Organisations such as SACRO and the Wise Group have gained funding to help offenders reintegrate into society

Programmes which help offenders to return to society have received a funding boost.

Four initiatives to help people leaving prison reintegrate with their community are to share £3.4 million to fund mentoring services across Scotland.

Mentors provide specialist one-to-one support and guidance to prison leavers, offering help to overcome the challenges many face on release, from dealing with problems such as ill-heath, debt or substance abuse, as well as assisting with longer-term aims like finding a job or rebuilding family relationships.

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “Scotland’s firm focus on prevention and rehabilitation to avoid people being drawn into cycles of reoffending has contributed to a 19-year low in reconviction rates – helping to keep crime down and communities safe.

“We know that practical and personal problems faced by people leaving prison make it harder to reintegrate and can lead to reoffending. However, when I speak to people who have benefited from mentoring of this kind they are very clear that many of these issues are preventable.

“Being imprisoned can often exacerbate issues which underlie offending behaviour – so mentoring support starts while people are still in custody and continues when they return to their community and family. Whether it is finding somewhere permanent to stay or dealing with money worries, mentors help to ensure that problems are recognised and dealt with so they don’t lead to bigger issues.”

One of the programmes receiving funding is New Routes – a national service offering support to 18 to 25-year-old-men who have served custodial sentences of up to four years.

The process starts up to six months before individuals are released and includes planning ahead to help avoid common problems such as homelessness. The skilled mentors are experienced third sector workers and many are ex-offenders who can also share their own experiences of returning to everyday life after time in prison.

Steven Ferguson received mentoring support through New Routes and the Wise Group after leaving prison. He is now a full-time youth development worker, mentoring other young people.

He said: “When I started working with my mentor I was in quite a dark place where I didn’t really know where I was going in life. I felt trapped in a cycle of going into prison, coming out of prison, using drugs. I was caught up in crime and violence to the point where it felt like there wasn’t anything else I could do. Working with the Wise Group opened my mind up to different opportunities and I could see there were people who would take the time to help me if I was willing to put in the effort too.”

Sean Duffy, chief executive of the Wise Group, which leads the partnership of agencies delivering the New Routes programme, said: “The Wise Group’s dedicated mentors, half of whom have convictions themselves, provide vital wraparound support and guidance to customers for up to six months before release –being there for them on the day they leave prison – and for a further six months in the community. This valuable support focuses on the needs of each customer, often helping them to find a safe place to sleep, having their immediate health needs met or arranging financial support.

“Working in partnership to deliver New Routes nationally, this funding from the Scottish Government will allow our proven mentoring approach to positively impact more lives and further reduce reoffending. We will also be able explore new ways to support the justice system in providing a viable alternative to custody, such as embedding mentoring in community sentencing options.”

The other projects to gain funding are: Shine PSP a national service for women leaving prison which is operated by SACRO and partners; Moving On PSP, which is operated by Action for Children and Barnardo’s to help young male offenders leaving HMP Polmont; and Low Moss PSP, a service led by Turning Point Scotland and the Scottish Prison Service, supporting individuals leaving HMP Low Moss.