84 - Helping prisoners plan for release - July 2022

Today we can tell you about donation number 84.  Our member asked if we would support a social enterprise prison health service that supports men who are leaving HMP Kirkham -  an open prison for people at the end of their sentences and those serving shorter sentences.   It’s a little different to our regular causes, but when we heard how passionately the providers of this service hope to have a positive impact on the men they work with, we wanted to help. One of the aims of the service is to encourage more men to engage with health promotion. This includes specific health care and also the support available to them as they embark on the very real challenge of transitioning back to the community. Our £500 donation will be put towards vouchers for toiletries and essentials for prison leavers as well as funding some regular events to try to encourage more prisoners to plan and prepare for life outside prison.  Given that many prisoners are homeless or have no fixed abode, patients in detention have lots of health and social problems and often mental health issues. Health promotion includes life skills around healthy eating, as well as the more practical but essential tasks of registering with a GP and dentist - and the familiar challenges of navigating their systems to get appointments. By offering these men the opportunity to plan for release and encouraging as many as possible to engage in the sessions available, it is hoped more will cope with life away from prison, leading to better outcomes for them in future.

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