Jersey Man Volunteers at Prison in Brother’s Memory

A Jersey resident has expressed his desire to continue his volunteer work at the island’s prison service, motivated by the memory of his brother. Jason Gleave is a volunteer with Focus on Mental Illness, a Jersey-based charity that has initiated collaborations with prisons to enhance support for inmates. Jason’s brother, Justin Gleave, was sent to Exeter Prison in Devon 40 years ago after stealing a car during a psychotic episode caused by his schizophrenia. His condition deteriorated rapidly while he was serving his sentence, and he took his own life after spending many years in and out of psychiatric institutions and struggling with homelessness. The prison service reports that 19 inmates are under the care of its Mental Health In Reach Team, which is based at HMP La Moye, and 38 inmates are receiving medication associated with mental health conditions. Mr. Gleave, who now resides in Jersey, stated that his brother “was ravaged with schizophrenia” and that his time in prison “had a profound effect when I went in to see him”. He mentioned feeling encouraged by the welcome he received during his initial visit to the island’s prison as a volunteer. “I had my first visit to La Moye Prison earlier this year which I found very constructive, very useful, as the staff were incredibly engaged and very welcoming,” he said. Mr. Gleave and Focus on Mental Illness aim to expand their work with the prison service to provide additional support for inmates once they are released. Stephen McCrimmon from Focus on Mental Illness accompanied Mr. Gleave on the visit to the prison. He stated they were very grateful for the access granted to staff and prisoners, emphasizing the importance “to try and build some relationships”. Mr. McCrimmon added: “We want to continue this relationship with the prison to understand and hear from those inmates that have significant mental health problems and maybe we can provide workshops.” The Focus on Mental Illness charity is dedicated to improving the lives of individuals affected by severe mental illness, as well as their families. Focus on Mental Illness and Mr. Gleave were invited to the prison as part of the Closer to Home project. Laura Kangas-Hamon, local services manager at Customer and Local Services, noted that collaborating with partners like the charity allows it to “provide bespoke solutions to often complex issues”. She confirmed that more Closer to Home events are scheduled for next year. Gemma Lofthouse, head of reducing reoffending at La Moye Prison Justice and Home Affairs, said: “These pathways are integral to our reducing reoffending efforts.” Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.