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Prisoners and ex-offenders

The national reoffending rate in the UK is 42%. Every time a person reoffends it costs the taxpayer £125,000.

Source: Ministry of Justice

The Prison population in the UK comprises some of society’s most disadvantaged and underprivileged young people and adults.

Many are care-experienced, have been raised in abusive or violent households, or have suffered with mental health issues such as depression, anxiety or psychosis.

As a result, prior to entering the judicial system, the qualification rates of this population are low and unemployment rates are high.

It is for these reasons that The Considered Ask provides funding for charities such as Shannon Trust and Landworks that dedicate their time to prisoners and ex-offenders, helping them to gain new skills and qualifications both during their sentence and post release.

The incredible efforts of these charities (often from volunteers) gives prisoners the self belief and confidence to transform their lives to be free of crime. Many go on to secure employment or apprenticeships, thus breaking the vicious cycle of reoffending that many of our prison population often fall victim to.

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The annual total economic and social cost of reoffending in the UK is £18.1 billion

Source: Winter Bromley Briefings

The United Kingdom spent approximately £5.42 billion on its prison system in 2021/22

Source: Statista

24% of prisoners were taken into care as a child, whilst 29% experienced abuse as a child

Source: Bromley Briefings, 2018

the charities
we support

When people receive the right kind of intervention before a problem develops into a crisis, they go on to
have more successful outcomes in life, including less reliance on the state.

We believe our partner charities are the experts in what they do, while The Considered Ask is best placed to identify, measure and magnify the impact of their work – with your support.

This feature shines a spotlight on one of many charities we support within this community. If you would like to find out more about the other incredible charities we work with, we’d be more than happy to discuss them with you.

1/1
£80k
awarded to Shannon Trust
£80k
awarded to Shannon Trust
£244k
total grant for prisoners and ex-offenders
3,904
people impacted by Shannon Trust
3,904
people impacted by Shannon Trust
5,321
total people impacted in this community
1/1

Shannon Trust transforms lives by supporting prisoners and ex-offenders to learn to read.

Shannon Trust exists to address the high levels of illiteracy amongst people in UK prisons. Of the current prison population of around 80,000, 57% arriving in custody have a reading age of 11 or less, with many much lower. Alongside an inability to read, many people in prison also have very poor experiences of education as young people, significantly reducing their interest in learning.

The Shannon Trust addresses these issues by delivering its reading programme in over 120 prisons. Our Turning Pages programme is successful in enabling many people in prison to learn to read, building confidence to go onto further education. pre-pandemic, 90% of our learners went on to access further education in prison.

In 2022/2023, the Shannon Trust also launched a maths programme, to address low numeracy levels amongst the prison population.

1/1
£80k
awarded to Shannon Trust
£80k
awarded to Shannon Trust
£244k
total grant for prisoners and ex-offenders
3,904
people impacted by Shannon Trust
3,904
people impacted by Shannon Trust
5,321
total people impacted in this community
1/1

Shannon Trust transforms lives by supporting prisoners and ex-offenders to learn to read.

Shannon Trust exists to address the high levels of illiteracy amongst people in UK prisons. Of the current prison population of around 80,000, 57% arriving in custody have a reading age of 11 or less, with many much lower. Alongside an inability to read, many people in prison also have very poor experiences of education as young people, significantly reducing their interest in learning.

The Shannon Trust addresses these issues by delivering its reading programme in over 120 prisons. Our Turning Pages programme is successful in enabling many people in prison to learn to read, building confidence to go onto further education. pre-pandemic, 90% of our learners went on to access further education in prison.

In 2022/2023, the Shannon Trust also launched a maths programme, to address low numeracy levels amongst the prison population.

“

It has made a big impact on my life because being able to read has made things more possible for me. I can now apply for jobs, college and my driving test.

Shannon Trust learner
“

If my grandmother was still alive she would be so proud that I’ve done this. I know she would say ‘I told you, you’re never too old to learn’ and learning to read at 33 years of age proves just that.

Shannon Trust learner
“

I never believed in my heart or mind that I would ever be able to read a word, and now I’m reading sentences! I’m now loving learning and finding it a big comfort while going through a difficult time inside.

Marcus

INTELLIGENT Philanthropy

DATA PROTECTION POLICY AND PRIVACY NOTICECLIENT CARE POLICY

The Considered ASK Foundation is a charitable company registered in England and Wales whose registered office is at 167-169 Great Portland Street, 5th Floor, London, England, W1W 5PF

Company number: 13349781

Charity number: 1195905

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