Nacro news

These blogs demonstrate how the team have adapted to the challenges of Coronavirus to support service users to continue to engage and to offer much needed support during difficult times. Below you can read about the virtual mutual aid groups that were set up during lockdown from the perspective of a member of staff, a…

Along with other organisations, we have written a letter to the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and the Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Buckland, about accommodation for prison leavers and the Comprehensive Spending Review. We all know how important having a safe and secure home is. But for too many people leaving prison this has…

This service user has been attending our Recovery Near You substance misuse service and has been helped onto the path to recovery. These poems really provide a snapshot into the emotions and experiences of someone working to shed their addictive behaviours and move on in life. An excerpt from one poem: To all my friends…

A JUSTICE SYSTEM FIT FOR THE FUTURE: LESSONS FROM THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC TO BUILD A FAIRER AND EFFECTIVE PATH TO RESETTLEMENT COVID-19 continues to significantly impact the most vulnerable in our society, including those in custody and those being released from prison. With prisons only delivering a limited regime; the Early Release Scheme being suspended…

Our students who attend our Education and Skills Centres have achieved incredible results despite personal barriers and the challenges of learning during a pandemic.. we are so proud of their hard work and determination. Those who have to re-sit their GCSE exams in English and maths receive excellent tailored support from our experienced and skilled…

As students across the country receive their GCSE results this week, Lisa Capper, Nacro Principal (pictured above) advises local young people how they can prepare to make the best of results day, whatever their grades. GCSE results day can be nerve wracking at the best of times but this year due to the nature of…

Too many are left homeless without the foundations to build a new life.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Help us to make a change today.

Since we spoke to our education team near the beginning of lockdown, things have changed for our Education and Skills Centres who are all preparing to open 24th August and teach from September. Awarding Qualifications Our staff team have been working with the qualification awarding bodies to identify which qualifications will make use of centre-assessed grades,…

The five senior leaders with extensive experience across government, housing, rehabilitation, policing and education will play a vital role in leading the organisation in its ambition to ensure no-one is left behind and when things go wrong people have the best chance at a second chance. They join new chief executive Campbell Robb as Nacro…

Nacro was a key contributor to the Justice Committee’s session on: Coronavirus (COVID-19): The impact on probation systems. The Committee has released a report on this session and will now launch an inquiry into ongoing reforms in the service. Nacro’s External Engagement Director, Helen Berresford who attended the session, comments: “We are pleased to see the Committee recognise that…

About Nacro Nacro’s goal is to reduce reoffending and help people both in prison and on release to change their lives and positively reintegrate into society. We operate in 30 prisons, young offender institutions and one secure training centre, offering a wide range of intervention, education, advice, guidance and practical support. In 2018/19 we ensured…

Nacro’s Through the Gate service in South Yorkshire prisons, part of South Yorkshire Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC), has been awarded an ”Outstanding’ rating. Through the Gate services support people as they prepare to leave prison. Our team work in prisons, including HMP Doncaster, HMP Moorlands, HMP Hatfield, and HMP Lindholme, as well as in the…

In response to the Coronavirus outbreak, we have been continuously assessing and adapting our service delivery to respond to the changing situation. Staff, trustees and partners have been working hard to continue to support our service users and learners and support our staff during this difficult time. Below is the most recent update on how…

At Nacro we believe that in these unprecedented times, it is more important than ever to support those caught up in the criminal justice system, both in prison and on release. While there has been much immediate focus on how to manage the prison estate, for those whose release date is coming up, reintegrating into…

Nacro becomes Society for Education and Training Corporate Partner The Society for Education and Training (SET) is welcoming staff at Nacro, a national social justice charity with more than 50 years’ experience of changing lives, building stronger communities and reducing crime, as SET members. Nacro has signed a Corporate Partnership with SET – the professional…

A new report from social justice charity, Nacro, reveals that young people believe fear is the main reason behind carrying knives, and that tougher penalties and longer prison sentences do not deter young people from carrying knives. Read our ‘Lives not Knives’ report here. Nacro has today launched the ‘Lives Not Knives’ report in response…

Today, alongside Clinks, we have co-published a response to the Cabinet Office and Department of Health and Social Care consultation – Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s. The response focuses on the health inequalities faced by a large group of people in the criminal justice system. We want to help ensure that prevention is…

