Befriending
Service
Evaluation
Report 2016
Introduction
“My befriender was interested in me as a person. I suddenly felt like I was part of
life outside the walls.”
Each year New Bridge ask prisoners supported by a New Bridge volunteer for
their experience of the befriending service.
58% are serving indeterminate sentences and 20% long determinate sentences
of 10 years or more. The isolation of a long sentence can be profound. 34% said
they had no contact with the outside world before writing to New Bridge.
Prisoners give practical pointers on how New Bridge can improve the
befriending service and 100% would recommend the service to other prisoners.
Much more powerful are the stories they tell of their lives in prison and the
difference befriending has made.
“I was alone and very, very lonely. My whole life prior to finding New Bridge was a
horror story and a catalogue of nasty crimes………..Since I first used your service I
have become a whole person once again….I had no interest in my life or life itself. I
have a more rounded view on life …….New Bridge has turned my life around.”
New Bridge would like to thank all the prisoners who took the time to complete
the questionnaire and tell their stories. New Bridge is determined to grow the
befriending service and offer support to more prisoners
We would like to thank the Governors and staff of the 80 establishments in
which prisoners we befriend are located. Without their assistance this report
would not have been possible.
We are particularly grateful to Sophie Rowe, a New Bridge volunteer and
Criminology Lecturer at Birmingham City University who analysed the data and
produced this report.
Joe Pilling
Chairman of New Bridge
The Befriending Service
New Bridge has provided a unique befriending service to prisoners for sixty
years. At the heart of our work is the belief that having a positive link to the
outside world improves wellbeing and gives offenders improved chances of
successful reintegration into the community.
What makes New Bridge different from other national schemes is the
combination of writing and visiting, long term engagement with the offender,
and that the service is not attached to any particular prison. Any prisoner in
England and Wales can apply for a befriender and if they are moved to a different
prison the befriending relationship can continue uninterrupted.
Volunteers provide emotional support for prisoners who are isolated and lack
the support of family or friends. The role of the New Bridge volunteer becomes
all the more crucial given the fact that research shows an individual’s connection
to society is intrinsically linked with reoffending.
Volunteers help prisoners to realise their full potential, instil self-esteem, and
assist with reintegration through the development of positive community
linkages.
Research Aims
The aims of this research are to:
 Review the experience of prisoners involved with New Bridge
 Evaluate the impact of the service on prisoners’ lives
 Consider ways in which to improve the Befriending Service
Participants
The participants in this research were all current prisoners, from prisons and
youth offender institutions across England and Wales, who had sought the
support of New Bridge during their custodial sentence. Since applying to New
Bridge some prisoners had been transferred to a secure hospital, they too were
included in this research. Prisoners were sampled by inviting all those in
custody who had been taken on by New Bridge - prior to November 2016 - to
contribute to the evaluation via a postal questionnaire. A total of 164 prisoners
participated in the evaluation, six of which have formed case studies. The
participants included male and female prisoners serving predominately longterm sentences for a range of categories of offence, including very serious
offences of a violent and sexual nature.
We asked prisoners what type of sentence they were serving.
41% said that they were serving a determinate sentence, 58% an indeterminate
sentence, and 1% said that they were now on a hospital order. Given that
indeterminate sentences only account for 16% of the sentenced prison
population (Ministry of Justice, 2016a), it is evident that indeterminate
sentenced prisoners are disproportionately more likely to apply to New Bridge.
Sentence length varied amongst participants, from less than 12 months to life.
The majority of the sample (99%) were serving a sentence above the average
prison sentence of 16.4 months (Ministry of Justice, 2016b). 1% said that they
were in prison on remand. 8% of the sample reported serving a sentence of less
than 5 years. 33% are serving a sentence of more than 5 years, with 17%
serving more than 10 years, and 3% for more than 20 years. Indeed, the use of
very long determinate sentences has increased dramatically over the last 10
years (Ministry of Justice, 2016b).
Similarly, there are an increasing number of people in prison who do not know if,
or when, they might be released. 28% of prisoners in the sample were serving a
life sentence, and 30% were serving an indeterminate sentence for public
protection (IPP). Note, until the Parole Board is satisfied that the offender no
longer posses a risk to the public, then IPP and life-sentenced prisoners are liable
to be detained without limitation of time.
We asked prisoners when they first applied to New Bridge.
Prisoners who responded to the questionnaire have been supported by New
Bridge for a varying length of time. The shortest time being 3 months, and the
longest 32 years. On average, participants had been in contact with New Bridge
for 5 years.
57% of the sample had been supported by New Bridge for up to five years. 28%
have been befriended for five of more years, with 9% having a connection to the
charity for more than ten years, and 2% for over 20 years. Unfortunately, 15%
did not provide date or could not remember when they first applied to New
Bridge. However, some suggested that this was due to it being quite some years
ago.
