WHAT THE SHERIFF'S AND RECORDER'S FUND DOES
The Sheriffs’ and Recorder’s Fund gives small, practical and timely grants to ex-offenders on probation in Greater London and their families for training and tools of trade, clothing, furniture, household equipment and white goods. Last year we gave grants worth over £110,000 to more than 600 Londoners.
WHY IT MATTERS
A recent independent evaluation for the Sheriffs’ and Recorder’s Fund said two out of three Probation Officers questioned believe these grants reduce the risk of re-offending. Prisoners receive little sympathy or understanding, yet many of the people who end up in court and then prison, live without the ordinary support systems that underpin most peoples’ lives: a decent education; a job; a stable family and a home. All the evidence shows that these things are the keys to a law-abiding life. SRFund helps ex-offenders to achieve them.
SOME WAYS GRANTS WERE MADE LAST YEAR
- £250 provided bunk beds for an ex-offender’s children.
- £500 bought the equipment for a man to set up in business as a window cleaner.
- £1,000 gave four people courses in IT skills.
- £5,000 enabled 50 ex-offenders to buy clothes suitable for a job interview.
- £10,000 paid for eight fork lift truck driving courses.
HOW THE FUND WORKS
The Probation Service and other Social Welfare agencies recommend people for grants, mainly in the first weeks after release when ex-prisoners are at most risk of re-offending. The Sheriffs’ and Recorder’s Fund evaluates and decides on which grants to award. The recommending Service is then responsible for disbursing the money in the way it was intended. Staffing: Two part-time administrative staff and a voluntary chairman.
THE CONTEXT
- It costs about £40,000 a year to keep someone in prison.
- About half ex-prisoners re-offend.
- The Fund's average grant, costing £200, can turn a life around and keep the family together.