Assistant Manager Parkhead Citizens Advice Bureau
Parkhead Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) has run an outreach service for prisoners and their families in Barlinnie Prison for over 15 years. Recent research was undertaken to measure the impact of this service on people who had been remanded pre-trial. There were 52 men in this sample who had been assisted by Parkhead CAB in the last two years – this formed the sample used to research the impact of this service on remand prisoners. The research included interviews with CAB advisers and prison officers and the latest available research to help identify the key advice issues for pre-trial remand prisoners, to understand how they are affected by the law and regulations, and to make recommendations for changes. CLICK THE PICTURE LINKS BELOW FOR THE FULL AND SUMMARY REPORTS:
Figure 1 – Full Report
Figure 2 – Summary Report
This research found that:
- The remand prisoners using the CAB service were characterised by single status, low income, a high incidence of illness and disability and prior experience of homelessness.
- The three main advice issues were benefits, debt and housing.
- On average, remand prisoners sought help with four separate problems.
- Retaining a tenancy while on Universal Credit (as opposed to being in receipt of Housing Benefit) is extremely difficult.
- Neither owner-occupiers nor tenants not in receipt of benefits receive help with housing costs.
- The five-week waiting period for Universal Credit (while difficult for all social security claimants) particularly affect specific categories of remand prisoners.
- Many people remanded that do not go on to be sentenced, or are given a community sentence, do not have the skills, digital technology, or access to information and advice to navigate the benefits system.
- Many remand prisoners have debt issues.
- A need was identified for CAB to provide their services within prisons and for prisoners to be better informed about their rights with respect to social security and other matters.
Informed by this research, CAB made a number of recommendations. These were for the UK and Scottish Governments (in relation to social security and welfare, and the discrepancies between sentenced and remand prisoners that cause disadvantage):
- For CAB (to improve information and service for prisoners).
- For Scottish Prisons Service (around allowing CAB greater access within prisons and use of essential equipment such as phones to work with prisoners in relation to their welfare and other needs).
