Prisoners/ex-offenders - UNLOCK
Who are UNLOCK?
UNLOCK is the National Association of Reformed Offenders and exists to achieve equality for people with previous convictions. Financial inclusion is a major focus of the charity’s work. In 2005 UNLOCK ran a successful pilot project opening bank accounts for people prior to release from prison. The charity now works in partnership with Halifax and Barclays banks to open basic accounts in several prisons. At the strategic level, UNLOCK is also working with the British Bankers Association and the National Offender Management Service to develop a national prison banking agreement.
Eight times as many prisoners have no current account or any other financial product, compared to people in the community. When a person leaves prison they are given a ‘discharge grant’ of £46.75, a figure which has not increased since 1997. This is supposed to support them until they receive benefits or get paid. A bank account can help people to prepare for their release. Stable accommodation and employment drastically reduce the risk of a person re-offending but without a bank account, both can be very difficult to access. Holding a bank account can also make a significant difference to self-esteem and feelings of social inclusion.
People with convictions, particularly those in custody or recently released, face significant barriers to opening an account. Prisoners’ letters requesting application forms are often ignored. Identification is a major issue, with very few people holding a passport and driving license and named utility bills being unavailable to those with anything but the shortest sentence. Providing an address history can be complicated and embarrassing, causing great anxiety and fear of discrimination. People often have a poor financial history, with prison making debt hard to avoid and specific issues for those convicted of fraud. Perhaps the greatest barrier is the attitude of some staff in both banks and criminal justice agencies. Though there appear to be no general policies against people with convictions and application forms do not typically ask about convictions, there is a complete lack of guidance for staff on how to deal with applications from people in, or recently released from prison.
UNLOCK ran its original 12-month pilot project in 2005 in one female and one male prison, opening basic bank accounts pre-release. The project opened 133 accounts in partnership with HBOS plc. Lack of access to identification was overcome by designing a bespoke HM Prison Service ID proforma, using the Governor’s signature. Low financial capability was overcome by developing the tailored ‘UNLOCKing Financial Capability (UFC) training. Support completing application forms was integrated into the training day and forms were checked thoroughly before sending them to the bank. The Post Office website was used to check incomplete addresses and the bank accepted periods of no fixed abode. The lack of awareness amongst bank staff was overcome by developing a centralised relationship with a small processing team at the bank’s headquarters. A cover note was sent with each batch of applications to ensure they were dealt with by the right staff. Security concerns were overcome by ensuring that cards and PINs were signed for on receipt at the prison, and then placed into secure personal property until release. Analysis in 2007 found that only 5% of accounts had been closed and that there were no charges on any of the accounts. UNLOCK has set up further prison projects, achieving sustainability by training staff based in the prisons, thereby embedding the processes into the normal activities of the establishment.
A full report on the pilot, further information about prison banking and additional resources are available at www.unlock.org.uk/campaign.aspx
