Nacro response to HMI Probation FOI figures

In response to MoJ figures regarding homelessness amongst people leaving prison, Nacro Chief Executive, Campbell Robb, said:
“These shocking figures reveal the unacceptable scale of the challenge people leaving prison face to get their lives back on track. The people we support upon release from prison too often face an impossible struggle to turn away from crime because they are held back by homelessness, a lack of essential medication or health support, a lack of job opportunities or access to sufficient money to get food and basics to survive. Without somewhere to live and a real chance at a second chance, we are simply setting people up to fail.

“This isn’t inevitable. The Chief Inspector of Probation rightly highlights that this often happens on a Friday, leaving people homeless over the weekend. By ending Friday prison releases, we’d give people have a far better chance of finding somewhere to live and getting the essentials in place before everything closes for the weekend. To give people leaving prison the best chance at a second chance, the government must guarantee that people leaving prison will have somewhere to live.”