Supporting veterans in the criminal justice system

07 August 2019

John Barrett leads our wonderful team in North Dorset covering the areas around Blandford, Shaftesbury and Gillingham. John’s team of caseworkers support veterans and their families in their local area as well as supporting veterans in the criminal justice system who are serving custodial sentences at either Guys Marsh or Portland prisons, as well as the soon to be re-opened HMP The Verne. Known as Prison In-Reach (PIR) caseworkers, these colleagues offer practical support to those veterans who have found themselves on the wrong side of the law. Importantly they also offer support to the families of veterans in custody. The North Dorset Team support around 80 cases per year of which on average, 10 will involve veterans serving custodial sentences.

Every case will be different but PIR caseworkers will offer practical support and advice to those in custody to help them through their time in detention and then plan for their release. This will involve working with prison and probation staff to help find accommodation, gain employment and training opportunities and practical support around their health and resettlement needs. Support for veterans on release is really important, especially where they have limited or no family ties. Supporting these individuals to rebuild their lives again is a crucial part of what John’s PIR caseworkers do. If a veteran is settling in another location, SSAFA Dorset will contact the relevant team covering that area to ensure that a local PIR caseworker is on hand to continue the support offered.

There is a network of 127 PIR caseworkers across the country, supported by a Veteran In-Reach team at Central Office. John Barrett, a very experienced SSAFA member, is also the PIR Coordinator for all South West England. It is estimated that somewhere between 3.5% and 7% of the current prison population may be former military personnel so the need is very real both for these individuals and their families.
The North Dorset Team also have a close working relationship with the Blandford In-Service Team based at Blandford Camp. This team support serving military personnel and their families who are based at Blandford. Vicki Hawtree leads this team. (Please see SSAFA Blandford Camp Facebook page for more details about this team.)