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Stewart McDonald MP pledges support to help veterans re-transition into society after prison

As part of a series of Remembrance events, Stewart McDonald MP attended a Parliamentary session with Care after Combat,the charity working to help prisoner veterans to reintegrate into society after leaving prison, to learn more about its vital mentoring services.

The charity highlighted that it is only currently able to reach 1 in 10 prisoner veterans and increased funding is urgently needed to roll out its services UK-wide and support all eligible veterans currently serving sentences.

It is estimated that there are currently 3,500 former servicemen incarcerated in England and Wales. According to Care after Combat this represents the largest single occupational cohort within prisons – and one of the most vulnerable groups.

Co-founded by Jim Davidson OBE in 2015, Care after Combat mentors incarcerated veterans serving the final eighteen months of their sentence to help them make the successful transition from prison life, back into the civilian population.

Over the past 3 years it has expanded its scope to provide services for over 300 incarcerated veterans in almost 30 prisons, helping to reduce first year reoffending rates amongst service users to only 8 percent. This is compared to the 45 percent first year reoffending rate amongst the wider prisoner population.

Stewart McDonald said:

“The Armed Forces Covenant is an agreement between our country and those who put their lives on the line to defend it, and we have a responsibility to look after the welfare of all our veterans, especially as they leave the Armed Forces and make the massive and often daunting challenge of transitioning to civilian life. Care after Combat provides dedicated support for those least able to make this transition and who often fall into the prison system as a result. We must do everything we can do end this vicious cycle and I am pleased to pledge my support.”