Alice Mills

Exploring the relationship between the voluntary sector and the state in criminal justice

Voluntary sector organisations (VSOs) have a long history of engagement with offenders. Recent policy developments have aimed to increase their participation in the criminal justice system, leading to considerable speculation about the impact on the sectors independence and ethos. This paper draws on qualitative interviews with stakeholders in the voluntary sector and criminal justice fields to explore the effects of such developments on the relationship between the sector and the state, including the implications of opening the criminal justice market to VSOs, gaps between the rhetoric and reality of commissioning, and the potential loss of the sectors distinctiveness and critical voice.

Partners, guests or competitors Relationships between criminal justice and third sector staff in prisons

Recent policy documents have promoted partnership working between criminal justice agencies and third sector organizations (TSOs) as a means to tackle re-offending. However, the context in which such partnership working takes place has received little attention despite the fact that relationships between frontline criminal justice staff and TSOs are likely to be crucial to successful initiatives. This article draws on qualitative interviews with prison staff and representatives from TSOs in eight prisons to examine relations between the two groups and to consider whether TSOs are treated as partners, guests or competitors in prisons.

Housing ex-prisoners: the role of the third sector

Purpose – The aim of the paper is to examine the contribution made by housing‐related third sector organisations (TSOs) in assisting ex‐prisoners to find housing, and the barriers they face in doing so.Design/methodology/approach – An offender survey was used to measure awareness of and engagement with TSOs in eight prisons, alongside qualitative interviews with prisoners, criminal justice staff and TSO representatives.Findings – Despite the involvement of TSOs, securing accommodation for ex‐prisoners remains complex and difficult, largely due to high service demand, housing shortages, budget cuts, and needs assessment and allocations systems which reduce the responsiveness of housing providers to the reducing re‐offending agenda.Research limitations/implications – The research benefited from a mixed‐method approach which captured the perceptions of service users and professionals. The response rate for the offender survey was low (12 per cent), and the survey findings should be treated with caution.Pract...

Mental Health In-Reach - The Way Forward for Prison?

Alice Mills discusses her research on the workings of a prison wing set up specifically for vulnerable prisoners, many of them with mental health problems, and considers the implications of her findings for the new mental health ‘in-reach’ teams being introduced in prisons across England and Wales

Voluntary Work in Prisons: Providing Services in the Penal Environment

The role of voluntary sector organisations (VSOs) is well established and rapidly developing, both in prison settings specifically and in criminal justice more broadly. In this chapter we examine the role of volunteers as service providers in prisons in England and Wales. We contextualise this field of study with some of the policy changes that have been introduced in England and Wales in recent years, and then present data derived from a national study of VSOs working in criminal justice based on interviews with over 250 offenders, criminal justice staff and VSO representatives. We focus in particular on the benefits and limitations of voluntary work in prisons from the perspectives of those directly affected by such work, as well as exploring the specific features and challenges of the partnerships between VSOs and criminal justice personnel that evolve in such prison settings. We examine how these in turn can impact upon both voluntary sector work and prison cultures, for example, in the perceived legitimacy of voluntary sector services. Although in this chapter we make reference to ‘voluntary sector organisations’ (VSOs), it is important to note that many of these organisations will have paid employees, if only in small numbers, who are employed to provide support to volunteers. Where a situation or experience that is specific to unpaid volunteers is discussed, they will be described as ‘volunteers’. Where the context requires a discussion of both paid employees and volunteers, they are referred to as ‘VSO staff’ or ‘VSO workers’.

Privatisation of Criminal Justice

Over the last 30 years, the private sector has become increasingly involved in the provision of various core criminal justice services in Australia and New Zealand. In both jurisdictions, privatisation has been driven by neoliberal ideologies and the need to reduce state expenditure. This chapter charts the course and context of privatisation in criminal justice in Australia and New Zealand, primarily in prisons, and examines key debates in prison privatization. It assesses the available evidence for these arguments and the implications of private sector involvement in other parts of the criminal justice system.