The Resettlement Needs of Foreign National Offenders

Abstract

Although effective resettlement is not just a problem for foreign national prisoners (see HMIP, 2001), there is no doubt that their resettlement needs are generally more complex than those of British nationals and even more poorly met. The problem begins with the fact that there is very limited central guidance on any aspect of work with foreign nationals, despite the fact that they now constitute 12% of the national prison population. The main exception is a narrowly focused Prison Service Order on immigration detainees, who account for a relatively small proportion of all foreign national prisoners. Consequently, prison-based staff are working within a virtual policy vacuum, which does little to encourage the development of knowledge and good practice and usually results in poor outcomes (see Bhui, 2004, for more discussion).