Youre out there on you own straightaway.
  If you have been in a structured environment in
  jail....its like a routine thing, once that
  routine has gone there is nothing to fill up your
  day. Its the boredom thing with everyone.
  

7
Womens perspectives

• Structured regime was experienced as
  overwhelmingly positive
• Remaining busy and a new focus is important
• Holistic care needed
• Relationships with staff excellent
• Key worker sessions promoted open discussion.
• Women all supportive of each other
• Getting another chance is crucial
• Women apprehensive about leaving

8
Comments

• I've been through a bad time , the staff are
  brilliant, supportive you know they help you
• I felt uncomfortable in others hostels and
  Ive never been able to settle because they were
  often mixed and in hostels there is a lot of drug
  use, with people going out committing crime. So
  when you get into that life you end up going back
  out and doing it yourself.

9
Comments

• I asked to come back because I know I am safe in
  here, there are no drugs or nothing getting
  used...even when I messed up when I was in my
  flat I didnt think about another hostel to live
  in.....I couldnt of done it out there on my
  own.
• My dad sent me a Christmas card, it had a tenner
  in it

10
Key features

• Valuing partnerships and community links
• Addressing health issues
• Providing a structured regime
• Providing a safe environment
• Rebuilding family relationships
• Taking a pride in self and place
• Sustaining motivation
• Preparing for moving on

11
Case study in collaboration

• Church provides and runs the accommodation
• Government finances statutory provision and
  expertise
• Private sector finances innovation
• CJ charity awards good practice
• Academic sector evaluates and disseminates