Providing them with life skills that benefit them when they leave
The prison has had a long-standing relationship with Norman Piette, who has been very positive in opening up employment opportunities for prisoners.
Once prisoners are approved for work ‘release on temporary license’ (ROTL) at the end of their sentence, Norman Piette accepts them into their recruitment process.
Several of these prisoners have gone on to full-time employment and extended careers within the company. With the establishment of the CLIP workshop, Norman Piette has also been very generous in providing discounted materials. This has enabled us to support numerous community projects, including the recent construction of a ‘wishing well’ for the new GROW facility, which will open in late summer 2023.
The management team at Norman Piette also supports the prison’s new pre-release programme, providing support and advice on interview skills.
Local law firm Ogier have been incredibly supportive to CLIP through their CSR programme
In addition to supporting the committee with various administrative and governance tasks, including minuting meetings and registering and filing formal governance documents, they have donated several laptops.
While these computers are no longer useful for the company, they are hugely beneficial in supporting prisoners with their learning. Although several prisoners have lower academic levels than the general population, most are capable of successfully taking up higher learning courses, including A levels, distance learning certificates and diploma courses. We also have four that are currently studying for Open University degrees. As many prisoners are unable to complete the whole programme of study whilst in prison, the donation of a laptop is integral to ensuring prison learners can continue their studies on release.
The States of Guernsey fund formal learning programmes in prison up to GCSE level. These include Maths, English, ICT, Art and Business Administration as well as initial assessment, induction, distance learning courses and all work-related learning. CLIP supplements this core education, ensuring that less public money is spent in the long term.
Because many prisoners have negative memories of the classroom from their past schooling, they are not easily persuaded to study. CLIP’s contribution focuses on encouraging these prisoners to take the first step in education by creating positive learning experiences. These are produced through the introduction of non-formal education such as the creative arts - textile design, drama, creative writing, photography, music and personal and social development courses. These subjects create a more enticing gateway through which prisoners can enter a world of self-improvement.
These courses increase self-knowledge, influence attitudes and behaviour, develop self-confidence, create valuable employees, trustworthy family members and therefore help tackle re-offending which has such a costly impact on local families and the wider community.
