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Howard League for Penal Reform offers backing to Curley prison campaign 2

Finance | Vibeka Mair | 30 Jul 2009

Chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, Frances Crook, has offered support to NAVCA chief Kevin Curley’s campaign against the prospect of charities running prisons. 

It is the second crime prevention charity to back the campaign in a week. Richard Garside, director of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, has also offered support to Curley, saying he was right to ask if there were limits to charitable provision.

Curley, who has started a facebook group called Charities Must Not Run Prisons, told his 97 members that he has asked the Howard League to challenge the Charity Commission’s view that it would consider an application for a ‘charitable prison’ on its merits.  

Curley has also asked Howard League to probe the nature of the first Ministry of Justice prison contract awarded to charities Catch 22, Turning Point and private service deliverer Serco. “Is it a real consortium or is it simply Serco with two charities in junior, sub contracted roles. If it is a real consortium and the two charities have a role in prison governance I believe this is a fundamental undermining of what we understand the role of charities to be – even if it is ‘legal'.” 

Calling the issue a ‘line in the sand’ moment for public services and charities, Curley added: “If charities look no different from private suppliers of services and these in turn are simply another option for the provision of a statutory service such as a prison, what price will our democracy pay? If charities are no longer the critics and scourges of the public sector who will perform this role? And what damage will this do to the high level of trust ‘charities’ currently enjoy?” 

Catch 22 welcomes debate

A Catch 22 spokeswoman said there was no lead partner in the alliance between itself, Turning Point and Serco, but Catch 22 would lead on areas which required its particular expertise. “We will be delivering resettlement services,” she said. “Our precise role will be determined as the delivery models are refined.” 

She also added that the debate on third sector involvement in private finance initiatives was healthy to have. “Catch 22, like many other charities, has been delivering public services for years. We strongly believe that our involvement can extend the reach and impact of public services and is perfectly in tune with our charitable objects.  

“We will continue to campaign for fewer young people to be sent to jail and for community-based sentences to be used where possible as an alternative to short sentences and for services that prevent young people from coming into contact with the criminal justice system.  

“Our independence and capacity for lobbying and influencing is in no way compromised by our delivery of the contracts for Maghull and Belmarsh West prisons.”

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