Meet Carlie, who is volunteering with Pact as part of her student placement.

It's a great way to help prisoners, their families and those in the community. 

Q: How did you feel when you found out you’d be on placement with Pact? 

A: I was apprehensive of how involved I would be within the prison, with prisoners and their families, but was excited for the opportunity to see what it would be like to work in a prison environment. I have learnt that I am very involved with the prison and prisoners! There have been limitations to this because of the virus such as visits being cancelled and not being able to go onto the wings to have one-to-ones with the prisoners, however, I have still been able to provide support to prisoners, and their families remotely.

Q: What’s the best bit about your placement with Pact?

A: The opportunities available to me. Even with limitations from the current situation, there are still things I can be involved with, such as remote casework, Befriending and the Prisoners' Families Helpline.

Q: What have you learned so far through your placement?

A: I have learnt that everyone's situations are different and can be very complex, and that Pact is involved with many other internal and external organisations. With the current situation, I have learnt that circumstances can change very quickly so can be difficult to determine what type of work will be carried out. In addition, I have learnt the importance of the work Pact does for family relationships.

Q: What would you say to anyone who might be thinking about volunteering with Pact?

A: It is a great way to help prisoners, their families and those in the community, and is very effective. If you have an interest in supporting prisoners and their families with the knock-on effect that prison life has then this is a great opportunity. 

Find out more

• Find out about volunteering opportunities near you.
• Meet more of our volunteers and learn about the different volunteering roles in Pact.
• Find out about fundraising to support our work or make a donation online.
• Do you want to work for us? Take a look at our current vacancies.

If you want to find out more about Carlie's role or if you have any questions about volunteering with Pact, get in touch with us on [email protected].