Ex-prisoners reoffending as they have nowhere to stay

They are appealing for more help from the States and private landlords to find released prisoners housing.

Senior officer Michaela Rabey and offender supervisor Laura Camp have both been officers for more than 10 years, and have seen the issue of accommodation become a growing problem, especially over the last couple of years.

‘It is the number one worry for people leaving who don’t have established homes to return to, and we have had prisoners who actually don’t want to leave when they are due to be released due to accommodation worries,’ said Ms Camp.

‘We are the first to recognise that there is a housing crisis in general because of demand, but we have had instances of ex-prisoners committing crimes and ringing the police themselves just to get rearrested as their accommodation issues have become unbearable.

‘There is a stigma to being in prison and people have preconceived ideas about what people coming out of prison are like and in Guernsey they are harder to lose as it is a small place. Even if that person has changed, they often don’t get a second chance.’

The Guernsey Quarterly Residential Property Prices Bulletin was published yesterday, showing that the average local market monthly rent was £2,037, while average house price sales were still over £600,000.

Ms Rabey said that nearly all prisoners, especially those on long sentences, study, learn trades, life skills and work to overcome addictions.

‘They are doing so much to change behaviour and make sure they do not return and become a successful part of the community, but they face the possibility of not finding housing, it is sofa surfing or homelessness,’ she said.

‘It is very disheartening and it is just getting harder and harder. When people find themselves back in prison, the root cause is often unstable accommodation.’

The prison employs a dedicated resettlement officer but said it was finding it increasingly difficult to find accommodation for those leaving the prison.

‘They have lots of contacts but they are finding rooms have already been filled,’ said Ms Camp.

‘There was a time when we had landlords actively contacting the prison with availability. Landlords now have 30 people going for one room and they will understandably take what they perceive as the lowest risk.’

She said they would love to hear from landlords with ideas.

‘We are also happy for family and friends to help us find accommodation as often they have access to opportunities through social media that we don’t. We are all working to one goal and that is to give prisoners every chance to be successful.’

All prisoners are offered resettlement help and advice but the officers both said that some refuse the support.

‘Sometimes because they do not want the stigma of applying from within prison and want to wait until they are released,’ said Ms Rabey.

‘Or people have plans in place that ultimately don’t come to fruition.’

The officers did think there was more that could be done by the States to provide accommodation and reduce reoffending. And with keeping one person in prison costing around £50,000 a year, that could even come at a cost-saving.

Currently St Julian’s House is the only transitional housing in Guernsey, providing fewer than 30 beds, and Ms Camp said it had the same issue of finding ongoing accommodation.

‘They have the same problem, as residents there can’t find accommodation and have to stay long term, which causes a log jam,’ she said. ‘It would be wonderful if one of the empty hotels, such as St Margaret’s Lodge, could be used.’

As well as providing accommodation, there was a suggestion that technology, such as electronic tagging, could be employed for shorter sentences so that spells in prison could be avoided, as it was often the people on the shortest sentences that had the greatest problems.

‘If you are on a three-month sentence that is enough to lose accommodation you had,’ said Ms Camp.

‘Those on longer sentences often participate in the temporary licence scheme that sees them leave the prison on day release to work. That gives them time to build up deposits. The Probation Service does have an offender deposit assistance scheme where the money is put up and then paid back, but it is not a bottomless pit.’

Both officers said staff had been heartened by the amount of focus on the issue and the work of charities such as Guernsey Caring for Ex-Offenders, At Home in Guernsey, Clip and Caritas.

‘There are lots of people working with the prison and Probation Service and a real recognition that we have a problem,’ said Ms Rabey.

‘The housing problems prisoners face aren’t things we have experienced ourselves but their individual stories really humanise and bring home the issues they are facing. It is hard enough for us to face what they are up against, but for the prisoners it’s daunting.’