NACRO are a charity that offers practical solutions in reducing crime and supporting struggling communities around England and Wales. They work closely with ex-offenders, depraved communities and disadvantaged people to aid their rehabilitation and social re-integration. They currently manage over two hundred projects over the region and an average of 60,000 reaps the benefits of the charity’s work each year. They also work in line with many local authorities as well as local and national agencies geared towards building a better future for the community and attract around eight hundred new volunteers each year.
Their services are multi-faceted, from ex-offenders’ and prisoners’ resettlement to dealing with youngsters excluded from school or those that have issues with dealing with authority. They guide and assist job-seekers as well as helping adults who wish to get back into education or employment. They assist with housing issues and develop specialist housing projects for ex-offenders, people with mental difficulties, people who are drug or alcohol dependent, pregnant young women and parents liable to harm their children.
NACRO’s services also extend to youth offender support, and work closely with Youth Offending Teams across the nation and Wales. They investigate and support bail projects which help to ensure that young offenders can be safely remanded in society rather than sent to prison. They also research the court’s use of custodial sentences and are able to act as a consultancy service for offenders. They ensure the provision of substance misuse and cognitive and behavioural schemes across the England and Wales.
NACRO aims to work with and support ethnic minority communities in relation to fair and just treatment in court, victims of crime, and employees in relation to workers’ rights. NACRO specialises in identifying and highlighting many human rights issues, conducting investigations and producing reports on human rights violations in the Criminal Justice System and tackling these issues with the Youth Offending Teams. Additionally, they provide race relations training to the Crown Prosecution Service, police, magistrates, court staff and the prison service.