Caring for Ex-Offenders mentioned on Newsnight

Gavin Esler interviewed MP Francis Maude on Newsnight last night. They were discussing ‘The Big Society’ a phrase launched by David Cameron in the General Election. Francis Maude is the Cabinet Office Minister in charge of the Big Society Project.
He spoke about being at the Centre for Social Justice Awards Ceremony earlier that evening, where he presented an award to Caring for Ex-Offenders. He spoke about the success they had seen, having 4000 volunteers around the country helping prisoners while in prison and when released.

He said: ‘They meet prisoners at the prison gate, so that the first person the ex prisoner meets is not the drug dealer round the corner, which is all to often the case, and then people get on this ghastly spiral going round and round back into prison and addiction, but actually someone who will help then get back into the mainstream.’

To see the clip go to the link below and forward to 20.30 minutes along the film.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00t3cln/Newsnight_14_07_2010/