Charities and Pressure Groups

    Cards (10)

    • Charities
      Provide services to specific groups of people such as ex prisoners
    • Charities
      • Strong commitment to one particular group or issue
      • Specialist knowledge of people's needs
      • Strongly motivated to help and may therefore go the extra mile in a way that government or private agencies may not
    • Charities are sometimes better placed to reduce offending and re-offending than government agencies
    • Nacro
      • Provides services for ex prisoners and those in danger of offending
      • Provides accommodation for those that leave prison and support them set up bank accounts, health support and accessing benefits
      • Campaigns to end Friday release from prison
      • Believes ex prisoners should have time to find accommodation and support without going homeless
    • Prisoners released on a Friday have to sleep rough and go without medication meaning that they are likely to reoffend
    • Women in Prison
      • Free phone helpline to provide support and guidance
      • Refers women to other specialist agencies
      • Delivers the care programme for women in prison with a history of self harm, mental health problems etc
      • Campaigns to reduce the number of women in prison
      • Presses government and criminal justice agencies to change their policies
    • Policies they campaign to change
      • Abandon plans to build 5 new women's prisons – invest in community based solutions such as housing and mental health support that would reduce reoffending
      • Use sentencing guidelines (prison) as a last resort for the most serious offences – 84% of women's prison sentences are for non-violent offences such as not paying council tax
    • Voluntary organisations

      • Only exist where there is concern about a particular issue
    • Media Reporting
      Portrayed sympathetically – may increase support for charities that work with that group
    • Funding
      • Easier to persuade the public and government to support some groups or causes than others that might be equally important