Prisoners Week Forum 2011
Prisoners Week Forum took place on Monday 21st November 2011 at St Matthew's Episcopal Church, 200 Balmore Road, Glasgow G22 6LJ
“Welcome Home? Starting Over After Prison” is this year’s theme for Prisoners Week, 20-27 November, offering a focus on community re-integration and presenting questions like: ‘What’s it like for a prisoner preparing to return to a community left possibly some considerable time ago?’ and ‘How can a community prepare for the return of those who have been away in prison?’
Those who took part in the forum panel were:-
- Jean Forrester from ‘Kinship for the Future’ based in Possilpark;
- George Fulton, Project Manager at The Arch Resettlement Centre, Glasgow.
- John Scott, Chair of The Howard League for Penal Reform in Scotland;
- Beth Weaver, Lecturer at the Glasgow School of Social Work, with a particular interest in desistance.
The event was chaired by:
Mike Nellis, Emeritus Professor of Criminal and Community Justice, Strathclyde Law School.
Amongst others, we heard the voices of local people, some of whom have had experience of imprisonment. Faith in Throughcare (FiT), which is a programme to help integrate prisoners being released back into Possilpark and the surrounding communities, is based in ‘The Place’, a drop-in and throughcare centre situated in the grounds of St Matthew’s Possilpark.
Prisoners Week is an opportunity to remember all in our communities who are affected by crime and imprisonment – prisoners and their families, the victims of crime and those who work within the Criminal Justice System. It is an initiative of the Churches that encourages debate and interest about justice in our communities, highlights concerns and shares hope.