I've recently become aware via Twitter of a 'new kid on the block' called 'Renovare' offering various services to those leaving prison:-
Renovare is here to help you during all aspects of your return to public life. Whether you need a bank account to save your money and invest, a mobile phone to contact employers, help to find work or something as simple as a discounted haircut, you need to look no further than Renovare. Getting back on your feet can be difficult. Let Renovare be your helping hand.
Renovare will provide you with a bespoke bank account, debit card and full banking solution to fit your needs. A mobile phone and contract will be provided, allowing you to maintain contact with friends, family, and future employers. Renovare will also assist with finding jobs, job applications, CVs, and interviews to make sure you find work quickly. Counselling for all members of Renovare will be available to make sure you confidently flourish in your life after prison. Clothing retailers, restaurants, entertainment and more all provide special offers or vouchers to help you get back on your feet.
We are currently inviting applications on behalf of current offenders, (through family members), ex-offenders who need our service and those connected with prisoners in any way who wish to help them with their day to day needs they so desperately want to get on with. You may know someone, or you may need this for yourself. Either way, Renovare is here for you.
By pre-registering now in this innovative incentive, you will be securing membership for when we go live on 16th August 2019 for £7.99 per month.
Renovare's initiative will be supported by MOJ, HMP and Probation. In conjunction with our banking provider, our service will provide stable banking facilities, mobile phone with contract and many other financial incentives and benefits for members taking their first step back in to society.
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This all sounds very encouraging, but unfortunately the website is not very enlightening or forthcoming, a situation that is somewhat alarming given the invitation to subscribe £7.99 a month. Rather worryingly, the company does not seem to have any official endorsement as claimed and the MoJ say they have 'never heard of Renovare.' This from the JC website in June:-
Two high-profile convicted criminals have insisted their new financial venture — designed, they claim, to help newly-released offenders reintegrate into society — is not a scam.
David Bright and Claire Silverstone, who was formerly known as Claire Mann, were jailed for perverting the course of justice in 2016. Silverstone was also jailed for sending a bomb hoax to a synagogue. The pair are preparing to launch a new company, Renovare, which says it will to provide a range of services for ex-offenders. These include a bank account, debit card and mobile phone contract — all of which are typically difficult to acquire without proof of permanent address and identification.
On Tuesday, a claim of endorsement from the Hardman Trust, which works to reintegrate ex-prisoners, was removed from Renovare’s website. Although the new company and the charity had been in contact, the Hardman Trust has not endorsed the company. Bright admitted the claim had been “overzealous”.
Renovare also claimed it “will be supported by the Ministry of Justice, the Prison Service and the Probation Service”. A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said they had never heard of Renovare and there were no arrangements in place with the company.
Renovare says that Prepaid Financial Services (PFS) has agreed to open accounts for ex-prisoners using the licence they are given upon their release as temporary proof of address for up to 12 weeks. PFS confirmed that it had “agreed to assist” Renovare but declined to offer more detail.
Bright and Silverstone said clients will pay a basic rate of £7.99 per month for Renovare’s service. Silverstone told the JC: “It’s a temporary provision of ID. During those 12 weeks someone is getting back on their feet with our help, and should be able to get themselves either a driving licence, a renewed passport or a citizen card, so they can then use that as ID. "We are helping them to help themselves.”
The pair’s convictions for perverting the course of justice centred on a false psychological report submitted by Bright during a family case. They were working as ‘McKenzie friend’ legal advisers at the time for Bright’s company, the Parents’ Voice. Silverstone, who pleaded guilty to two counts of perverting the course of justice, dishonestly claimed to be a qualified psychologist.
Bright denied perverting the course of justice but was found guilty. He was released from prison in January 2017 and Silverstone was released the following December. Bright told the JC: “We’ve done our homework — we spent a year doing our homework on it. We didn’t just suddenly come up with this idea to screw people out of money.” Renovare will also provide jobs advice and training, a counselling and support service and a scheme for “vouchers and special offers”. The pair are not listed as company directors. According to Companies House, the directors are Dion Perry Mailich and Lauren Mailich.
