There are three prisons in the Diocese:
HMP Warren Hill and HMP Hollesley Bay | HMP Warren Hill is a male adult prison near Hollesley village in Suffolk and next door is HMP Hollesley Bay, an open prison and young offender institution for men over 18. | “We at Warren Hill and Hollesley Bay establishments are keen to involve volunteers from outside as much as possible. We would welcome interest from those who want to support prisoners’ faith journeys whilst they are inside, or who feel called to help them continue their journey once they are released. The latter is often the most difficult part for ex-offenders who want to leave their past mistakes behind and move forward with their lives. Faith communities of any kind are vital in this situation and can be the difference between a life lived to the full outside in the community and being recalled to more years behind bars. We do hope you will consider the options outlined here. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you need more information.” | Anglican prison chaplain: Edith Peck. |
HMP Highpoint | This is a men’s prison in Newmarket, Suffolk. | “There are many ways you and your church community can be part of the ministry to prisoners here at HMP Highpoint. You may be able to join us as we worship together on a Sunday morning; help with courses, Bible studies and prayer groups; or maybe walk alongside individual prisoners supporting them as they seek to follow Jesus in challenging circumstances. Your church can be a welcoming place for people leaving prison, providing practical and spiritual support (see ‘the Welcome Directory’ below), and can support the Church’s ministry in the prison by committing to pray regularly, or you may have your own ideas of how you can help. If you would like to explore how you and your church community can get involved, we would be happy to do this with you. Do call me, send me an email, or consider some of the options below.” | Anglican prison chaplain: the Rev’d Mark Osborne (01440 743 100 and ask for ‘Chaplaincy’). |
Ways to Serve in Prison
1) Contact your Local Prison
You can contact the chaplaincy team at your local prison directly. They will be happy to talk with you about ways that you can serve in prison and support their ministry.
2) The Welcome Directory
The Welcome Directory has a simple yet powerful vision: "to help faith communities become places where people who leave prison find acceptance. A place to belong that not only nurtures faith but also offers appropriate practical support.”
Your church can support prisoners by registering with the Welcome Directory and becoming “part of a growing movement for change that says to everyone in society - people leaving prison need welcome and we are here to give it.”
One of the goals of the Welcome Directory is to “enable every registered faith community to have the opportunity to attend the Prisons Awareness Course”.
Visit the Welcome Directory website here.
3) Prison Fellowship
Founded in 1976, Prison Fellowship® exists to serve all those affected by crime and incarceration and to see lives and communities restored in and out of prison—one transformed life at a time. “Every person is made in the image of God. No life is beyond His reach". You can support Prison Fellowship by donating money and by applying to be a volunteer.
Visit the Prison Fellowship website here.
4) National Association of Official Prison Visitors
Official Prison Visitors “visit prisoners who rarely, if ever, have visits from friends or family members. They may be the only contact a prisoner has with the outside world – hence our motto “Bringing the outside in”.
Visit the National Association of Official Prison Visitors website here.
5) Probation Service Support
There are various ways you can get involved with support for the Probation Service, which can include helping offenders who are sentenced to Community Service and volunteering as a Community Chaplain. If you would like more information about how you and your church can support the Probation Service, please contact Kashmir Garton or Hayley James.
6) Exploring your Vocation
If you would like to explore a calling to prison Chaplaincy, please contact the Revd Canon Helen Dearnley, the Anglican Faith Advisor for HMPPS.
For information on Chaplaincy please visit our website here.