The study aimed to explore perceptions of the role and impact of third sector organizations (TSOs) in offender resettlement through interviews with key stakeholders. It found that TSOs were perceived as providing valuable support from custody to community through links to outside resources. Interviewees felt TSO staff were more independent, understanding and able to advocate for offenders compared to probation officers. Volunteers were seen as particularly caring due to their unpaid status. However, TSOs were also perceived as overstretched and inconsistent at times due to limited resources. The discussion examined opportunities and challenges for TSOs in supporting offender resettlement.

1. The Perceived Effectiveness and
‘Added Value’ of Third Sector
Organisations
Dr Rosie Meek

2. Strengths of TSOs

3. Study Aims
• Examine the strategic position of the sector
in the criminal justice system
• Explore the role of TSOs in the resettlement
of offenders
• Critically evaluate the ‘added value’ of third
sector work with (ex)offenders
• Examine the impact of volunteering on
empowering offenders and ex-offenders to
desist from crime

4. Phases of the Study
1. Interviews with key national stakeholders
(n=12)
2. Qualitative semi-structured interviews
(n=292)
3. Short survey of offenders distributed at
each research site (n=680) to examine
offender awareness of - and engagement
with - TSOs

5. – The research aimed to explore offender, prison
staff and TSO staff perceptions of the role of TS in
resettlement, its value and impact
– Interviews with resettlement/offender
management and associated staff in prisons and
probation (n=80), third sector agency
representatives (n=92) and offenders in contact
with third sector organisations (n=120)
– Key themes emerged in relation to…

6. Support from Custody to Community
• “The prison officers are only limited to within the prison,
whereas with a mentor they can help you in here until upon
your release and thereafter”
• “A lot of offenders get released and they forget they’re still
serving a sentence, because when you’re released you’re
on licence. The most important thing is having people to
help you while you’re outside, not just in prison”
• “Unless we have somewhere to go on release and someone
to refer to when out, then everything you teach in prison is
a waste of time… Prisons need to understand that and
allow outside organisations to actually run the resettlement
cos to be fair the prison’s shit at that”

7. The value of Community Links
• “That’s the most important thing to do, have people
come from outside and help the people that’s in
here. They know a lot more than what we can find
out in here”
• “The more people who can come in and actually see
what the prison is like inside, helps to break down all
the myths and all the rest of it, and they fact we’re
human beings like everybody else”
• “We have a good relationship and I’ll find a group
nearer to home and attend when I get out”

8. Perceived Value of TS Staff
• “Plenty of times I’ve gone and sat with probation and
tried telling them my problems and I’m not coping right
and it’s just ‘Oh we’ll see how you’re doing next week.
Take care’”
• “You can’t get no help from prison… always a dead end, or
they have a six month waiting list or paper trail that never
ends… At least with (name)… they deal with it straight…
You can rely on them”
• “Officers are restricted… they can’t go out of their
guidelines to try and help you, even if they wanted to”
• “The prison guards look at it as though when we’re in
prison we’re there for them, and when we leave prison
we’re not… Whereas (TSOs) problem is more keeping us
out of jail than putting us in it”

9. Valuing Independence / Expertise
• “They come from outside and they know more
about what they are talking about. I feel
reassured”
• “They specialise in it, understand it, the
confidentiality is guaranteed”
• “It’s good cos they are external they don’t have to
get caught up with all the bureaucracy stuff”
• “They are not in the system, they are less biased,
whereas prison staff are first and foremost loyal
to the system”

10. Advocacy
• “(Name) sorts out your stuff with POs who would otherwise
ignore you. They are brilliant”
• “They got me lined up with a college course that I want to do.
She even tried contacting my probation because I was
worrying about my dates… they are a great help… while
you’re stuck in here they try and do things out there and get it
all lined up for you”
• “They’ve got links with all kinds of other different
organisations and agencies”
• “They help you try and find out links to other organisations for
when you are getting released. They basically monitor you
and make sure that all your needs are met”
• “We feel more listened to. POs are great for little things but
they wont speak for you”

11. The Added Value of Volunteers
• “They don’t get paid for that so they do it
from the heart so I can rely on them”
• “If a member of staff wanted to talk to me I
would feel like I’ve been forced on, with
volunteers you don’t have that feeling”
• “They come in from the outside… they don’t
judge you, just the same as you don’t judge
them”
• “I feel more listened to and it all feels more
personal”

12. Lacking Professional Insight
• “Sometimes, if you do want to know anything, if you
really want to know any information you have to
speak to someone who’s actually in the system”
• “They don’t know prison policies”
• “Some people are really great, like housing
organisations, community placements and stuff. But
there’s others… give me someone who can help me
out for God’s sake”

13. Perceived Challenges
Too stretched / busy
• “They’re dealing with too many people.
There’s not enough of them compared to us”
Harder to access / find out about
• “You can’t see them when you want to”
• “I think it took me about six months before I
actually found out about them”

14. Inconsistencies
• “They come in one week and then not back for a
month. Some people don’t come back at all so it
feels like you are starting again every time you meet
up with a worker”
• “Not turning up. We have an idea that these
organisations can help us out but then you realise
that they really can’t”
• “We only see (name) once a fortnight”
• “I had a problem and I let them know and they never
turned up”

15. Opportunities and Challenges
Session discussants:
• Lesley Frazer, Clinks
• George Barrow, Ministry of Justice
• Jan Knake, HMP & YOI Portland
• Questions and comments