Lord Jeremy Beecham, a shadow Justice spokesman and an advocate of offender rehabilitation, has pulled out of a House of Lords reception on Monday he was due to hold for the firm. Lord Beecham said: "I met recently with representatives of what I understood to be a new company supporting such work. In doing so, I took in good faith that they had undertaken some limited work within the Prison Service and agreed to host a working lunch and event. “Following new information received in the past two days, I have become increasingly concerned about the company. I have since withdrawn my support for the event.”
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This from Jewish News also in June:-
‘Jewish community turned its back on me after I left prison’
A woman jailed in connection with a hoax shul bomb threat has called on the Jewish community to do more to rehabilitate ex-offenders. Claire Silverstone, formerly known as Claire Mann, originally from Newcastle, is helping launch a banking platform which seeks to help ex-offenders get back on their feet.
Renovare will equip ex-offenders with a debit card and Android phone contract, both of which can be difficult to acquire without a permanent address or credit history. The company proposes to do so via an app, set to go live in July, at a monthly rate of £7.99, and claims it has received hundreds of registrations from ex-offenders.
“If with Renovare, we are able to support […] one person, a hundred people, 10,000 people, just get that one bit of dignity, lose one bit of stigma from being an ex-offender, to start their journey, break the cycle of re offending, then, not that the journey has been worthwhile, but the journey had value,” she said.
Silverstone was inspired to help rehabilitate ex-offenders after she was sentenced in October 2016 to three years in prison for two counts of intending to pervert the course of justice and was released from prison just over a year later. She attracted media coverage for making a hoax bomb threat to Finchley United Synagogue and carrying out a harassment campaign against a mother at her daughter’s school over a row about a birthday party invitation. The prosecutor in Silverstone’s trial noted the “significant alarm and distress” caused by her hoax.
The second count relates to a separate claim at the Family Court, where Silverstone falsely represented herself as a qualified psychologist in a court hearing document. Her ex-partner and current colleague at Renovare, David Bright served three months in prison over his involvement in The Parents’ Voice, a firm which acted as McKenzies’ Friends, which are paid but unqualified legal advisers. He denied perverting the course of justice but was found guilty for submitting Silverstone’s fraudulent psychologist’s letter to a court hearing.
While in prison, Silverstone pursued a professional qualification from the Institute of Counselling in Glasgow. “I undertook to repair, if you like, what I had done,” she said. While serving time, Silverstone said, she facilitated courses on healing trauma and was involved in the KeepOut programme which informs potential young offenders.
“Although it was the most negative situation that I could be in, away from my family, away from my friends, I was able to draw strength from what I was able to do for people,” she said. “I made a pledge to myself and those who supported me that when I came out that is exactly what I was going to do.”
Silverstone said that she received support from Jewish organisations while in prison, but encountered stigma within the community since her release in 2017. “I was supported wonderfully during my time in prison, by family and friends. I had a chaplain from the United Synagogue who would visit regularly and another rabbi from a local shul. What was shocking on leaving was how that support turned.”
“It is fair to say that for the most part organisations will not look beyond a criminal conviction and that’s in terms of you being a member of a shul or you being part of their charity or you volunteering their time,” she added.
An event promoting the work of Renovare at the House of Lords on Monday, hosted by Lord Beecham, was cancelled following adverse media coverage. Lord Beecham told the press in a statement: “I met recently with representatives of what I understood to be a new company supporting such work. In doing so, I took in good faith that they had undertaken some limited work within the Prison Service and agreed to host a working lunch and event. “Following new information received in the past two days, I have become increasingly concerned about the company. I have since withdrawn my support for the event.”
Bright criticised media coverage of the event, saying: “In their own ignorance, some people choose to stigmatise people when they have served their time, don’t accept that the punishment they served has been done and continue to punish people after the facts.” He added: “The Jewish community, as small as it is, as politically-democratic as it is, with the difficulties that we’re facing at the moment, needs to finds something better to do than to worry about the history of something that happened 25 years ago or three years ago.”
