Bigger! Brighter! Better! And of value to anyone interested in volunteering within Criminal Justice. Welcome to the new edition of What Can I Do ?
The original What Can I Do?, produced in 2002, was the idea of the Churches' Criminal Justice Forum and pact (Prison Advice and Care Trust), and was funded by the Rethinking Crime and Punishment project of the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. Although it was a modest booklet, it proved hugely popular. Fifteen thousand copies were eventually distributed, and Paul Goggins MP described it as one of the most useful publications he had seen after becoming government minister responsible for prisons and probation.
The new edition is again the work of CCJF and pact. This time, the cost of printing has been borne by the Criminal Justice System (Home Office, Crown Prosecution Service and Department for Constitutional Affairs) as a contribution to the Year of the Volunteer 2005, to promote volunteering opportunities in criminal justice. What Can I Do? also matches the Together We Can cross-government initiative to encourage more local people to become involved in developing local public services.
"I think more people should volunteer. It takes the selfishness away. When you meet prisoners' families you wonder how they cope. I have so much admiration for them. If I ever feel unhappy, I look at those families and realise my life is good." Rachel Williams, pact play-worker and former volunteer
The Criminal Justice field changes rapidly. The National Offender Management Service had not been conceived in 2002; Independent Monitoring Boards in prisons were still Boards of Visitors, and Anti-Social Behaviour Orders hadn't yet hit the headlines.
If What Can I Do? does lead you into a fulfilling volunteering opportunity, please let us know about your experiences; in doing so, you may encourage us to produce a third edition!
Stuart Dew, Churches' Criminal Justice Forum
Andy Keen-Downs, pact (Prison Advice and Care Trust)
