13th April 2011
A new report from New Philanthropy Capital emphasizes the struggle of service providers, who try to maintain family relationships while people are in prison, to measure the importance of the work they do.
The report recognizes that voluntary organisations who work with families of prisoners often go unrecognized as they do not have the necessary resources to demonstrate their full worth to the criminal justice system. The report combined the experiences of visitors as well as experiences from family members of those in prison.
According to the report, those who are visited in prison are 39% less likely to re-offend than those who receive no visits. They are also more likely to secure housing and employment and receive less social security payments, therefore saving the state money.
The report says it is important for charitable organisations to be able to measure the good work they do, because otherwise they may face scrutiny from funders who undervalue them.
Read more:
Respect for rights in the penal system with prison as a last resort.