The R3
3 Stage Pathway
All 3 stages of the R3 Pathway can only succeed with faith communities engaging with interfaith prison chaplaincies.
Chaplains are integral for they facilitate worship, provide pastoral support and are non-judgmental service.
Faith communities are crucial to bridge the gap between prison and community and provide a place for mentoring, support and rehabilitation.
Stage 1
Restoration
Sports and wellbeing programmes specifically focussed on rehabilitation and upskilling. Sport is the conduit to start rehabilitation that builds trust, relationship and vitality.
Sports are run alongside restorative justice programmes to further assist in redemption. Sports programmes are prisoner focussed educate through ethical values.
The three programmes offered are shown opposite.
Educative restorative justice courses allied to sporting programmes aid rehabilitation such as Sycamore Tree and the RESTORE programme.
Netball
Netball combines the disciplines of team work and athleticism to teach inmates how to work together, develop new skills and to grown in confidence by having fun. Taught by former international players netball helps especially women to grow in confidence and trust.
Cricket
An award winning cricket programme developed alongside the ethics of crickets to help inmates understand important life characterises whilst developing both individual skill sets set in the team environment.
Psalms and Stretches
Psalms & Stretches is a unique exercise class that combines gentle movement with meditation. Especially helpful for inmates who have little athletic ability or are older.
Stage 2
Reconciliation
Through the gate mentoring fostering mentor relationships whilst prisoners are incarcerated and that are maintained upon release. Mentoring programmes decrease reoffending by 11%.
Mentoring reduces reoffending my 20% and is the relational tool that best aids reintegration and rehabilitation back into society. Two such companies are the Bridge Programme and the Trail Blazers Mentoring Programme.
Stage 3
Rejuvenation
Without housing solutions that house prison leavers, no sustainable impact can be achieved. Prisoners’ leavers need a fresh start to build upon the foundation of the other 2 stage pathways. This then carries on their rehabilitation in society through continued mentoring and faith community welcome, integration and support.
Modular housing programmes are the most cost effective and efficient housing solution due to less prohibitive planning regulations. They can be tailored towards prison leavers in which residential property cannot. Modular housing provides independence, security, community and peer to peer support. Evidence shows that offenders in stable accommodation are 50% less likely to reoffend.
The major challenge to modular housing is land to place them on. With faith communities, especially the Church of England, having both glebe and church land available, a modular housing system can provide income, faith community mentoring and further restorative support through education and/or employment.
Without housing solutions that house prison leavers, no sustainable impact can be achieved. Prisoners’ leavers need a fresh start to build upon the foundation of the other two stage pathways.
This then carries on their rehabilitation in society through continued mentoring and faith community welcome, integration and support.
Three modular developers in this field are MMC Housing, Solohaus Cambridge and YMCA Modular Housing.