This from Jewish News also in June:-
‘Jewish community turned its back on me after I left prison’
A woman jailed in connection with a hoax shul bomb threat has called on the Jewish community to do more to rehabilitate ex-offenders. Claire Silverstone, formerly known as Claire Mann, originally from Newcastle, is helping launch a banking platform which seeks to help ex-offenders get back on their feet.
Renovare will equip ex-offenders with a debit card and Android phone contract, both of which can be difficult to acquire without a permanent address or credit history. The company proposes to do so via an app, set to go live in July, at a monthly rate of £7.99, and claims it has received hundreds of registrations from ex-offenders.
“If with Renovare, we are able to support […] one person, a hundred people, 10,000 people, just get that one bit of dignity, lose one bit of stigma from being an ex-offender, to start their journey, break the cycle of re offending, then, not that the journey has been worthwhile, but the journey had value,” she said.
Silverstone was inspired to help rehabilitate ex-offenders after she was sentenced in October 2016 to three years in prison for two counts of intending to pervert the course of justice and was released from prison just over a year later. She attracted media coverage for making a hoax bomb threat to Finchley United Synagogue and carrying out a harassment campaign against a mother at her daughter’s school over a row about a birthday party invitation. The prosecutor in Silverstone’s trial noted the “significant alarm and distress” caused by her hoax.
The second count relates to a separate claim at the Family Court, where Silverstone falsely represented herself as a qualified psychologist in a court hearing document. Her ex-partner and current colleague at Renovare, David Bright served three months in prison over his involvement in The Parents’ Voice, a firm which acted as McKenzies’ Friends, which are paid but unqualified legal advisers. He denied perverting the course of justice but was found guilty for submitting Silverstone’s fraudulent psychologist’s letter to a court hearing.
While in prison, Silverstone pursued a professional qualification from the Institute of Counselling in Glasgow. “I undertook to repair, if you like, what I had done,” she said. While serving time, Silverstone said, she facilitated courses on healing trauma and was involved in the KeepOut programme which informs potential young offenders.
“Although it was the most negative situation that I could be in, away from my family, away from my friends, I was able to draw strength from what I was able to do for people,” she said. “I made a pledge to myself and those who supported me that when I came out that is exactly what I was going to do.”
Silverstone said that she received support from Jewish organisations while in prison, but encountered stigma within the community since her release in 2017. “I was supported wonderfully during my time in prison, by family and friends. I had a chaplain from the United Synagogue who would visit regularly and another rabbi from a local shul. What was shocking on leaving was how that support turned.”
“It is fair to say that for the most part organisations will not look beyond a criminal conviction and that’s in terms of you being a member of a shul or you being part of their charity or you volunteering their time,” she added.
An event promoting the work of Renovare at the House of Lords on Monday, hosted by Lord Beecham, was cancelled following adverse media coverage. Lord Beecham told the press in a statement: “I met recently with representatives of what I understood to be a new company supporting such work. In doing so, I took in good faith that they had undertaken some limited work within the Prison Service and agreed to host a working lunch and event. “Following new information received in the past two days, I have become increasingly concerned about the company. I have since withdrawn my support for the event.”
Bright criticised media coverage of the event, saying: “In their own ignorance, some people choose to stigmatise people when they have served their time, don’t accept that the punishment they served has been done and continue to punish people after the facts.” He added: “The Jewish community, as small as it is, as politically-democratic as it is, with the difficulties that we’re facing at the moment, needs to finds something better to do than to worry about the history of something that happened 25 years ago or three years ago.”
I'd love to know just what you get, or indeed what commitments you'd have to make for your £7.99 monthly membership?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, the state of the current CJS and the lack of resources being made available is allowing lots of these little enterprises to spring up. I won't say that all are bad, but in general I think that where you find money you'll always find muck.
I've personally been involved with many such ventures and nearly all of them are fly by night self serving entities, that don't really grasp, or care about the complexities that the CJS face.
What happens when you start getting members signing up or being referred from gang ridden different postcodes?
The obvious difficulty (and it's a massive problem) is information sharing. I doubt that police or probation would be willing to share information with such an organisation, so the risk of inappropriate work placements, child protection issues and victim protection must be extremely high.
