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A church that has opened its doors to women released from the Wiri women’s prison says 800 volunteers are needed when a new men’s jail opens next door – and it doesn’t know where they will come from.
Volunteers from St Elizabeth’s Anglican Church in Clendon have been visiting inmates in the 464-bed women’s prison since it opened in 2006 because it is in their parish.
But vicar Mark Beale, who founded the church 23 years ago, does not know how it will cope with men from the neighbouring 1060-bed men’s jail which has been given draft approval to open in April 2015.
“We’ll have to cope because they are going ahead and building it, but it’s a very daunting challenge,” he said.
“A prison of 1000 would need 800 volunteers, so where are those 800 volunteers? A lot of the stuff in prisons is done by volunteers, and it should be because that creates the link to the outside community.”
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