Embracing the Big Society could give us a big change

I believe it was Einstein who said: “If you do the same old things the same old way only a fool expects different results.”  This summed up my feelings in the run up to the election, none of the three major parties had put rehabilitation at the heart of their manifestos and much of the talk around crime was the usual ‘tougher than thou’ rhetoric we’ve come to expect. 

Therefore I was pleasantly surprised when I visited Downing Street last week to discuss the Big Society idea presented by the Conservatives. There was a real desire to try and radically do things differently and play to people’s strengths. I firmly believe that Big Society can be harnessed in a way that adds real value at a time we are facing some major challenges.

Government still needs to address the depressing levels of re-offending (around 65% within two years of release from prison) that exist in the UK and ensure that measures it funds to do so can make a tangible difference.  St Giles Trust’s Through the Gates project which supported prison leavers with housing and resettlement issues was evidenced as providing ‘exceptional value for money’ when an economic analysis of it initiated by charity Pro Bono Economics found it reduced re-offending by a further 40% and saved the taxpayer £10 for every £1 invested in it.

Prison numbers hit a record high this month, reaching over 85,000 at an annual cost of £170,000 per place.  That’s an awful lot of scarce public money being poured into a system which doesn’t work.  Now is the time for some fresh thinking and with the new administration in place, the rhetoric seems to have taken a back seat and much of the Coalition’s manifesto is talking good common sense – addressing the root causes of crime through better access to drugs and mental health treatment and looking at alternatives to custody for some sentences. 

This where the Big Society could come in.  The thinking behind it invites everyone to take some level of responsibility and engagement for social issues.  Crime affects all of us and we are all victims of it in the sense that massive chunks are taken out of the public purse in policing and criminal justice costs – money which could go to our schools, healthcare and improving our communities.

My Big Society idea is a simple one and it doesn’t necessarily require anyone to volunteer their time or give us any money (though of course we’re always delighted to accept a few quid or two!).  I would ask everyone to accept some level of responsibility for giving ex-offenders a second chance.  Now more than ever we need society to give them routes to employment, stable housing and listen to what THEY have to say on how they believe we can best tackle re-offending and help people re-integrate back into society.

That would be a Big Society – and one in which everyone can feel a part of.