Providing pastoral support to prisoners

Amy Walden has worked in the criminal justice system for 12 years. In 2011 she initiated humanist pastoral support in prisons with a pilot project at HM Prison Winchester. This proved successful, and the initiative has now been introduced in other prisons. Amy is part of a team training Humanists UK members to deliver pastoral support in prisons and hospitals across the country as well as within the armed forces.

Currently humanist pastoral carers offer pastoral support in around 20% of UK prisons. This provision is on the rise.

Question: How important is it that prisoners have access to pastoral support?