THE man formerly in charge of all prisons in England and Wales and now the Commissioner for Correctional Services, Martin Narey, has told a pioneering young offenders rehabilitation centre that results are needed to justify more Government funding.
Mr Narey visited C-FAR ? the Centre for Adolescent Rehabilitation ? based at Highampton this week and said if the programme could produce statistics showing a significant reduction in re-offending rates, it would be in a better position to justify more Government funding next year to support its work.
Mr Narey was one of the speakers at the annual meeting of C-FAR, which took place on Tuesday, November 11.
The centre has been engaged in a struggle for sources of funding to continue its work rehabilitating young offenders since it started three years ago.
Mr Narey took the opportunity to look around the centre, which is based at Burdon Grange, a former residential care home, and meet some of the trainees undergoing the centre?s ?Life Change? programme.
Mr Narey told C-FAR members he had not come to write a ?big cheque? for the centre, and that the programme would have to demonstrate it could deliver a significant reduction in re-offending rates if more funding next year was likely to be forthcoming.
C-FAR spokesperson Susanne Watt said Mr Narey had been ?extremely impressed? with what he saw at the centre and said he had been ?closely following? the project since it was established three years ago.
She said he also paid tribute to the ?dedication and commitment? of C-FAR staff and was impressed with the skills being offered to trainees. ?It was a very encouraging visit,? she added.
Mr Narey, formerly Prison Service director general, now oversees the director generals of both the Prison and Probational Service in his new role as Commissioner for Correctional Services.
C-FAR chief executive Lt Col Trevor Philpott said he was pleased that Mr Narey appeared ?genuinely interested in what we are doing.?
Earlier this year, the Government announced that the centre would receive £150,000 from the Criminal Justice System reserve to add to a similar figure allocated last year.
The grant offer came with the condition that an evaluation of the project currently being carried out by the University of Bristol is allowed to continue.
The evaluation is likely to be completed by March next year, and will have a big outcome on whether further government funding is likely to be made available.
Officials at C-FAR are hopeful a favourable report will make more central government funds available in the future, allowing its work to continue and the expansion of the centre to include new gym facilities and a conference centre.
The ?Life Change? programme is open to persistent male offenders aged 18 to 24, and is an eleven week residential course followed by a nine-month mentoring programme.