Pop Brixton based charity Bounce Back has been highly commended in a national award for helping Brixton prison inmates into employment.
For prisoners nearing the end of their sentences, the charity provides training, mentoring and support in the skill-shortage areas of painting and decorating, dry lining and scaffolding.
It was highly commended in the 2017 Robin Corbett Award for Prisoner Rehabilitation.
Since 2011 the initiative has supported more than 600 prisoners – 87% of whom achieved their qualifications with 55% of those supported into employment or further training after release. The reoffending rate for prisoners on scheme is 12% compared to an average of about 50%.
Bristol charity Life Cycle UK won the award for its Bike Back project at Bristol prison which recreates the environment of a working bike shop in the prison.
The awards, supported by the Worshipful Company of Weavers, will be presented to the winners by Lady Corbett at a meeting of the all-party parliamentary penal affairs group in Parliament today (28 February).
This award is in memory of Lord Corbett, a former chairman of the Westminster Home Affairs Committee. For ten years, until his death in February 2012, Robin Corbett also chaired the all-party parliamentary penal affairs group.
Francesca Findlater, chief executive officer of Bounce Back, said: “The whole team are immensely proud to be recognised for the work they have put into giving skills, qualifications and self-employment training to the inmates at HMP Brixton.
“Our entire focus is on helping people change their lives through paid employment on release and it is the support of the governor and the prison staff, as well as the fantastic employers we work with, that has enabled us to achieve this more effectively.”
