Day of release support
Release from prison is not always the joyous occasion people may expect it to be. Fear and anxiety combine with joy and excitement causing people to return to old behaviours immediately. Release Mates brings a calm and methodical approach to the day of release, ensuring people get to their appointments and accommodation safely
Prison release is ineffable. Unless you've experienced it, there is no way to understand it. Irrespective of how long a person has been in prison, there is a coming together of heightened emotions - often resulting in an anti-climatic event with a realisation that this is just the start of an uphill journey. It can also be the start of a new beginning, and that's what Release Mates aims to achieve.
People can be referred to Release Mates using the referral tab at the top of this page. We accept referrals from anyone for people leaving prison. Priority is given to those who:
- Have engaged with drug and alcohol services in prison and fear relapse upon release
- Have found employment or a job interview while in custody
- Historically do not engage with statutory services upon release
- Suffer mental or physical disability which may make their release from prison difficult
Upon accepting a referral, Release Mates makes contact with a beneficiary using the email-a-prisoner platform. This allows for introductions, a rapport to be built, and to assess what a person needs. Release Mates can provide food, clothes, toiletries, pre-loaded sim cards, a mobile phone (when available), transport to, and advocacy at, day of release appointments. On the day of release a team greets each person we support at the prison gate and takes them away from the prison. Typically, the first stop is breakfast. Prison food is not known for being the best so most prison leavers welcome a hearty meal and decent coffee! Breakfast gives people time to talk; it's a time for the person we support to share their story and listen curiously to how our team has left prison, overcome addiction, and gone on to help others.
With nerves settled and a full stomach, we move on to the day of release appointments a person has to attend. The first stop is usually probation. When this is out of the way, pressure is lifted. We can go about the rest of the day at our own pace. Usually, a person needs to attend a job centre, a drug and alcohol service, a bank, a chemist and/or GP, and other community services. Often such appointments can be overwhelming. In prison, people are told when to eat the food already cooked for them, they're taken to the doctor for the appointment already made for them, when to exercise, and when to collect fresh clothing - although prison isn't nice, almost everything is done for you. Being released and expected to take personal responsibility for attending important appointments isn't as easy as it sounds. Having Release Mates by your side to navigate the day with you can be the difference between success and failure.
Throughout the day, the Release Mates team uses its shared experiences of positive change after prison to alter mindsets towards pro-social change. If we feel that a person is suitable, we offer them the opportunity to return to us as a volunteer supporting other prison leavers.
Each person is left safely at their accommodation. Should a person be released from prison without a home to go to, we work tirelessly to find somewhere for them. In the unlikely event that we can't do this, Release Mates has a small emergency fund to house people. We leave each person with our contact details so they can reach out to us for more support, or even just a chat. The first night after release can be a lonely time. We make sure we're at the end of the phone if someone needs to talk.
Our support doesn't end there. The following weeks and months see Release Mates deliver its mentoring and buddying program which you can learn more about here