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1% said less than 6 months ago
11% said 6-11 months ago
18% said up to 2 years ago
9% said up to 3 years ago
10% said up to 4 years ago
8% said up to 5 years ago
19% said more than 5 years ago
4% said more than 10 years ago
3% said more than 15 years ago
2% said more than 20 years ago
15% did not provide a date or could not remember
Response Rate
Given that a New Bridge evaluation has been circulated to those in custody
annually since 2012, with many befriendees remaining in custody over the same
period, our response rate remains high with 164 returns (44%). Indeed, prison
moves impact on receipt of mail. Prison staff returned 8 questionnaires as the
prisoners had since been relocated. Inevitably, some questionnaires were
returned with questions left blank. It is therefore necessary to point out that
percentages mentioned in this evaluation are based on the number of
respondents who answered each question. Missing responses are not included
in the calculations.
Prisoners were asked how they found out about New Bridge.
The majority of the participants (101) said that they heard about New Bridge
through word of mouth:
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45 said they heard about New Bridge from another inmate
17 through the Prison Chaplain
11 from a friend or family member
7 were recommended by their Offender Management Unit
Others reported finding out by word of mouth from a: Prison Officer;
Psychologist; Prison Librarian; Mental Health staff; Solicitor; Education
Tutor; and another charity.
This high number of recommendations from other inmates is a positive indicator
of prisoner satisfaction with the service. Others found out about New Bridge
through advertisements. 43 read about New Bridge in a newspaper (Inside
Time, Converse, and The Sun’s problem page). 17 participants saw New Bridge
posters and leaflets on prison wings
When asked why they applied to New Bridge for a volunteer befriender,
many prisoners felt it was important to make a link to the outside world
that they would be returning to. In particular, they valued talking to
someone who was independent of the prison system and their family
network.
“I applied because I wanted to hear about life outside of prison from someone other
than family, prison staff, or prisoners coming into prison.”
“I was looking for conversations and friendship beyond the [prison] environment.”
“Some form of contact with the outside world. Being a prisoner can mean your
only human contact are officials or prisoners.”
“Someone I could talk to, who would listen to me. I was extremely stressed and
depressed at the time and needed to talk to someone, just anyone away from
prisoners and people I already knew.”
“It's nice to hear from someone who isn’t a professional.”
“To communicate with another human being who was not in prison, possibly from
a different culture and probably from a different park of the UK.”
“I wanted an avenue of support that was independent from my family/friends and
from the prison/probation who would be non-judgemental. I wanted to
demonstrate that I could seek alternative support.”
This year we added an additional question to the questionnaire.
We asked prisoners to tell us about their experience of the New Bridge
application process.
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88% of participants spoke about the application process as a positive
experience, with many describing the process as clear, quick and easy.
“It was straightforward and I was matched with someone quicker than I expected.”
“It was very easy to apply and not intrusive at all.”
“The application process let me know the boundaries of having a befriender.
Sometimes we as prisoners forget that even normal questions to our befrienders,
though very innocent, can be seen by others as a different meaning because of
convictions. So setting boundaries for both befrienders and those befriended helps
to form a mutual respect and understanding.”
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12% of participants described a less positive experience. Some reported
feeling frustrated by how long it took their Offender Management Unit to
return the paperwork to New Bridge. Others said that they found it
difficult to disclose their offence. One participant suggested that we
should assure prisoners that it is only one person writing, as some may
think its just a few people in an office.
“It was slow due to the prison being extremely unhelpful in processing my form.”
“Because I can’t articulate myself I was mocked by my Offender Supervisor who
had to countersign my application.”
“I have given your address to a few people who haven’t received anything back
from you, I think when you write back to the prison the jail don’t take it as a
priority to even inform them of their application.”
“It is a scary process, listing offences, it made me think nobody would want to
write to me.”
Prisoners were asked how often they write to their befriender.
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1% said more than once a week
8% said once a week
17% once a fortnight
33% once a month
4% once every 2 months
2% once every 3 months
35% said that they have no set pattern. Frequency of letters can vary
depending on how quickly they receive a letter from their befriender, and
how busy they are. One participant said, “Every so often when I have good
news”.
We asked prisoners to rate the value and importance of New Bridge
services.
Receiving letters, knowing someone who is independent of the prison system,
the opportunity for long term contact with a volunteer, and developing a link
with the outside world were considered the most valuable aspects of the
Befriending Service, with all but one participant rating them most valuable or of
some value. It is interesting to note that 10% of prisoners said that visits were of
little value or importance, and that 26% said the same about receiving help with
their parole application.
To assess the isolation of the sample we asked prisoners if they had contact
with anyone else outside prison before they started writing to a New
Bridge befriender.
25% prisoners said that they received letters, 1% said that they received visits,
and 40% said that they received letters and visits. 34% said that they had no
contact with the outside world before writing to New Bridge.
