Chris Thomas from New Bridge - Interview

New Bridge is an organisation set up in 1956 with the express goal of creating links between the offenders and the community. For over 50 years, they have tirelessly strived to create closer relationships between individuals who have been convicted, and the wider communities that surround them.

While they aim to accomplish this goal through a variety of methods, their primary service is a network of over 130 volunteers who each provide a one to one "befriending" service. Close personal relationships are forged between volunteers and prisoners in order to provide support and most importantly, bridge the gap between inmates and the outside world

homeprotect has been able to get hold New Bridge's chief executive, Chris Thomas for an interview. He explains the unique approach New Bridge takes and we explore some of the wider issues in the British justice system.

What do you feel the government could do to help people with convictions and those leaving prison to obtain the skills and access to the resources they need once they are reintegrating into society?

The government could do a lot more and not all of it need cost money.  We need leadership from government on encouraging businesses and service providers to give former prisoners a chance.  Everything we do at New Bridge is about giving people the chance to change.  Our experience is the vast majority of prisoners come back to society with good intentions and want to change – only to be treated with suspicion and overlooked for jobs.  It would help tremendously if the government could encourage employers groups to give more ex-prisoners a chance.

I am encouraged by some of things the government wants to do in prison, like introduce more workshops and training for prisoners.  Ideally, this needs to extend to the outside too; we need to ensure that those leaving prison can continue with any training started inside.  This means a cross government approach, working with education providers, probation and others.  If we are serious about making sure that people don’t reoffend, all the possible barriers have to be removed.

How do you feel about the current state of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974? There has been a lot of talk of reforming the Act recently. Are there any particular changes you are keen to see to the Act and how it is enforced in the UK.

The basic principles of the Act don’t need much change.  There has to be a balance.  The public and employers in particular have to be confident that an individual is ready to be trusted and take on work opportunities.  The biggest issue for me is the need for leadership on the issue.  There has to be clear messages from government, helped by business leaders who have successfully taken on offenders.  The message has to get out that ex-prisoners can make excellent employees.

New Bridge was invited to share our work with representatives from the Government of Singapore in 2008 (they were in London on a fact finding trip).  I was struck that they have a ‘Yellow Ribbon’ campaign, aimed at encouraging communities to welcome back ex-prisoners, in the best interests of reducing crime in the future.  This is in a country seen as fairly punitive when it comes to crime.  The message that employing ex-prisoners is a sensible and ‘normal’ thing to do is much needed in the UK.

How does New Bridge seek to assist prisoners and those who have experienced the UK prison system?

The two main ways we assist are through our befriending and mentoring services.  Befriending prisoners has always been at the heart of our work.  We recruit and train volunteers to befriend isolated men and women in our prisons.  Our volunteers help prisoners by providing a vital link to the outside world.  Our volunteers write to and visit prisoners who have lost contact with friends and family; helping them to believe in a positive future.  Prisoners tell us that befriending helps to build self-esteem and confidence, regain a sense of trust in others and feel more positive about the future.  The unique feature of our befriending work is that volunteers are allocated to each prisoner, not a particular prison.  That way, the same volunteer can continue to support the prisoner at whichever prison they are held.  Our help is also available for as long a prisoner needs it; after release and into the community too.

Our mentoring services generally help shorter term prisoners get back on their feet after a period in custody.  We currently do this work in London, Liverpool and with young offenders coming to the end of their sentence at HMPYOI Thorn Cross near Warrington.

This time, at the very start of their return to the community is crucial.  Our experience is that lots of people leave prison with good intentions; seeing them through is the hard part, especially if you are returning to the same area with the same associates waiting for you.  Our volunteers can provide a reminder of what their intentions were and help see them through.  We can help people organise their time, remind about appointments and be there offer informal support – all vital if someone is to succeed in staying away from crime.

New Bridge’s main resource seems to be its large number of volunteers. Can you elaborate a little on the kind of service they provide and why you feel they are so important?

You’re right, almost all of our front line services are provided by volunteers.  Prisoners regularly tell us they really value the fact that people are giving up their time for free.   Volunteers come from all walks of life but the one thing they have in common is their passion and desire to do the very best for some of the most isolated people in society.  I have been with New Bridge for over six years and I never cease to be amazed by what volunteers achieve.  Some have been befriending the same prisoner for over ten years!

How easy is it to become a volunteer? How would a person go about assisting in this fashion?

It is very easy to apply to be a volunteer.   There is link on our website www.newbridgefoundation.org.uk. If you click on the large ‘Volunteer’ button you will be taken to the information page and read about the opportunities available.  Sometimes, in certain parts of the country, we experience huge demand from potential volunteers and have to break from recruiting.  All those details are kept up date.  If you are interested, we can send you a pack and application form.

If your forms tells us you have the right skills, available time and attitudes to be volunteer, you will be invited to an interview and then to a two day training course.    We take up two references on each applicant and we take up a Criminal Record Bureau check.  Ex-prisoners and offenders are very welcome to apply.  We just ask that you are two years clear of prison or probation supervision.

Why is work with long-term offenders important?

Quite rightly, lots of other groups concentrate their work on those prisoners who are coming up to release and will need help to resettle in the community.  New Bridge is different in that most offenders we help are long-term prisoners; serving life or indeterminate terms.  For many, release is years away.   Work with long-term prisoners is important to us because sooner or later, all but 40 or so individuals in the system will be released one day.   If prisoners are feeling isolated and cut off from the outside world, how are they going to successfully resettle into it?  There is clear evidence that the longer the sentence the more likely it is that family and friends have drifted away.  If we can show that someone out there cares if a prisoner succeeds or fails, we can make a difference.  Our volunteers are in it for the long haul and can make a real difference to prisoners; helping to instil a sense of purpose and a positive outlook for the future.

What do you find are the biggest obstacles offenders face when serving long-term sentences?

The biggest problem is the uncertainty.  If it isn’t bad enough that family and friends drift away, those serving prisoners often tell us of their frustrations on a lack of progress in their sentence.  They may be required to complete certain courses before they move on, perhaps from a Category B to a lower security Category C prison.  A common tale is that the required course is only available in certain establishments and the waiting list could be a year or longer.  With these frustrations, our befriender volunteers are vital in helping the prisoner to remain calm, patient and concentrate on things they can change.