Notes from CEO
Dear Affect Supporters,
I’m absolutely delighted to share that AFFECT won the My Favourite Voucher Code Charity Poll for August 2025!
AFFECT will be notified of the total amount raised in December 2025, and we’ll share the announcement on our website once it’s confirmed. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who voted, we truly appreciate your continued support. This is not only a wonderful achievement for the charity but, more importantly, a meaningful win for the families we support.
In recent weeks, the prison establishment has once again come under scrutiny following incidents in which three prisoners were mistakenly released on separate occasions. All individuals have since been re-arrested, with one who has been deported.
A report from the Ministry of Justice attributed the errors down to staff increasingly having to complement operational changes, including early release schemes. In response, a new measure has been introduced, a duty governor will now be personally responsible for carrying out an inspection of a release checklist, which is new. Previously, this task was carried out by more junior Offender Management Unit members of staff.
I’m also very pleased to announce that we’ve recently welcomed two new Telephone Support Workers, Sharon and Keith to the AFFECT team. We hope your time with the organisation is productive and mutually beneficial. Thank you to Bethany, for all your hard work and contributions to AFFECT! You’ve been an incredible asset to the TSW team.
Wishing you every success with your studies.
A big thank you to Sam at Daily Bread Consultancy for your incredible work on our website and now our flyer! Please take a look below!
Thank you to the families we support for choosing AFFECT to walk alongside you on your journey. If at any time you would like to be reassigned to a different Support Worker, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at affectcharity@outlook.com or call 0300 365 3651. We are committed to providing person-centred support that is truly tailored to your individual needs.
Please note that our AGM and next Group Gathering will take place on Saturday, 6th December 2025 (invitation only).
Love,
Shannel
Feedback forms:
Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us, and we would be very grateful if you could take a few moments to share your thoughts by completing a questionnaire which has previoulsy been emailed to you. Your insights help us continue to improve, produce meaningful case studies, and gather the statistics needed to support future funding.
The Longford Trust receives no public money for its work. Each year they raise £650,000 to sustain the trust and its growing work from generous trust, foundations, business and individuals. More than three quarters go directly to the Longford Scholarship programme which supports serving and ex – prisoners who want to continue their rehabilitation by going to university. They work with almost 150 young people each year, offering each financial help, one – to – one mentoring by trained mentors, and an employability project that guides graduates via workshops, training sessions, work placements and internships into graduate level jobs. 85% of those supported graduate and go on to fulfilling careers. Just 4% return to prison, against a national rate of half of all released prisoners.
On Tuesday 11th November three of Affect’s Trustees attended The Longford Trust Event 2025. The Longford Trust lecture and networking event was held to bring together current Longford supporters of the Trust to share experiences, foster professional connections, and celebrate the community’s ongoing success. The event was hosted by the charismatic Peter Stanford. With the aim of providing a welcoming and empowering space for attendees to build confidence, exchange knowledge, and explore future opportunities.
The event had a well-structured agenda. Upon arrival, Affect’s Trustees got to work on leafleting and networking with the audience, sharing experiences professionally and personally as service users. Affect encountered much positive feedback for the charities work. The event was energising with a strong attendance of participants, including current and former scholars, Longford Trust staff, trustees, and invited guests from partner organisations. It was incredible to be part of something where like-minded people came together with a passionate focus for reforming the prison service.
A lecture was delivered from Dame Rachel de Souza, DBE the Children’s Commissioner for England. It was incredibly poignant and the evening’s highlight, inspiring and thought-provoking. Drawing on her extensive experience in education and child advocacy, Dame Rachel spoke passionately about the importance of empowering our young people to find their voice, particularly those who have faced disadvantage or time in the care or justice systems.
The winners of the Longford trust prize were Liberty Choir UK. Who gave the most enjoyable and comical speech. Their work was shown in a short video which proved to be a bit of a tearjerker. Affect Trustees spent time chatting to several of their Charity’s members. It was also a privilege to meet published author W.S. Pendray (winner of the Pinter prize) a former prisoner, who wrote poetry throughout his years of incarceration and personal transformation. He read his work towards the end of the event.
