“Have you got a home to go to then?” the LBC reporter asked a prison leaver as they walked free as part of the early release scheme on 1 October. “No, they’ve actually released me with nowhere to stay,” the leaver responded.
“So, luckily, I’ve got a few friends that I can stay at, but the people who don’t, they’ll be back doing whatever they’re doing.” An estimated 1,000 prisoners a month are released into homelessness, according to Ministry of Justice (MOJ) figures. And that’s not taking into account early releases to ease overcrowding.
The crisis facing our prisons is going nowhere. Congestion and deteriorating conditions point to a system in drastic need of improvement.
This week we explore creative ways to cut reoffending and improve rehabilitation and prevent the vicious cycle between prison and homelessness.
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What else is in this week’s Big Issue?
Chase & Status Letter to OUR younger selves
All those evenings sitting in a dark room obsessing over drum sounds paid off – nearly three decades on, the DJ duo are UK dance music royalty.
“We were around 16 when we met. I was living in Hammersmith with my mum. I was a bedroom DJ, obsessed about music,” says Status. “This is when I started to really collect vinyl and my poor mum had to put up with me blasting out music 24/7.”
