The support available for ex-offenders

I have now completed the aim which is on the support available for recently released offenders. I have focussed on the accommodation which charities provide for released offenders and the different training courses available to offenders. I have also used statistics to show how successful the programmes available have been in stopping the continuation of offending.

I have also decided not to write about the rehabilitation in America as I feel it is relevant for my title or in my report. Although I have made small references to elements of rehabilitation in America, for example the budget use, I am not going to write a whole section about it.

Next I am going to write a conclusion to my report which will detail whether my research has shown whether an ex-offender can be fully rehabilitated back into society.

How has rehabilitation changed

I have now completed by aim of discovering how rehabilitation has changed in the last 10 years. I have discussed the use of day centres whose influence has now been reduced and encorporated within the probation service. I have also written about how rehabilitation is becoming more focussed on giving offenders the skills they need to move away from crime. In regard to how youth rehabilitation has changed I have written about how ASBO's were used as a deterrant but have now been stopped.

The next section of my report is going to be about the support available to offenders once they have been released. I have written about how the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 has helped ex-offenders to get jobs and also about how teams within prisons help offenders to sort everything out before they leave prison. Finally I am going to write about how the charities NACRO and The Amber Foundation help to give released offenders a place to live which reduces their risk of reoffending.

Success of different programmes-Completed

Today I have completed the second aim of my report which was to discuss the success of different programmes. I have used the reoffending statistics of each form of punishment to show which one can be seen as most effective. My conclusion was that for young offenders the most successful form of rehabilitation is the lowest form of punishment. This is similar to adult offenders where the most successful programme was community sentences. This was because offenders could see how their actions have affected the community but also they would be less likely to reoffend because it hasn't disrupted their lives.

For the next part of my report I am going to discuss how rehabilitation programmes have changed in the last 10 years.

Success of different programmes

Today I have started the section on which rehabilitation programmes are the most successful. I have started my writing about community sentences and the subsequent reoffending rates for this type of punishment. I have used statistics from 10years ago to show how the use of community sentences has become more common in the last 10 years.
Then I have written about offenders convicted to a custodial sentence. I have compared the reoffending rate for this type of punishment to the reoffending rate for community sentences and also the reoffending rates for different sentence lengths. I have used graphs from Ministry of Justice reports to evidence my arguments and clearly show the reoffending trend.
Lastly I am going to write about the success of youth offender rehabilitation programmes by comparing the use of young offender institutions and community sentences.
I will then write a conclusion explaining which programme is the most successful in rehabilitating an offender back into society.

Main Report

This week I have finished typing up my first aim in my main report. I chose to discuss the different rehabilitation methods used for different age groups and sentence length. I have focussed on how education and training methods are different for different age groups and the new opportunities to work whilst in prison. I have also used graphs to show statistics of the number of offenders who have found work or education facilities when they have been released. This shows how likely it is for offenders to be fully rehabilitated back into society. For the next part of my report I am going to write about the statistical success of programmes because I feel that this continues on from the different programmes available for different offender types.

Project Update

Today I have continued to type up my main report. I have started by answering my aim 'What are the different methods of rehabilitation used for young offenders?' I am also comparing this with methods used with adults. I have used case studies to show examples of prison regimes and how this is helping to reduce reoffending.

I have also completed a project update form which shows what I have done and what I am planning to do in the next 4 weeks.

Methodology

Today I receieved feedback on the first draft of my introduction from my supervisor. This told me that I needed to encorporate all of my aims into my introduction and explain my title clearly. I am also going to write a brief sentence on why I chose to research this topic.

I have also started my methodology which will explain the different methods of research that I have used. I have explained my use of primary research through my survey, why this was important to do, the reliability and validity of it and what I would do differently if I were to do it again. Next I am going to explain which secondary resources I have used, such as the government websites and online journals. I will explain the strengths and weaknesses of these and why I chose to use them.

Finally, the conclusion of this section will detail the overall quality of my research and how it has helped me to form my report.