Letters were predominately received from family and friends.
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77 said that they received letters from family members
30 said from friends
6 from legal professionals
3 said from other inmates
3 said from Probation
10 said from other organisations such as: pen friends; prison visitors;
Prison Fellowship; Christian ministries; a transgender support group;
church; and the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association
(SSAFA).
Visits were less common, with only 41% reporting that they had received a visit
before joining New Bridge.
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43 said that they received visits from family members
12 said from friends
14 said from other people such as: a prison visitor; New Brothers
Fellowship (NBF); Quakers; a social worker; probation; and a solicitor.
For those who said that they received other letters and/or visits, we asked
why they chose to use New Bridge as well.
Some said that they chose New Bridge because their family could not afford to
visit due to the distance and cost. Others said that they found letters and visits
from others to be unreliable, less frequent than they wished, and sometimes
difficult to respond to. Prisoners enjoyed the additional distraction and relief
from isolation that New Bridge provided. As mentioned previously, prisoners
valued support from someone independent of the prison system.
“Someone with no knowledge of my past as I feel I have a clean slate.”
Prisoners were asked if their expectations of the Befriending Service had
been met.
On the whole, prisoners’ expectations of the Befriending Service had been met or
somewhat met.
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96% said that their expectation of someone outside to take a long term
interest in them had been met or somewhat met.
97% said that their expectation of letters had been met or somewhat met.
95% said that New Bridge had helped to reduce feelings of isolation.
66% said that their expectation of visits had been met or somewhat met.
Of the 51 participants (34%) who expressed that their expectation of visits had
not been met, 32 applied to New Bridge less than 2 years ago, with 16 less than 1
year ago. It is probable that some volunteers are still building a rapport and are
yet to visit. Some respondents said that they would like more visits. One
participant said it would be useful to “include instructions and guidelines on how
and when visits should be approached, and how they are arranged”.
When asked if they would recommend this service to others that they have
met in custody, 100% of prisoners said yes!
Participants said that they recommend the Befriending Service especially for:
those who do not get visits or outside letters; long-term and life sentence
prisoners; and older prisoners.
“New Bridge has been my saviour. It is a fabulous service.”
“It is an excellent service for people who are lonely and don't have anyone.”
“Your service has been fantastic to me. It brought me out of my isolation and made
me want to live again.”
Prisoners were asked to tell us their story about their befriending
relationship. Stories from six prisoners have been presented as case
studies. Pseudonyms have been used.
Kieran is serving a life sentence with a 29 and a half year tariff. He applied
to New Bridge at the beginning of his life sentence in 2013.
When I arrived at prison I felt alone, segregated, depressed, and very low. It didn’t help
when the visits and letters stopped. I hated myself. I came to believe I didn’t deserve any
friends or family. I would hurt myself physically and mentally things went from bad to
worse. The bad times in my life manifested over and over during the nights. I
contemplated suicide, nobody would miss me, I would just be another statistic. That was
the changing part of my life, I knew I had serious problems and they needed to be fixed.
I was put in touch with chaplaincy who gave me details of New Bridge, somebody impartial
but humane, an individual who like myself has had problems but unlike me he has
overcome these times in his life. Just to know that someone is out there who is writing to
me makes me want to live again.
Tony is serving a life sentence for murder. Before writing to New Bridge,
he had no letters or visits from the outside. He first contacted New Bridge
in 2005.
I was going through a difficult period of my life and I really wanted some company. I was
alone and very, very lonely.
My whole life prior to finding New Bridge was a horror story and a catalogue of nasty
crimes. I come from a broken home and was physically, mentally, and sexually abused by
one of the male staff. I was a lonely kid and just wanted to go home to my mum. I decided
that since no one was protecting me I would protect myself. Once I grew older I became
the aggressor. I have a string of police assaults and other violent assaults. I took the life of
a man in 1995 and am currently serving a life sentence. I am now into my 22nd year. I
allowed myself to become a very nasty and bitter human being and for many years I just
did what I pleased. I stole, I broke into people’s homes, and I abused drink and drugs.
I am turning my life around now, have been for the past 17 years. I've completed every
offending behaviour course on offer. Since I first used your service I have become a whole
person once again. Before I had low self esteem, felt worthless and couldn’t see a way out
of my predicament. I had no interest in my life or life itself. I no longer feel that way. I
have become me again. I am confident, interact on a daily basis. I have a more rounded
view on life, and I'm enjoying my brand new friendship. I feel so grateful to be in this
position, and very fortunate too. New Bridge has turned my life around.
Gary is a convicted sex offender, serving an indeterminate sentence for
public protection. His tariff was 7 months but he has served almost 10
years. He has been supported by New Bridge since 2009.
