Charities and Pressure Groups

• Charities and pressure groups are voluntary, non-profit organisations which are independent from government control.
• Charities and pressure groups aim to promote the interests and welfare of people they are concerned with, like ex-offenders and victims.
• Charities help provide help to those in need.
• Pressure groups campaign to achieve change, normally in law.
• NACRO is the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders.
• An aim of NACRO is to overcome the stereotypical view of ex-offenders.
• NACRO's funding comes from public donations, government grants, and contracts for providing services for ex-offenders and others. They have an income of around £50 million.
• NACRO offer housing and support to vulnerable people including young people, adults, and families. They also offer education and skills for young people outside mainstream schooling.
• NACRO help ex-offenders reintegrate back into society and help with housing, mental health, and substance misuse issues.
• NACRO campaigns to change laws and policies affecting ex-offenders. Like the campaign to reform the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and criminal record checks.
• They also support the "Ban the Box" campaign, which aims to enable people with convictions to apply for jobs by removing the tick-box on criminal convictions that appears unnecessary on many job application forms.
• NACRO also campaign against Friday releases. A third of all releases take place on a Friday and often means that offenders don't have time to access vital services and may end up sleeping rough, going without medication, or re-offending.
• NACRO support:

  • Women
  • People in custody
  • People with substance misuse issues
  • People with mental health issues
  • Young people
  • Veterans
• NACRO has national and local reach with projects in around 50 different parts of England and Wales. They have a large full-time staff community and many unpaid volunteers.
• There are also different charities and pressure groups like:

  • Prison Reform Trust
  • Howard League for Penal Reform
  • Princes Trust
  • Catch 22
  • Clinks
  • Criminal Justice Alliance
  • Unlock
• The Howard League for Penal Reform work with Parliament, media, criminal justice professionals, students, and members of the public.
• The Howard League are campaigning on the transformations of prisons, reducing child arrests, promoting real work in custody, and ending criminalisation of children in residential care.
• The Prison Reform Trust aims to reduce unnecessary imprisonment and promote community solutions to crime. They also want to improve treatment and conditions for prisoners and their families and promote equality and human rights in the justice system.
• Charities and pressure groups have strong commitment. Strong commitment means the members are motivated to help those and go the extra mile in a way that the government and privatised agencies may not do.
• These are voluntary organisations and therefore rely on public donations and grants to stay afloat. They only exist where people are concerned about a particular issue or group. National and local government will only fund these groups if it aligns with their political and financial priorities.
• Media influence plays a part in the support a group may receive. If they are shown positively they would get more support, however, if they are demonised it may be harder for people to support them.
• An example of a demonised group would be Just Stop Oil. With all the bad media attention they have received they are seen as annoying and a nuisance to the general public.
• These groups also have a lack of resources and support in the community. Charities aim to provide support, but issues like the Friday release scheme make access to support difficult for ex-offenders.
• The Prince's Trust was founded in 1976 and has helped 825,000 young people across the UK. It helps 13-30 year olds who are unemployed or struggling in school. 3 in 4 people who they help will have a positive outcome. This makes the charity effective.