Our challenge in turning experience into expertise
Time and again we hear of people failing to cope with the transition from prison to the community and heading back through the revolving door.
Why? Because they haven’t been equipped, physically or mentally, for their onward journey. The Departure Lounge (p6) is a coordinated approach in action, from making sure prisoners leave with the essentials to connecting them to tailored onward support.
Often problems are so complex that people need immediate intensive support on discharge from prison or hospital, and we can see what a vital difference this makes (p10 and p20).
The other essential element is, of course, meaningful employment (p8) – vital to treatment outcomes and recovery, transformative in building self-worth, and providing socialisation and structure. Visiting the Medway peers this month gave us the opportunity to see this process in action (p12) with a team who have turned lived experience into expertise and ambition.
Of course all of this throws up many issues for our workforce (p14) and prescribing regimes (p22), and it’s important we examine and debate the challenges ahead.
Read the April issue as an online magazine or download the PDF
Claire Brown, editor
Please send your letters and comment to claire@cjwellings.com