Today, Nacro has published Using an identity lens: Constructive working with children in the criminal justice system. Research has shown that identity, and how you feel about yourself, can be key to moving forward with life and away from crime. Working with the University of Salford, Youth Offending Teams and supported by the Barrow Cadbury…

On launching our manifesto, Nacro’s Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Caroline Drummond, says: This election is an opportunity to make real, impactful changes that will help thousands of people build a better future for themselves and the next government needs to commit to reforms that see no one left behind. You can read our full…

Our 2020 Nacro wall calendar is available to order now. An essential reference guide for the year ahead, it features 2020’s key religious festivals, bank holidays and public holidays and will brighten up any room or workspace.   Price – £1.20 per calendar Postage and packing: 1 copy: £1.20 2-5 copies: £1.80 6-9 copies: £3.00…

In response to recent analysis of youth justice system figures, Nacro Chief Executive, Campbell Robb, said: “These shocking re-offending rates show how broken our youth justice system is. With over 40% of young people that are convicted or cautioned reoffending within one year, it is clear we need to change our approach and recognize there…

In response to the MoJ announcement regarding UK prisons set to receive innovative security investment, Nacro Chief Executive, Campbell Robb, said: “With record high levels of self harm and violence within our prisons, investment to improve security and tackle smuggling is essential, but it is not the only solution we need to truly tackle crime…

Too many are left homeless without enough money for basics or support.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Help us to make a change today.

Blog by the filmmaker, Lilka Szerszynska Watch the film here The phrase ‘Out of Time’ perfectly sums up the race against the clock that many prison leavers released on a Friday experience; they’re out of prison, they’ve done their time, but the path to resettlement, reintegration and security is not always as plain sailing as…

Students from education and skills centres run by Nacro continue to make strides in their progress, with GCSE pass rates increasing for the third year in a row and eight of ten students securing a job, an apprenticeship or a place on a further education course. Nacro students who have to re-sit their GCSE exams…

As students across the country prepare to receive their GCSE results this week, Lisa Capper, Nacro Principal (pictured above) advises students how they can prepare to make the best of results day. GCSE results day can be a scary time but it doesn’t have to be. Whether you receive the grades you hope for or…

Campbell Robb, Nacro Chief Executive, was interviewed on 13 August 2019 as part of a Sky News at Six piece on the Prime Minister’s plans to tackle crime with more prisons and higher levels of security within them. Campbell reiterated that “we all want to see crime reduced and less victims of crime”, but that…

The article contains a case study of Nacro service user, Phillip, who began using our substance misuse project in 2017. He was formerly a prolific offender, who was homeless on several occasions after being released from custody: “If I had come out and gone into a proper place to stay, I could’ve started fresh and…

Well that went quickly… Yet already I feel right at home and could not have felt more welcome. So they eased me in gently! An all-day leadership team meeting, a council meeting, a budget update and 20-odd meetings. Honestly – I have loved every minute of it, getting a feel of the services we provide, the…

Nacro has responded to the release of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs report, which was published here yesterday.  Helen Berresford, Director of External Engagement at Nacro, said: “In Nacro’s experience, being released on a Friday can make an already difficult day almost impossible and increases the possibility of people reoffending. The first…

 Helen Berresford, Nacro Director of External Engagement, was interviewed on 28 May 2019 as part of two BBC News pieces. She reiterated our welcome of efforts to increase the use of Release on Temporary Licence (RoTL) in its important role in improving resettlement for people coming out of prison.

This week we bid a fond farewell to our outgoing CEO Jacob Tas. We are thankful for all the work he has done to lead Nacro over the last five years, embodying our values with his constant focus on our mission of changing lives. We will miss him but wish him well in his next…

We commend the Government for taking decisive action on the plethora of evidence over recent years that the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms have not delivered. Today’s announcement is a huge opportunity to drive dramatic change for people leaving prison or under community supervision and for wider society. The new system must have people at its heart….

