When Kenneth Clarke was last in charge of prisons, as Home Secretary in 1993, there were around 44,500 prisoners in England and Wales. Now, as Justice Secretary, he has charge of  over 85,000 prisoners. We have the highest rate of imprisonment of any major country in Europe.

Shut away, out of sight and mind, prisoners can seem very ‘other’. But in the things that matter, they are only too like us: both we and they are made in the image of God, and both we and they mar it with our imperfections. Every Catholic prisoner is as much a part of the local diocese as are our children, the sick, and the elderly. We all need the redeeming love of Christ and, as Our Lord pointed out, it is the sick who need the physician most.

So what are the prospects for prisoners and what part can the Church play?There will be yet more prisoners. Ministry of Justice projections produced this August suggest that if there are no changes to sentencing policy, in six years the England and Wales prison population will rise by over 3,000; 96,000 prison places are planned by 2014.

This rise will occur at a time of severe cuts in public spending. The Ministry of Justice is drawing up proposals which would illustrate the effects of cuts from 25% to 40%. It is inevitable that there will be serious pressures on prisons which already house 7,500 more than they normally should.

This is where the risks come. Security and basic care costs are unavoidable. But many prisoners have other needs which must be met: many have few if any qualifications; literacy and numeracy are problems; drug and alcohol abuse are frequent; broken or dysfunctional families are common; many have dropped out of formal education. If we do not deal with these while people are in prison, we will condemn them to endlessly repeat the cycle. This is especially important for the 11,600 prisoners who are under 21 and in the peak offending ages.

The Government recognises this and in its Coalition Programme has promised to introduce a ‘rehabilitation revolution’ delivered by independent providers and paid for by the savings the results would generate. I am looking forward to seeing details of its proposals.

How many of us, honestly, would rush to provide accommodation for an ex-prisoner, trust them with a job in our firm, or give them a second chance without hesitation?
But it is all too tempting to applaud the Government’s aspirations and leave them to it. How many of us, honestly, would rush to provide accommodation for an ex-prisoner, trust them with a job in our firm, or give them a second chance without hesitation? But for all their failings – and for all our failings – it is Christ in them that we serve when we visit them, help them, employ them, enable them to take back control of their own lives.

Is it a waste of time and effort? Certainly there are many who go back to prison again and again despite all the efforts made to help them. But the Parable of the Sower does not teach us that it is pointless sowing grain because some of the seed falls on stony ground, or gets smothered by thistles, or fails to thrive. What the parable teaches is that the small amount which falls in fertile soil produces a return that is out of all proportion to what has been lost elsewhere. And that is why the Church is committed to working with prisoners, however difficult and frustrating it may sometimes be.

The Government’s commitment to a ‘Big Society’, where local and charitable organisations play a bigger role, provides an obvious context in which we can demonstrate that commitment. We could, of course, shrug our shoulders and pass by:  care of those who have fallen by the wayside is surely the Samaritan’s department, not ours? Or we could do something.

Firstly, we have our Prison chaplains, ordained, religious and lay, employees and volunteers, who play a direct role in bringing Christ to where prisoners are: on the prison wings, on the landings, in their cells. I cannot praise their commitment too highly, working unseen in difficult places, ‘warming chilled lives with the loving warmth of Jesus Christ’ as the Papal Nuncio put it when addressing them in 2006.

There is PACT – the Prison Advice & Care Trust. This charity has its roots in the Catholic Bourne Trust; it provides practical support to prisoners and their families and has links with many parishes. Maintaining family links and relationships is critical for resettlement on release. And it is a matter of justice to the families, who suffer the separation of prison for no fault of theirs.

The Church is committed to working with prisoners, however difficult and frustrating it may sometimes beThe De Paul Trust, founded in 1989  as a Catholic response to the problems of young homeless people, helps young prison leavers secure accommodation before release,  to prevent them from being homeless, and vulnerable to re-offending. It also matches young offenders about to be released with volunteer mentors who provide support and advice, to help them live independently and to be integrated into the community.

The growing network of Community Chaplaincies works alongside prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families, offering practical, social, relational and spiritual support within prison, through the gates and out in the community.

Coming out of prison can be a bewildering and lonely experience. Many prisoners walk out of the prison gate with no-one to welcome them back into the world - no ‘community’A new resettlement project called Basic Caring Communities (BaCC) is now being pioneered by PACT. The scheme began at Wandsworth Prison, and is now running at Bristol and Brixton prisons. Each group of volunteers offers daily support in turn to an ex-prisoner, helping him or her to find their feet in the community in the first crucial months after release. Coming out of prison can be a bewildering and lonely experience. Many prisoners walk out of the prison gate with no-one to welcome them back into the world - no ‘community’. These trained volunteers become that community.

There will never be enough help to meet every prisoner’s needs. But there are enough opportunities for every Catholic parish to contribute or become involved in some way. I hope that many of you will take up those opportunities, and that when the Son of Man comes in his glory, he will look at you and say ‘I was in prison and you visited me’.