Who takes the rap when something goes wrong?
Our justice system has become big business (could be our national industry even), and people can open businesses offering solutions and assistance with as much ease as opening up a secondhand car lot.
Snake oil is not the cure, don't buy into, you'll only be exploited, someone else's dinner ticket.
'Getafix
Renovare in elstree
DeleteHas set up some vulnerable people
Making them work for no wages
Wen they were painting a place in red lion street holborn.
Dave bright and claire Silverstone's
Told the ex prisoners to paint a place
In holborn but never paid them.
This Company is a scandal
Junior (Bedford)
I've done some research into this. Unfortunately, Junior it seems that your assertions are incorrect. All the people who turned up to do the work were paid within an appropriate timeframe and have gone on to do more work with the company. It seems that you claimed a large sum of travel money in advance - over £300 from the DWP and did not turn up for the work. Because Renovare IS NOT A FRAUD, they were obliged to inform DWP that you had claimed this money under false pretences. In fact even someone who was subsequently recalled to prison, was paid before they went. You admitted what you did - in your recorded telephone, you said, why did you have to report me? Kindly retract your comments before they have to taken to be taken further.
DeleteHi Junior. I am a journalist at the BBC. I was wondering if I could have a chat with you about your post here? My email address is james.melley@bbc.co.uk. Thanks
DeleteWith the likes of Lord Beecham at the helm giving private companies such a helping hand without doing his homework it's no wonder the likes of Interserve will and have been given further opportunities within TR
ReplyDeleteOff topic, but look at the continuing adventures of interserve PLC er I mean Interserve ltd here:
ReplyDelete'Councils begin move to dump Interserve team from Derby waste job
By Will Ing31 July 2019
Fed-up local authorities lose patience with JV as delays drag on at £145m plant
The east Midlands councils threatening to boot an Interserve team from a lucrative waste management contract because it has still not finished an energy-from-waste plant have now begun steps to replace the pair.
Derby city council and Derbyshire county council have issued a Prior Information Notice (PIN) alerting rivals to the “possible end of [our] long term waste management contract with [Interserve joint venture] Resource Recovery Solutions [RRS]”.
Interserve and JV partner, waste management specialist Renewi, signed a 27 year deal worth £950m with the local authorities five years ago which, as well as building the £145m plant at Sinfin in Derby, also includes work to operate and manage nine household waste recycling centres and manage a further two waste transfer stations.
Interserve has had sole responsibility for building the plant but more than two years after its spring 2017 deadline has failed to hand it over – despite entering the commissioning phase in January last year.
Now the councils are making good on earlier threats to bin the pair with Derby city council leader Chris Poulter saying: “The PIN notice is all part of our planning to find a contractor with the necessary experience, technical competence and financial backing to deliver this waste management contract if the current contract with RRS is brought to an end.”
He added: “If the contract with RRS does come to an end, contingency plans have been drawn up to make sure existing services can continue.”
The councils said the notice, which was issued earlier this week, follows an ultimatum the pair issued to RRS’s banks in April, telling them to ensure the project is finished or see the entire contract terminated.
It gave them a 120 day deadline to respond with this running out next week.
Last month, Renewi, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange and formed in 2017 after Shanks was bought by Dutch firm Van Gansewinkel Groep, said it had resigned itself to the pair’s contract being ripped up by the client.
The firm told investors in its annual report that it has “provided for the complete termination of the PPP contract” because of “the failure of our partner, Interserve, to commission the [Sinfin] facility”.
Renewi said this would mean a €64m (£57m) writedown of its investment in the facility and extra provisions for the costs of exiting – which it said were the biggest reasons why the firm lost €98m (£89m) in 2018.
And the firm also said it was owed €11.6m (£10.4m) by Interserve “but which remains outstanding”.
The plant has been dogged by a series of problems, including issues with the biofilter and the need to carry out remedial work on windows. Locals have also complained about smells and an infestation of flies.
A spokesperson for Interserve said: “We continue to work with all of the project stakeholders to resolve any outstanding matters.”