Our alternative education, for some of the most hard to reach young people and adults across the country, has been rated ‘good’ across the board by Ofsted, following an inspection during March 2019. Inspectors found that Nacro leaders, managers and staff hold high ambitions for learners that help them make good progress, achieve well and…

Campbell Robb has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of social justice charity Nacro. He will take up his position in July 2019. Campbell joins Nacro from his role leading the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) and Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust. Prior to JRF, Campbell was CEO of Shelter from 2010 to 2017 growing and…

In response to the Justice Committee prison population report, Nacro Chief Executive, Jacob Tas, said: “Today’s report from the Justice Select Committee rightly highlights that staffing shortages and other disruptions have severely undermined the delivery of rehabilitative services in prisons. We set out in our evidence the real impact this has on our staff’s ability…

In response to the publication of the HMI Probation report, Nacro Chief Executive, Jacob Tas, said: “As we anticipate government plans for probation reform, today’s report from the Chief Inspector of Probation, Dame Glenys Stacey, underlines the urgent need for a step change in the way that probation services are delivered across the country. “Thousands…

In response to the recent government announcement that new schools are to be opened across the country to cater for pupils facing challenges in mainstream education: “We welcome government plans for more new schools to support troubled young people that are not progressing in mainstream education – this is a vital step to preventing offending…

Filtering and criminal records We welcome the judgment handed down by the Supreme Court today, recognising the disproportionality of parts of the current system of criminal records disclosure. We believe the judgment provides an opportunity for the Government to undertake a fundamental review of the current system to ensure it is fair and transparent. The…

Efforts to ensure the survival of the Tees Valley based SWITCH (Supporting Women in the Community and Home) Project, have resulted in £300,000 in funding from the Big Lottery Fund to keep the project running for a further three years up to 2021. The SWITCH Project, delivered by social justice charity, Nacro, helps hundreds of…

Nacro Education Spalding celebrated the opening of their new centre this week, supported by referral agencies, Nacro’s leadership team, and actor Warwick Davis who has a local connection to the area. There was a preview event on Wednesday before the official opening on Thursday. Davis attended the preview event with his wife Samantha to support…

<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/DRptMwwxJDI” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen></iframe> Nacro Policy Manager Caroline Drummond outlines the difficulty that job applicants with criminal records and employers face about declaring criminal records and our support of Business in the Community’s Ban the Box campaign. We are calling for employers to remove questions about criminal records from…

Seventy per cent of adults in the UK support social justice charity Nacro’s campaign to stop prison releases on Fridays and before public holidays, including Christmas, according to a recent poll. The public support comes as further figures reveal that there was a 20% increase in recall to custody among people released from prison on…

Analysis by social justice charity, Nacro, has identified a lack of valid ID as a critical barrier to resettlement and moving away from crime among people leaving prison, leading the charity to urge the government to take action. Nacro supports more than 30,000 vulnerable and disadvantaged people across the country every year, including those at…

Nacro’s Director of External Engagement, Helen Berresford, spoke to the Justice Select Committee yesterday as part of their Prisons 2022 inquiry on the future of the prison population. Key topics covered include prison reform, resettlement and access to affordable housing and healthcare. You can watch the video here.      

Our 2019 Nacro wall calendars are available to order now. An essential reference guide for the year ahead, it features 2019’s key religious festivals, bank holidays and public holidays.   Price – £1.20 per calendar Postage and packing: 1 copy: £1.20 2-5 copies: £1.80 6-9 copies: £3 10-20 copies: £3.60 21-30 copies: £4.20 31-40 copies: £4.40…

In response to the Ministry of Justice £6 million rough sleeping initiative announcement, Nacro Chief Executive, Jacob Tas, said: “Every month, around 1,000 people are homeless or sleeping rough on release from prison. Plans to introduce accommodation and support pilots for people leaving prison in Pentonville, Bristol and Leeds are a much needed step in the…

In response to the Health and Social Care Committee report on Prison Health, Nacro Chief Executive, Jacob Tas, said: “We welcome today’s report from the Commons Health and Social Care Committee highlighting that the duty of care towards prisoners is not being met. “In recent years, there have been almost daily reports of problems within…

In response to the Twinning Project announcement, Nacro Chief Executive, Jacob Tas, said: “We warmly welcome the Twinning Project, which aims to harness the power of sport as an engagement tool alongside training and employment opportunities for people in prison. We have seen first-hand the positive effects of this approach, with anti-social and offending behaviour with…

We welcome the government response to this very important and timely review of Alternative Provision by the Education Select Committee. As part of our response to this inquiry, we highlighted the experiences of the young people that come to our education and skills centres having had poor experiences in mainstream school, who are often the…