Why the end of a prison sentence can be a most dangerous time
A new national service called Upside is helping former prison inmates re-enter society, which can be a daunting time for many
Leaving prison at the end of a sentence can be hugely difficult. A short-term prison sentence may mean your tenancy has gone, relationships have broken down, and the home you once had is no longer there.
You may need to find somewhere to live, register with a GP, organise benefits, and rebuild the fundamentals of daily life, sometimes without even having a mobile phone. Many people don’t have identification – and here’s the rub: you often need ID to get ID.
Yet these basics are essential. They support reintegration, reduce the risk of reoffending, and crucially help prevent further victims.
Anyone who has tried to navigate even one of these systems knows how hard it can be. Trying to organise an entire life at once is overwhelming. That’s why, at the beginning of April 2025, a new national service called Upside was launched.
A stable, safer life
Run by an exceptional group of third-sector workers, Upside supports people on remand or serving short sentences as they return to the community. They offer advocacy, practical help, and access to services people are entitled to but often struggle to reach.
Demand has been immense. More than 2,000 people in prison have already been referred for support. For many, Upside workers are the difference between homelessness and chaos, and the possibility of a stable and safer life.
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The scale of the challenge is stark. Around 37 per cent of people leaving prison are, in a sense, the ‘lucky’ ones, able to return to a previous tenancy. Even this is fragile. Many believe their home is waiting, only to discover it isn’t.
Housing pressures mean local authorities often cannot keep tenancies empty during a prison sentence. Meanwhile, 43 per cent of people leaving custody already know they are homeless and expect to enter temporary accommodation. A fortunate 20 per cent have family or friends able to take them in.
Early release programme
Upside workers travel across Scotland, sometimes collecting people directly from late-running courts. They must think on their feet, knowing which services are open, which partners can help, and what the person in front of them needs right now. It is constant prioritisation. Often the most urgent need is medication.
The period immediately after release carries a high risk of overdose, particularly for those using illicit substances. Ensuring access to prescribed medication and opioid replacement therapies is not just good practice. It can be lifesaving.
Rising prison numbers have meant these workers have to turn on a sixpence, responding to early releases introduced to ease pressure on the prison service. That is no small task. It is operating at the sharp end of prevention, where the right support at the right moment can change the direction of a life. As demand increases, protecting the wellbeing of staff becomes ever more critical.
There will never be enough money to meet every need in justice – we all recognise that. Upside already has a waiting list, something none of us expected so quickly.
But it is testament to the skill and dedication of the third sector that they can adapt so fast, cut through bureaucracy, and create environments where staff are trusted to use their judgment and expertise. In difficult times, that flexibility is not a luxury. It is what makes support work.
Karyn McCluskey is chief executive of Community Justice Scotland