How You Can Help
- Simply book your next holiday with Charitable Travel and tell us you want to support Prisoners Abroad. The charity will then benefit from the free donation you can make as part of the booking process. To read more about how this works, head to our ‘About Us‘ page.
- If you want to make a donation to Prisoners Abroad and you are not booking a holiday, click here to visit their website.
- Visit prisonersabroad.org.uk to sign up to newsletters, and follow the Prisoners Abroad social media pages and help spread the word.
How You Can Help
- Simply book your next holiday with Charitable Travel and tell us you want to support Prisoners Abroad. The charity will then benefit from the free donation you can make as part of the booking process. To read more about how this works, head to our ‘About Us‘ page.
- If you want to make a donation to Prisoners Abroad and you are not booking a holiday, click here to visit their website.
- Visit prisonersabroad.org.uk to sign up to newsletters, and follow the Prisoners Abroad social media pages and help spread the word.
Prisoners Abroad is a human rights and welfare charity providing humanitarian aid, advice, and emotional support to people affected by overseas imprisonment. We are a unique and non-judgmental charity, and have been working since 1978 to assist people solely on the basis of need. We support people throughout their overseas prison sentence and on their return to the UK, and where possible help to preserve and strengthen family ties. Without our services, there would be nowhere else for people to turn.
overseas work
At Prisoners Abroad, we believe that people who are detained should be treated humanely and not subjected to insanitary conditions, a lack of food or clean water or living in constant fear of violence in overcrowded prisons. Many are charged for basic necessities and often have no means to pay. They can struggle to understand a language they can’t communicate in and a legal process that they cannot comprehend.
We support people for as long as it takes – from the point of arrest, through the sentence to release and resettlement. Our multi-lingual casework team liaise with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to advocate for prisoners’ welfare and highlight issues of concern, such as allegations of torture and mistreatment. In partnership with the FCDO’s network of Consulates around the world, we deliver life-saving grants that enable prisoners to access food, safe drinking water, vitamins, and medical care, as well as practical items such as bedding and toiletries.
In addition to these life-saving grants, we provide prisoners with resources including handbooks and factsheets to help them understand their situation. We also send books, newspapers, language learning materials, and exercise guides to help protect people’s mental health and general wellbeing. On birthdays and at Christmas, the cards we send remind people that in amongst the loneliness and isolation of prison, they have not been forgotten.
resettlement service
After being released from prison overseas, people are most likely to return to the UK – some return by choice but an increasing number of countries deport foreign nationals after they serve a sentence. Many have lived abroad for decades having emigrated from the UK as young children, but are forced to leave their families behind and often arrive in the UK traumatised, with no support network, little money and nowhere to sleep. Exempt from statutory support from the Probation Service, we are often the only place for exoverseas prisoners to turn.
Our resettlement service supports people from the moment of their arrival and responds to their complex physical and mental health needs. We provide them with emergency accommodation and welcome packs [pictured] containing essentials to help prevent homelessness and hunger. From there, we provide a 1:1 service to help people access welfare provisions, long-term accommodation, and health services. We also help people back into employment with our Work Preparation Programme. We help to set people on a path to rebuilding a positive life within the community after a period of imprisonment.
family support
Prisoners Abroad works with the family members and friends of British citizens in prison abroad, living either in the UK or overseas. Having a relative or friend in prison is extremely challenging. Those we support face stigma, social isolation, and often have limited or non-existent communication with their loved one. They often struggle to navigate foreign justice systems and the anxiety felt around their relative’s situation can have a detrimental effect on their own health.
We provide a safe and non-judgmental space for family members to access practical advice and emotional support. Caseworkers offer a warm and reassuring voice over the phone to the relatives of prisoners who often feel they have no one else to talk to. Publications, including a dedicated handbook about managing mental health, contain advice and information about the challenges families may face and help to provide clarity on an utterly disorientating experience.
As part of our family service, we operate an Online Family Network, which provides a space for Prisoners Abroad to share information about topics such as prison conditions with family members and provide peer support. The most vulnerable family members can access additional telephone support from trained volunteers. Families can also access online support groups, which are an invaluable space to share their concerns with others facing similar challenges.
resettlement service
After being released from prison overseas, people are most likely to return to the UK – some return by choice but an increasing number of countries deport foreign nationals after they serve a sentence. Many have lived abroad for decades having emigrated from the UK as young children, but are forced to leave their families behind and often arrive in the UK traumatised, with no support network, little money and nowhere to sleep. Exempt from statutory support from the Probation Service, we are often the only place for exoverseas prisoners to turn.
Our resettlement service supports people from the moment of their arrival and responds to their complex physical and mental health needs. We provide them with emergency accommodation and welcome packs [pictured] containing essentials to help prevent homelessness and hunger. From there, we provide a 1:1 service to help people access welfare provisions, long-term accommodation, and health services. We also help people back into employment with our Work Preparation Programme. We help to set people on a path to rebuilding a positive life within the community after a period of imprisonment.
family support
Prisoners Abroad works with the family members and friends of British citizens in prison abroad, living either in the UK or overseas. Having a relative or friend in prison is extremely challenging. Those we support face stigma, social isolation, and often have limited or non-existent communication with their loved one. They often struggle to navigate foreign justice systems and the anxiety felt around their relative’s situation can have a detrimental effect on their own health.
We provide a safe and non-judgmental space for family members to access practical advice and emotional support. Caseworkers offer a warm and reassuring voice over the phone to the relatives of prisoners who often feel they have no one else to talk to. Publications, including a dedicated handbook about managing mental health, contain advice and information about the challenges families may face and help to provide clarity on an utterly disorientating experience.
As part of our family service, we operate an Online Family Network, which provides a space for Prisoners Abroad to share information about topics such as prison conditions with family members and provide peer support. The most vulnerable family members can access additional telephone support from trained volunteers. Families can also access online support groups, which are an invaluable space to share their concerns with others facing similar challenges.
Get in touch
Prisoners Abroad, 89-93 Fonthill Road, London, N4 3JH
Registered charity number 1093710. Company number (0)20 7561 6820
by net effect