New Connections: Working with Legal Representatives
An introduction for solicitors and legal representatives
Scroll or use the arrow keysIntroduction
Who we are
We believe that ex-offenders can develop a passion for their own recovery and transform their lives into ones that are happy, fulfilling, and that contribute to those around them.
We aim to achieve positive outcomes for our clients both within and outside the criminal justice system.
Reference
IPP and Lifer sentences: a shared reference
A short shared reference, not a teaching block.
Lifer
Life imprisonment with a minimum tariff set by the judge. It is mandatory for murder, or discretionary for certain other offences. Release is only through the Parole Board.
IPP
Imprisonment for Public Protection. The sentence has been abolished, but the number of people still serving it in the system remains steady. The original tariff is often relatively short, yet the time actually served is frequently long. Release is only through the Parole Board.
Around 60 per cent of our clients are serving IPP sentences, and around 40 per cent are serving life sentences.
A small proportion of clients are serving an Extended Determinate Sentence (EDS) or a standard determinate sentence.
Our work
How we work with you
All funding for parole-hearing-related work comes through legal aid. The client's solicitor applies for and secures funding before any in-prison visits begin.
Since we were founded in 2018 we have submitted over 550 reports to Parole Boards and attended over 350 oral hearings, with no criticism from panel members and direct praise on several occasions.
Reports go to the client and their lawyer first, before the Parole Board. There is no obligation to submit a report if you are unhappy with it.
Our objective, to get prisoners out of prison and to keep them out, is aligned with the Ministry of Justice and the Parole Board.
We do not discuss risk or make release decisions. That sits with the Parole Board, advised by professionals qualified in risk.
Our expertise is addiction and substance misuse. This work is pre-release, as an expert witness and assessor, and it is separate from our post-release support work.
We also provide specialised support for clients with sexual offence convictions.
Our approach
A bespoke, personal approach
New Connections does not run a one-size-fits-all service. Each client's support is built around their individual circumstances, history and needs.
Support plans are built around the individual, not a fixed programme.
Peer mentors are matched on shared experience, personality and current need.
The frequency and type of contact (in-custody visits, calls, post-release support) flexes to what each client actually needs.
The same worker and relationship follows the client through custody, parole, release and any recalls, giving continuity rather than a handover between services.
Our work
Our process
Support in prison
- Needs assessment
- An agreed treatment plan
- Individual support and group sessions
- Attendance at self-help fellowships
Preparation for release
- Supporting securing appropriate housing
- Arranging therapeutic intervention, including residential rehabilitation where needed
- Preparing the Parole report
- Attending hearings as an expert witness
- Individual-focused research for client wrap-around support
Support after release
- Meeting clients at the gate where possible
- Escorting them to first appointments with probation, drug intervention services and accommodation providers
- Recommending AA/NA/CA to support with recovery
- Care plan reviewed at one, three and six months across ten wellbeing areas
- Up to five attempts to re-establish contact if a client goes quiet
- Care plan shared with probation and relevant professionals
Life in recovery
We support the fundamental changes needed for a life free from relapse and reoffending. New Connections follows the same individual through custody, parole, release and any recalls, and is often the only continuous relationship across multiple institutions and supervision periods.
Client story
Emlyn's story
Client story
I served eighteen years of a life sentence, and I had struggled with addiction for most of my life. My legal representative told me about New Connections on my last recall. Ted Baillie found a residential rehabilitation placement that suited me. I have been out for eighteen months. I have my own apartment and a job, and I now volunteer with New Connections, supporting others who are still in the system.
DanielleFormer client, now a New Connections volunteer
Your feedback
Help us improve support for lawyers
We want to keep improving how we work with legal representatives — here's where your input would help most.
LAA applications — how could we make funding applications smoother for you?
Referral process — is the current referral route working, or could it be simpler?
Client contact — face-to-face is our preferred approach, with at least one in-person visit, but funding for face-to-face contact can sometimes be difficult to secure. Are there circumstances where you'd prefer we work with the client via video only?
Accounting — is our current approach to costs and invoicing clear and straightforward from your side, or is there anything that would make this easier?
Timing of reports — are our current turnaround times for reports working for your parole timelines, or would earlier drafts or different milestones help?
Please share your thoughts now, or get in touch afterwards using the details at the end of this deck.
A solicitor's perspective
I have known Edward Baillie professionally for around five years. I instruct New Connections to assess serving prisoners, and those assessments have been used effectively in release plans. I recommend New Connections without hesitation.
Elizabeth CanterSolicitor
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Our client already accesses drug and alcohol services in prison. What does New Connections add?
Continuity of contact across the boundary between prison and the community. We work collaboratively alongside those in-prison services rather than duplicating them.
The Legal Aid Agency has asked for a second quote. What should we say?
New Connections is the only recognised Expert Witness on Addiction, under the category Drugs Worker. Once that is explained, funding has always been confirmed.
What does this cost the client?
Nothing. It is funded through legal aid where the client qualifies.
Does this clash with the Offender Management Unit or with drug services?
No. We work alongside Probation, both Prison Offender Managers and Community Offender Managers, to provide capacity that they do not have.
Has Legal Aid Agency funding ever been refused?
No. It has never been rejected. An occasional request for a second quote is resolved once our Expert Witness status is confirmed.
What area do you cover?
England and Wales.
Who can make a referral?
The client, their family, solicitors, drug and alcohol services, and the Offender Management Unit.
Section
Other work
Training
IPP workshops
Bespoke training for the people who work alongside those serving sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection.
For prison officers, probation staff, offender managers, housing officers and council workers, and anyone else supporting people serving IPP sentences.
Delivered in prison or remotely, and tailored to your setting.
Co-facilitated by people with lived experience of IPP sentences.
People
Mentor programme
Our peer mentors are New Connections clients who are established in recovery.
They are matched to newly referred clients on shared experience, personality and current need.
Mentoring supports both ongoing recovery and the person's experience as a survivor of a life or IPP sentence. Mentors can go on to become volunteers.
Specialised support
SO in-custody workbooks & specialised post-release support
We see the person, not just the offence — clients with sexual offence convictions receive the same continuity of support, tailored to their circumstances.
Bespoke in-custody workbooks, developed specifically for clients with sexual offence convictions, used as part of their structured in-custody work.
Specialised post-release support packages tailored to this client group's needs, continuing the same wraparound approach used for other clients.
Next steps
How to refer and contact us
Ideally we ask for a minimum of three months' notice ahead of a parole date, so that we can complete a full assessment and report. Shorter notice can be accommodated on a case-by-case basis, with a shorter and less detailed report. Post-release support is unaffected either way.