Clink Charity wins Social Enterprise award

The Clink Charity has won a Social Enterprise award from the Centre for Social Justice.

Presented at Central Hall in Westminster, the award was in recognition of the Clink's success in reducing reoffending rates through its hospitality training and prisoner support.

The charity also received £10,000 from sponsor Deutsche Bank's enterprise programme Made for Good, which it will use for a Clink Support Workers Release Fund, which will provide financial support to graduates as they re-enter society.

There are currently four Clink restaurants, at HMP High Down in Sutton, HMP Cardiff, HMP Brixton and HMP Styal in Cheshire, with plans for more across the prison estate.

Al Crisci launched the first Clink restaurant at HMP Sutton in 2009. Since then over 500 offenders have succeed in the catering industry through full training, mentoring and support.

According to a report conducted by Justice Data Lab and the Ministry of Justice in 2016 prisoners going through the Clink programme are 41% less likely to re-offend compared to prisoners of a similar circumstance who had not benefited from the scheme.

Picking up the award, the Clink Charity chief executive Chris Moore said: "The issue of reoffending has become one of the most pressing challenges facing society today and it's more important than ever that we look at ways to reduce reoffending rates and give more people a chance to transform their life for the benefit of themselves, their family and society as a whole.

"For our work to be honoured by receiving this award is testament to the passion and dedication of the entire team so thank you."

Andy Cook, chief executive of the Centre for Social Justice, added: "The Clink is a brilliant example of a charity that achieves transformative change by providing the gift of practical and meaningful education. Not only does the charity enable individuals to turn their lives around; it benefits wider society by reducing the taxpayer bill and preventing more people becoming victims of crime."

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