Not to mention meeting the producer of the Achers radio show. The winner of the Kevin Pakenham Prize for The 2025 Longford Lecture, the BBC Radio 4’s long-running radio drama. Recently they ran a story line covering the complexities of the prison service and the impact on family life. It was fascinating hearing from individuals on the scholarship programme for young serving and former prisoners who wish to study for a university degree. Altogether a pleasant and informative experience.
Prison News
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Prisons in England and Wales to cut spending on education courses by up to 50% Reported in The Guardian September 2025 Prisons across England and Wales are set to slash frontline spending on education courses by up to 50%, despite promises from Keir Starmer to improve “access to learning” in last year’s general election manifesto. HMP Leicester’s classroom budget will fall by 46.5%, while other men’s and women’s prisons face cuts of 25–26%. In some prisons, basic English and Math’s courses are being reduced, including hours from specialist teachers supporting illiterate prisoners. The Prison Governors’ Association (PGA) warned most prisons will see real-term education cuts of at least 5%. PGA president Tom Wheatley said the reductions will directly affect prisoners’ access to purposeful activity and could undermine plans for a “Texas-style” earned progression system, which allows prisoners to earn earlier release through course completion. The cuts come as new education contracts are rolled out. While the overall budget remains unchanged, governors say rising contract costs have forced reductions in actual course provision. Prisons ‘could collapse’ under new visa rules as more than 2,500 prison staff could face deportation Reported ITV News 12.11.25 Prison unions are warning that the system “could collapse” as new visa regulations leave one in 25 prison service staff at risk of deportation, ITV News has revealed. Confidential government data obtained by ITV News indicates that more than 2,600 prison employees are foreign nationals working under right-to-work visas. Under Home Office rules implemented in July, individuals earning below the revised salary threshold of £41,700 risk deportation once their visas expire. A source within His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) said that approximately 2,200 of those affected staff are prison officers, while the remaining 400 work in support roles. Prison officer starting salaries range from £33,750 to £44,500, with only those working the longest hours within London earning at the higher end of the scale. The Prison Governors’ Association (PGA) warned that the loss of these staff would “leave a gap that cannot easily be filled” and that governors cannot run “safe stable prisons without the right number of officers.” |
BearFace Theatre Brings Families Perspectives to the Forefront at Winchester’s Law Week Festival
By J, October 2025, https://www.bearfacetheatre.org/research-and-reports
For families supporting loved ones in the criminal justice system, finding understanding and a sense of community can be challenging. At this year’s Law Week Festival in Winchester, BearFace Theatre offered a powerful and inclusive experience that resonated deeply with those who know the system from the inside out.
Their sold-out performance, Speak Out, Listen In: Perspectives on the Criminal Justice System, was more than just a play—it was an immersive journey into the real stories of people affected by the justice system.
Using headphones, interactive elements, and spoken word, the production brought to life the voices of men in prison, women on probation, and young people, many of whom are also sons, daughters, parents, and siblings. These stories, co created with people who have lived experience, challenged stereotypes and highlighted the often-unseen impact on families.
After the performance, audience members—including family supporters— were invited to join an open discussion with the cast and creative team. This conversation provided a safe space to share insights, ask questions, and reflect on the ways families are affected by and can contribute to positive change within the system.
Earlier in the week, BearFace Theatre released a new research study by Alexandra Russell, summarising years of work showing how creative arts can help people reflect, heal, and break the cycle of reoffending. This research reinforces what many families already know: that support, understanding, and opportunities for growth are essential for lasting change. Events like these remind us that families are a vital part of the journey toward a fairer, more compassionate justice system. Could creative approaches like theatre help bring about the changes that benefit not just individuals, but entire families and communities?
Recall, release, repeat
Reported HM Inspectorate of Prisons 07.11.25
For the full report: Recall, release, repeat – HM Inspectorate of Prisons
A published inspection report of HMP Bronzefield found that recalls had doubled in two years, with similarly high levels of short, fixed term recalls at Foston Hall and Eastwood Park. Between April and June 2025, over half (57%) of recalled women were serving 14-day recalls, compared with 37% of men (Offender Management Statistics, June 2025).
