Foundation helps rehabilitate offenders at Lewes Prison
A life skills project run by the BHAFC Foundation has supported more than 80 people at Lewes Prison in the last year.
The Twinning Project is a national programme that sees coaches from football clubs enter prisons to run a 12-week coaching programme, with the goal of reducing reoffending rates and re-integrating offenders back into society after their release.
In the past year, the BHAFC Foundation’s Twinning Project has supported more than 80 people at HMP Lewes, with 66 completing the full course. 27 have since been released from prison and of those, not a single one has reoffended.
Five groups of men took part in the 12-week programme over the past year, which teaches accredited football coaching and life skills using sessions and themes from various FA coaching programmes.
Lynsey Hermann, Head of Community Programmes at the Foundation, has been delighted with the impact of the project so far.
“The Twinning Project has been a real success and it seems to have made quite an impact on the men who’ve taken part.
“It’s fantastic to see that, of the people that have left prison, no-one who took part last year has reoffended.
“From their feedback, we know that almost everyone who takes part finishes the course feeling more hopeful about life outside of prison.”
The Twinning Project at HMP Lewes first began in 2019, aiming to help tackle the 25-30% national reoffending rate for people leaving prison.
The 66 men who completed the programme last year all earned an FA qualification in Developing Leadership Through Football.
After the project, 100% of participants who responded said they had improved physical and mental wellbeing, 98% reported improved confidence and self-esteem, and 100% felt more positive towards others and felt that their interpersonal relationships had improved.
Governor Taylor, Head of Reducing Reoffending at HMP Lewes, said: “We know that the reasons people enter custody are as varied as the people themselves.
“Often those who have spent time in custody struggle to effectively re-enter their communities.
“The Twinning Project provides an opportunity for people to develop new skills through sport, to learn how to coach and support others. Helping others develop confidence and builds self-worth.
“For some, being part of a team, learning how to trust and to experience what it feels like to have others believe and trust in you can be a trigger to think differently about who you are and who you want to be.”
A PE Instructor at the prison said: “It is a very popular course within HMP Lewes that lots of men apply for.
“The men on the course engage positively with both the coaches and their peers in a friendly learning environment, which encourages creativity and imagination during their coaching sessions.
“The Twinning project gives men in custody a sense of purpose and belonging which incentivises good behaviour both within custody and upon their release back into society.”
A study by Oxford University has found that nationally, the Twinning Project has had a significant impact on behaviour in prisons.
During their study of 45 prisons in England and Wales, people in the Twinning Project had 50% fewer adjudications (disciplinary proceedings) while in prison, as well as a huge increase in participants’ optimism about life outside prison and their ability to bond socially.
The hope is that these qualifications will boost participants’ prospects of finding paid employment upon release – something which research shows is a key factor in reducing reoffending and helping prisoners to rebuild their lives.
David Dein, MBE and Founder of the Twinning Project, said: “We started the Twinning Project with the belief that football has the power to connect people, to give them hope and to provide them ways to change their lives for the better once they leave prison.”