Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Groundbreaking project turns prisoners into volunteers / 24dash.com, 1 Feb 2006

http://www.24dash.com/content/news/viewNews.php?navID=7&newsID=2771
"Under an innovative new scheme prisoners can learn new skills and provide for their families by volunteering to restore old bicycles so they can then be delivered to poor communities in the developing world. In exchange for their efforts, every minute of the time they volunteer is held with Time Bank and their families on the outside can then 'cash in' the time to get help from volunteers with jobs ranging from decorating to shopping. The initiative, which has been funded by a Sure Start Strengthening Families grant, has proved so successful that chiefs at Gloucester Prison and the Gloucester Time Bank are hoping it will be adopted across the country."