Women in prison face distinct vulnerabilities. Across England and Wales Ministry of Justice data (June 2025) shows self-harm rates remain over eight times higher than in the male estate. HMIP survey data (2024–25) also found more women reporting mental health, substance misuse, and physical health disability.
Across the recent inspections of women’s prisons, found that those on a short, fixed term recall were –
- More likely to be released homeless.
- Likely to leave prison again with ongoing addiction and mental health problems.
- Unable to access help with finances, benefits and identification.
- Insufficiently supported by, and communicated with, by staff
Women repeatedly had to report personal difficulties to different prison staff. Some said they never received recall paperwork or met their community offender manager (COM), even by video link, before release. These gaps in resettlement support weakened risk management and made oversight of high-risk releases challenging.
The number of women on fixed-term recalls is likely to keep rising, yet the prison and probation services have been too slow to respond. Services must be realigned to meet the needs of this vulnerable group. Almost 20 years on from the Corston report, it is hugely disappointing that alternatives to recall, such as the use of community sentences and women’s centres, are still not being used effectively. If properly established, these services could have a better chance of breaking the cycle of offending, addiction, homelessness and mental health difficulties.
AFFECT needs your support!
I urge you to consider a donation, particularly a regular monthly amount, however small, e.g. £10 or £25.
Your contribution will help our service to continue to run efficiently and help others like you. Thank you for your generosity.
Joint Enterprise and IPP highlighted in Parliament
Reported by Inside times 30.10.25
When the Government’s Sentencing Bill reached its committee stage in the House of Commons last week, MPs debated amendments on Joint Enterprise and Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences.
On 21 October, Liberal Democrat MP Zoe Franklin proposed an amendment to clarify that participation in a crime requires intentional involvement, not just foresight that a crime might occur. This would align the law with the Supreme Court’s 2016 Jogee ruling, which found Joint Enterprise had been misapplied. Though not voted on, the amendment is expected to return in the House of Lords, with strong backing from campaign group JENGbA and former judges.
A separate amendment on 22 October sought to resentence IPP prisoners still held beyond their tariffs, in line with Justice Committee recommendations. It was defeated 381–78, despite support from smaller parties and a few Labour MPs.
Outside Parliament, campaigners held a demonstration calling for IPP resentencing, releasing 100 red balloons to remember those who died under the sentence. Later, an IPP Committee for Action meeting in Parliament brought together families, peers, MPs, and legal experts, urging reform and a clear path to release.
Union leaders and campaigners have renewed calls for the Government to abolish IPP and reform Joint Enterprise, warning that public pressure will continue until justice is achieved.
Always Remember
Always Remember is a new book by Charlie Mackesy (The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and the Storm). His previous book was highly recommended for its wisdom, and is used frequently by our Telephone Support Workers.
When writing this book, Charlie was sitting in a very messy room, and was filled with self-doubt. Then he reminded himself that, however chaotic life is, he had to be gentle with himself and not give up. “You have a song in you that no-one else can sing”.
The book also reminds us that “one day, you’ll look back and realise how hard it was, and how well you did.”
At this time of year, when we are extra busy, extra worried, and our sorrows weight more heavily, the messages in the book are particularly welcome and appropriate.
“Sometimes, the tiniest act of kindness can save a life.”
By Carol
Chair
Data Protection
AFFECT keeps very limited information on our members, name, email, and telephone details. If you would like to be removed from our records, please email affectcharity@outlook.com
DISCLAIMER
From time-to-time, AFFECT is approached by media outlets, asking us to canvas our supporters for help with their studies and or programmes. We may forward their approach, and reasons, to our supporters, but ONLY by blind copy email. We NEVER divulge any contact details of AFFECT supporters. We leave it entirely to the discretion of you, our supporters to contact any such third party. In keeping our distance from those interested in research and or programmes related to our supporters’ concerns, we are drawing on long experience, that an approach initially presented as a genuine inquiry can turn out to be exploitative, and damaging.