Renewi has been contacted for comment.'
https://www.building.co.uk/news/councils-begin-move-to-dump-interserve-team-from-derby-waste-job/5100938.article
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/probation-officer-didnt-know-licencing-16675128
ReplyDeleteA probation officer who managed a violent criminal before he murdered a young dad following his release from prison didn't know all his licence conditions, an inquest heard.
DeleteMichael Hoolickin, 27, was knifed five times by Timothy Deakin outside a pub in Middleton in October 2016 after he chastised him for hitting a woman. Deakin, 23, had earlier been released from prison on licence having served half a four year and eight month sentence for biting half a man's ear off.
Following his release, in February 2016, he was made subject to ten stringent conditions - including that he abide by a curfew and agree to further drug testing.
Deakin was categorised a high-risk, 'prolific and other priority offender' (PPO) by the Probation Service and was deemed to have a 90 per cent chance of re-offending in the 24 months after his release.
An inquest into Mr Hoolickin's death heard from a probation officer who managed Deakin. She admitted she was not aware of two of the 10 licence conditions.
Angela Byrne, who had qualified as a probation officer three months prior, had co-managed Deakin with another recently qualified officer - from August until October 2016. North Manchester Coroners' Court heard Deakin was her first high-risk PPO and that she had was handing another 14 cases at the time.
The court heard that despite receiving a handover from his previous manager, Ms Byrne was not aware that Deakin was subject to a curfew or mandatory drug testing. Unbeknown to Ms Byrne, Deakin had already tested positive for cocaine four times and had breached his curfew before she was assigned as his manager.
Asked whether she was aware of the drug testing condition, Ms Byrne said: "At that point I was not aware of the licence condition. I had read the licence conditions, but at that time, because I was dealing with another 14 or so cases, it got lost. I got confused with the number of cases I had read at that time. I accept that was missed on my part."
Ms Byrne said that had she been aware Deakin had tested for cocaine, she would have reconsidered the level of enforcement and referred the case to a senior manager. She told the court she was not aware Deakin was subject to a curfew, meaning he had to reside at an agreed address between 7pm and 7am. Ms Byrne confirmed she had never requested a check on Deakin's curfew or was aware of any checks being made by other authorities, such as GMP.
An earlier inquest hearing, in June last year, heard that before killing Mr Hoolickin, Deakin had been also suspected of breaching his licence by carrying weapons; dealing drugs; and spending time with a previous co-defendant. In May 2016, Deakin was charged with failing to stop; driving without a license; and driving without insurance and received a written warning from senior probation officer, Catherine Entwistle.
Ms Byrne confirmed she was aware of this warning - and a final warning that had been sent to Deakin before she took over his case. "I was aware that Timothy Deakin was close to recall," she told the court. She said that that during her time as offender manager, she did not feel that recall was necessary, based on the information she was aware of.
Ms Byrne said she felt Deakin was 'opening up' to her and that his compliance and engagement with the Probation Service had been improving. "There was no information during that period that I felt needed a discussion with my manager," she told the court.
Ms Byrne told the hearing that since Mr Hoolickin's death, an allocated officer is assigned to drug testing for individuals with that particular license condition.
At a hearing in January, Natalia Atkinson, who managed Deakin from March until August 2016, said she believed the threshold for recall had been 'firmly met'.
DeleteShe described Deakin's behaviour as 'feral' and 'animalistic' and described the offender as someone who was 'effectively lawless'. Despite having escalated those concerns via email to her senior, Catherine Entwistle, Mr Deakin was not recalled. Ms Entwistle previously told the hearing she had received the emails from Ms Atkinson, but due to being off sick, had not had time to read them.
Having been at large for eight months, Deakin went on to stab father-of-one Mr Hoolickin five times - a crime for which he was jailed for life, with a minimum of 27 years to serve.
Proceeding.
Staines probation who were illegally involved with a recall of a Innocent person who fell over at a AP 2018
ReplyDeleteThe corrupt probation service was stealing the food from the AP and was spending money which the government officials gave