Prison Link
Charity 1150831
Overview
Summary
Prison Link appears to occupy a transition-focused role around imprisonment: supporting people during custody while helping them reconnect with community life afterwards. Its stated purpose combines practical resettlement support with mentoring and advice, suggesting that it treats employment, training and housing not as separate services but as conditions that can reduce reoffending. Its inclusion of families indicates a wider understanding of rehabilitation as relational as well as individual, though the available evidence does not show how this support is delivered or with whom it works.
Operational geography
Evidence and reasoning
Supporting evidence
Handsworth
Confidence: high
The trustees' report for the year ended 31 March 2025 states that Prison Link's team continues to be based at Handsworth College, and the organisation's official website gives South & City College Birmingham, Handsworth Campus as its contact location. This is direct evidence of an active operational base rather than only a registered address.
- Prison Link Financial Statements and Trustees' Annual Report, year ended 31 March 2025
The report states that Prison Link's team 'continue to be based at Handsworth College' and describes donated office accommodation supporting its operations. - Prison Link official website, contact details
The organisation lists South & City College Birmingham, Handsworth Campus as its location. - Prison Link official website, Refocus for Kids
Prison Link describes Refocus for Kids as one of its projects and says most children registered on the programme come from areas around Handsworth.
Remaining uncertainties
- The evidence supports a Handsworth operational base, but does not identify the precise Birmingham locations where one-to-one resettlement support, family support, mentoring, or holiday youth activities are delivered.
- Prison Link's official website says it supports Birmingham and Sandwell, whereas its current Charity Commission return records its operating area as Birmingham City. The regional coverage classification therefore reflects the organisation's own current description, while the extent and regularity of activity in Sandwell cannot be independently confirmed from the reviewed evidence.
- The 2025 trustees' report identifies operational relationships with West Midlands Police, Birmingham Prison, prison chaplaincy teams and an unnamed youth organisation through its Choices Resettlement programme. These partnerships appear to extend referral, training and prison-based reach, but the report does not specify current sites, participating prisons, or the locations of the subcontracted youth work.
- No evidence was found that Prison Link owns or leases premises; its Handsworth accommodation is described as donated. This limits certainty about the permanence and public accessibility of the site.
- The Charity Commission records Birmingham-wide operation, and Prison Link says Birmingham is where most of its work takes place. This supports activity beyond a single neighbourhood, but does not evidence delivery in particular additional Birmingham wards.
Additional evidence needed
- A current service-delivery or impact report showing the Birmingham neighbourhoods, wards, prisons or community venues in which support was delivered during the most recent year.
- Confirmation from Prison Link or South & City College of the functions undertaken at the Handsworth Campus, including whether it hosts appointments, volunteer training, youth activities or administration only.
- Current partnership or referral agreements with Birmingham Prison, West Midlands Police, chaplaincy services and the organisation delivering Choices Resettlement, with service locations stated at an appropriate non-sensitive level.
- A current breakdown of delivery between Birmingham and Sandwell to verify the organisation's wider operational footprint.
Areas of work
- Other Charitable Purposes
Who they help
- Other Defined Groups
How they help
- Provides Advocacy/advice/information
- Provides Human Resources
- Provides Services
Discoveries involving this organisation
The Atlas has not published any Discoveries involving this organisation yet.
Observations
A bridge across custody and community
The available evidence suggests Prison Link is designed to work across the boundary between prison and life after release, rather than focusing solely on either offender support in custody or community resettlement.
Why it matters
This positioning may make the organisation a useful connector between prison-based support, families and the practical systems people must navigate after release.
Show evidence
“Support of prison offenders and their families during sentence and to support their resettlement back into the community.”
Source:Charity Commission“To promote the care, resettlement and rehabilitation of offenders, those at risk of offending and their families.”
Source:Charity Commission
Practical stability is treated as rehabilitation
Prison Link appears to understand reduced reoffending as linked to practical stability, with employment, training and housing framed as means for people to regain control of their lives.
Why it matters
This indicates a potentially holistic operating model: rehabilitation may depend not only on individual mentoring but also on access to the everyday foundations of a sustainable life.
Show evidence
“Providing support services and mentoring on issues such as employment, training and housing.”
Source:Charity Commission“That will enable them to take control of their lives and remain free from offending.”
Source:Charity Commission
Families may be part of the intervention, not only beneficiaries
By naming families alongside offenders and people at risk of offending, Prison Link may view family relationships as an important part of care, resettlement and prevention.
Why it matters
This raises a useful question about whether the organisation holds relationship-based knowledge or support capacity that could complement more individual-focused criminal justice services.
Show evidence
“Support of prison offenders and their families during sentence.”
Source:Charity Commission“To promote the care, resettlement and rehabilitation of offenders, those at risk of offending and their families.”
Source:Charity Commission
- The evidence does not identify the organisation's location, scale, referral routes or partner relationships.
- It is unclear whether Prison Link directly provides housing, employment and training support or mainly mentors and signposts people to other providers.
- There is no evidence about which groups within the broad offender and family population are prioritised.
Remaining uncertainties
- Service descriptions showing delivery methods, settings, eligibility and whether support continues after release.
- Information on prison, probation, housing, employment and family-support partnerships.
- Outcome evidence on resettlement, housing, work, training and reoffending.
Additional evidence needed
Charity Commission profile
Activities
Support of prison offenders and their families during sentence and to support their resettlement back into the community. Also to help deter the risk of re-offending and a further custodial sentence.
Charity objects
TO PROMOTE THE CARE, RESETTLEMENT AND REHABILITATION OF OFFENDERS, THOSE AT RISK OF OFFENDING AND THEIR FAMILIES BY PROVIDING SUPPORT SERVICES AND MENTORING ON ISSUES SUCH AS EMPLOYMENT, TRAINING AND HOUSING, THAT WILL ENABLE THEM TO TAKE CONTROL OF THEIR LIVES AND REMAIN FREE FROM OFFENDING.