I was unsure what kind of reception I would get from a member of the public, or even if I
would get any replies at all, considering all sex offenders are three-headed monsters who
eat children and boil their pets. Your system of letting befrienders choose their own
prisoner to write to was brilliant, as my befriender looked past what I had done, and
became massively supportive especially during low times, and I've been so grateful for his
caring sensitive writing. He too has known sad times, and I hope I've been a comfort to
him as well. My befriender has been a constant source of comfort, and we have been in
constant touch since 2009. I can't speak highly enough of him. It shows there are people
out there who are not condemnatory vigilantes, who are prepared to give people like me a
chance.
Dan is serving a 16 year sentence and has been diagnosed with Asperger’s
Syndrome. He has been involved with New Bridge since 2014.
I always wanted to have someone I could have conversations that can challenge me
intellectually. After spending six years in prison, I had lost almost eighty per cent of my
vocabulary, something I took great pride in. Now my befriender uses words and language I
am accustomed to. It is giving me another chance to rekindle my love with literacy. I have
an opportunity to test my point of views and expect a response specifically designed to
explore my views further. It has helped me emotionally and makes me feel like human
again.
Andy is serving a 7 and a half years sentence. He applied to New Bridge in
2015.
When I applied for a befriender I had never seen a visit hall, never had contact with anyone
other than family, which was upsetting as I had hurt them so much in coming to prison. I
committed crimes that really hurt people and will have a lasting effect, things will never be
the same. In choosing to cause this much harm to others I removed a large part of myself
too, something I never thought I would ever get back.
My relationship with my befriender helped me to realise that I am not just 'a criminal' or
whatever label people use, that I can be a person and that someone does take an interest in
me. This helped me to realise that if someone else can do this then I can too. I can be
different, fun, kind, interesting, all of the parts of me that were missing were starting to
come back. Receiving a letter puts a smile on my face, the time spent reading it and
replying gives me the opportunity to not concentrate on all of the negativity that
surrounds me daily. Describing what prison is like to someone who has never been here is
a test that would take too much time. It is another world entirely. Offering this service
helps to take away some of the pain, the isolation, the suffering, the problems that all
prisoners have to deal with. I think that I would still be a self-hating self-loathing person if
it were not for you. Thank you so very very much.
Paul is serving a 14 year sentence. This is the first time he has been to
prison. Another inmate recommended New Bridge to him in 2012.
The nature of my offences meant my friends have turned away from me. I was in prison for
the first time and surrounded by very unsavoury, self-absorbed and manipulative people.
Prison staff were over worked and had no time for me. I was utterly alone.
I heard about New Bridge and gave it a go, not expecting much more that a religious
zealot sending a few platitudes, I was so wrong! The first time that letter slid under my
door was amazing. The letter was personal, non-judgemental and very aware of prison
issues. My befriender was interesting, interested in me as a person. I suddenly felt like I
was part of life outside the walls. It's now been years of writing to my befriender and we've
shared each other’s highs and lows, ranted about current events and spoken of difficult
upbringings. He's even travelled halfway across the country to visit me! I look forward to
many more interesting letters from him and the opportunity to share my life with him.
Thanks to my befriender and New Bridge for this opportunity to rejoin society.
When asked what New Bridge could do to improve the Befriending Service
the dominant theme was around support for those being released back to
the community.
“Perhaps provide information to prisoners about things prior to release - housing,
courses, or continue the contact when released”
“Give information on how we could stay with the service when we’re released.”
“Extend [support] to release, that’s when most inmates need a befriender – I’m sure
that will never happen - presently I'm struggling trying to get a support network.”
“Maybe consider also helping ex-prisoners once they get out of prison through
contact even in groups.”
Some volunteers continue to support their befriendees post release.
In addition to this, many mentioned the need to widen access and raise
awareness about New Bridge. Participants wanted to see more New Bridge
posters and leaflets around the prison. One prisoner suggested that New Bridge
should attend a social afternoon at HMP Grendon, where inmates can meet the
community and different support organisations. As a way to promote inclusivity
for prisoners with learning difficulties, another participant suggested phone calls
between prisoner and befriender for prisoners who struggle to read and write.
“Your profile! Still after 7 years in prison and 3 different establishments there are
very few people who have heard of yourselves and the good work that you
undertake.”
“Many prisoners do not know you are out there.”
“Advertise more, notify prisoners when they first arrive at prison, make it part of
their arrival package.”
Others suggested modernising the service by encouraging befrienders to
use emails.
“Maybe have an email system such as using emailaprisoner.com for quicker,
cheaper communication across the board.”
“Perhaps utilise the email service to inform prisoners New Bridge has received and
is forwarding our mail.”
References
Ministry of Justice (2016a) Offender management statistics quarterly: October to
December 2015, London: Ministry of Justice.
Ministry of Justice (2016b) Criminal justice statistics quarterly June 2016,
London: Ministry of Justice.