The journey through the criminal justice system is turbulent and changes the life-course, for better or worse, of large numbers of people (Bierie and Mann, 2017). The Supporting People After Remand or Conviction (SPARC) project was set up by Lincolnshire Action Trust and HMP Lincoln to meet the Bradley Report (2009) recommendations. SPARC provides a fully integrated service to people sentenced or remanded by the courts, in their transition into prison custody. SPARC aims to assist those entering prison to meet their basic needs and ensure better treatment with transparency and fairness. This provides them with a better opportunity to engage in their prison sentences, address their behaviour and successfully reintegrate into the community. Conducted in partnership with the University of Lincoln, SPARC data assessed the needs of people at the point of entering into custody and tested the impact of the model.
Men who received the SPARC intervention displayed significantly higher levels of wellbeing. Focus group feedback indicated short and long-term impact. SPARC is an effective model in which the specific needs of prisoners are better addressed when entering prison custody.