Offenders and Nature - power of nature gives offenders a helping hand

 

News from Forest Research: July 2007

Howard League Award for unique partnership project

The Forestry Commission and Forest Research received a prestigious award on 24 July 2007 in recognition of our work to harness the power of nature to benefit offenders.

The groundbreaking Offenders and Nature schemes received an 'Outstanding Schemes' award by the Howard League for Penal Reform in the Community Programmes Awards 2007. The schemes involve offenders in vital forest conservation and maintenance work as part of their community or custodial sentence.

To date more than 1000 offenders have been involved in Forestry Commission projects across the country working with many probation areas, prisons and young offenders’ institutes, but it is the work at Bedgebury in Kent, which has been highlighted in the Award.

• About the Offenders and Nature schemes
• Publications and leaflets about the schemes

Role of Forest Research and Forestry Commission

Claudia Carter of Forest Research has led the strategic work on pulling information together on these schemes, outlining their policy context and identifying research gaps.

Forest Research support the schemes through their research on effects of nature on wellbeing and developing ways of assessing and measuring the wide range of impacts asociated with these schemes.  We have been instrumental in creating networks and publicity for the schemes, for example through the 'Dialogue Day' organised in February 2007, and various publications.

Forestry Commission are running several Offenders and Nature schemes across England and in Scotland in partnership with the Probation and Prison Services.

The Forestry Commission, and Forest Research are part of the Offenders and Nature Steering Group, which also includes representatives from Natural England and the Ministry of Justice.

Press releases

• Forestry Commission press release
• Howard League press release