Read Switchback’s new briefing here [PDF]
Update: in May 2021 the government announced that the discharge grant will increase from £46 to £76. Click here to read more.
Since the onset of the pandemic around 40,000 people have been released from prison.
Yet recent MoJ data shows nearly a third (27%) were released homeless. Evidence from Switchback’s work with young prison-leavers during Covid-19 shows an even higher rate of homelessness (65%) in London, with many also released without a bank account, ID or phone to contact essential services.
Meanwhile, Covid-19 cases in prisons rose by 70% in December.
Through Switchback’s proximity to prison-leavers we have become increasingly concerned that a lack of support on release is not just impacting them but also the wider public – by risking further transmission of the virus, reoffending and pressure on public services and spending.
In response to the pandemic, Switchback reconfigured its service and last year supported more young prison-leavers than ever before. This briefing details new evidence gathered from Switchback’s frontline work over the past year, outlining three areas where urgent action is needed to protect prison-leavers and the public:
Too many people are being released into the pandemic with just £46 and nowhere to go. Read our briefing and calls for action here:
For more information, contact Sam Boyd, Director of Impact and External Affairs, on sam@switchback.org.uk or 07495 022 437.
