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Active Citizenship Together Integrating the
prison into the lives of the local community.

• Andy Hudson
• Governor, HMP Standford Hill

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HMP Standford Hill

• An open prison with 464 male prisoners
• From a few weeks to a life sentence
• Most prisoners are not local
• We are part of the local community

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What is active citizenship?
Being involved in your community, having your say
and taking part in decisions that affect you.
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The Governor - Senior Managers - Prison Staff -
Offenders - Outside Community
The Governor and Senior Managers
Offenders
Prison Staff
The outside Community
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Our Vision
Together we make Standford Hill a Safe, Decent
and Positive Community
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Two examples

• Active Citizenship Together for Swale
• Island Sports College

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Active Citizenship Together for Swale (A.C.T
Swale)

• A partnership project formed under the banner of
  the Swale Community Safety Partnership in March
  2007
• Key partners include Amicus Horizon and Swale
  Borough Council
• Project is joint funded and managed

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Who are A.C.T Swale?

• A team of five serving offenders on temporary
  release from HMP Standford Hill
• A supervising Prison Officer
• Supporting departments within the prison (Working
  Out Scheme, Gardens department, Offender
  Management Unit)
• Operational project leads assigned from Amicus
  Horizon and the Council
• A van, tools and a lot of good will and hard work

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How does it work?

• The Working Out Scheme identify and risk assess
  suitable candidates for the work
• Offenders sign a compact to agree to work on the
  project and abide by certain rules
• They receive training in the use of garden tools
  and general health and safety before starting on
  the project

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How does it work, continued..

• Amicus Horizon and Swale Borough Council
  co-ordinate and primary risk assess jobs
• Officer Supervisor conducts secondary risk
  assessment for hazards on site
• Outcomes measured by
• Amicus for customer/ resident satisfaction
• SBC for cleaner greener targets and reduced fear
  of crime
• HMPS for offender behaviour change
• Outputs measured for Value for Money

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Where does it work?

• Swale area organisations have been the sole
  contributors for the two years of the pilot
  project, Canterbury City Council now buying in
  for 09/10
• Amicus use the project to clear gardens for
  vulnerable, disabled and elderly clients and also
  for project work in the Swale borough (and some
  further a field)
• The Council use the team for public open spaces
  and community request work

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Does it work?

• Year 1 pilot project saw 23 offenders go through
  the scheme, 19 (83) demonstrated a decrease in
  their re-offending likelihood
• 199 jobs completed and 130 tonnes of waste
  cleared from the borough.
• Amicus customer satisfaction rates rose 12
• Value for money assessment showed project worth
  double its actual cost (based on market price
  for work carried out)

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Does it work, continued..

• Year 2- second landscaping team established for
  a four month pilot Dec 08- Apr 09
• 300 jobs completed by team 1
• Several large project jobs completed by team 2
• Over 160 tonnes of waste collected
• 40 offenders have gone through the project and 32
  (80) have demonstrated sustained improvement in
  skills and a reduced risk of re-offending

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Does it work, continued..

• Community response has been extremely positive,
  letters of thanks, emails, photos sent in by
  residents
• Media response has also been very positive-
  numerous write ups and some high profile visits
  over the two years
• Awards have been won for Environmental Excellence
  and other awards
• Offenders on the scheme are better behaved in the
  establishment and more positive about their life
  after prison

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Before and After Pictures

• Mallard Court, Sheerness

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• Prince Charles Avenue, Minster

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Painting Street Furniture
Restoring Fencing
Clearing Residential Areas
Treating Benches in a Residential Home
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Island Sports College
Physical Education Department and Health
Promotion Centre
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Purpose of the PE Department

• To address the offending behaviour of prisoners,
  to tackle the criminogenic factors and reduce the
  likelihood of re-offending upon release.
• To provide a high quality physical education
  programme which includes structured classes and
  activities designed to meet the needs, abilities
  and aptitudes of prisoners and offer support and
  advice to prisoners and staff on issues relating
  to physical recreational and lifestyle
  activities.
• All activities in the PE department will as far
  as possible reflect the activities on offer in
  the community which people can expect to
  participate in on release.
• To encourage social responsibility through the
  medium of sport and recreation and offer relevant
  vocational training to assist in rehabilitation.

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Peer Tutors

• The Peer Tutor Scheme is well used across the PE
  Cluster.
• They help to
• run courses passing on their knowledge to other
  prisoners,
• increase learning and teaching across many areas,
  
• it also helps to build self esteem and
  confidence.
• many of the Peer Tutors have gained employment in
  the Leisure Industry.

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• Employer Links
• Many links with Employers have been built up
  these include various health Clubs, companies
  and Sport Teams. Including Virgin Active, Fitness
  First , David Lloyd ,Serco Leisure, Greater
  London Leisure, Charlton Athletic and Leyton
  Orient football Clubs, and London Towers
  Basketball Club.
• Community outside
• Health Fitness solutions a social enterprise
  scheme set up with prisoners trained and
  delivering courses for the Island partnership in
  Sheerness

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Community inside..

• We have many community groups visit the PE
  department including
• The Freedom Centre of Sheerness,
• Sheppey Tickers,
• Leysdown Care Home
• Retired Teachers of Sheerness.
• Some access the swimming pool where we provide
  life guards and swimming lessons and along with
  the working out scheme have provided prisoners to
  help at some their centres
• We also deliver Team building and healthy living
  for local schools, at Borden Grammar who gave us
  6000 towards our mobile team challenge kit
  .Minster College who we deliver team building and
  healthy living to for their staff and pupils .

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Community Liaison
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Charity for the local Community

• We have raised over 5,000 for the local
  community charities.
• Prisoners have raised money for Steve Brown a
  local Olympic paraplegic athlete.
• The 3 Peaks Challenge
• Plus many other sports challenges as each
  prisoner Sports Leaders award organises a charity
  event

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What is active citizenship?

• Above all, it's about people making things happen
  and gives serving prisoners a real chance to give
  something back to the community by way of
  reparation for the offence that they have
  committed.
• and
• As a result they are able to improve the quality
  of life for residents in the local community
  and positively enhance their personal confidence
  and self esteem.

Being involved in your community, having your say
and taking part in decisions that affect you.
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Together we make Standford Hill a Safe, Decent
and Positive Community

• Andy Hudson
• Governor, HMP Standford Hill