Why is the work of the Oswin Project so important?
Did you know :
- Around 48% per cent of those who spend time in prison will go on to reoffend within a year.
- The economic cost of reoffending for adults in 2016 was estimated to be £16.7 billion.
- Official costs associated with reoffending capture only the recorded crime element and do not include costs associated with wider crime and the social impact of crime, such as offences associated with drugs, possession of weapons, public order and, miscellaneous crimes against society.
- Fewer people reoffending will make us all safer and reduce the associated economic and social costs.
There are alternatives to imprisonment
- There is evidence that innovative approaches are more effective in lowering an individual’s likelihood to reoffend.
- Education, training and mentoring combine to give an individual the resilience to function in society without the need to resort to re-offending.
The Current situation
- The prison population has doubled since 1980.
- On 10.3.20 the prison population in England and Wales was 83,740.
- Cuts to and privatisation of the Probation service has left gaps in the provision for offenders in both the pre-release stage and on release, at a time when individuals are at their most vulnerable and most likely to reoffend.
This where the Oswin project offers help, we work with them both in prison and upon release
to train, support and mentor them into employment.
Lives are transformed and the ripple effects spreads to “Oswinners” families and their communities which become safer places.
An Oswinner becomes a contributor to society rather than a liability.
For Example – A success story
Simon* had little confidence when he was released from prison, he found it difficult to meet and talk to new people and he was worried if anyone asked about his past. Simon was involved with our R-Affordables project on the West coast of Scotland. He worked alongside tradesmen and fellow Oswinners to build a house. Simon was involved with every aspect of building the house from laying the foundations to tiling the roof. Throughout the project Simon integrated into the local community, made new friends and gained new skills. Since the project finished Simon has not reoffended, he has gained employment and says he can now look people in the eye while holding a conversation.
*names have been changed
