The Clink Charity and Restaurants
prisons across the country and
to further expand The Clink
restaurant concept. The five-
step model focuses on
recruitment, training,
supporting, mentoring and
employment and has
dramatically reduced the
reoffending rate of those who
have been part of the training
programme.
The Clink Restaurant at HMP Brixton.
T
he issue of reoffending
has become one of the
most pressing challenges
facing society today. It is
now recognised that the
record levels of inmates in
prison is not helping to
reduce crime.
The main aim of The Clink
Charity is to reduce reoffending
rates of ex-offenders by training
and placing graduates, upon
their release, into employment
in the hospitality industry. Since
launching, the charity has
achieved incredible results, with
new data analysis released in
2016 by the Justice Data Lab
and the Ministry of Justice
revealing The Clink’s
“statistically significant result”
in reducing prisoner
reoffending.
The analysis looked at male ex-
offenders at The Clink
restaurants at HMP High Down,
Brixton and Cardiff, and found
that those participating in The
Clink’s rehabilitation
programme are 41.0% less
likely to re-offend.
The original concept of The
Clink Restaurant was created
by Alberto Crisci MBE when he
recognised the potential of
some of the prisoners at HMP
High Down who were working in
the prison kitchens. In May
2009, the first Clink Restaurant
at HMP High Down officially
opened as the first public
restaurant to open within the
walls of a working prison.
The original vision remains true
today – to break the cycle of
crime by empowering prisoners
with self-belief, work place
skills and nationally recognised
qualifications.
Alberto Crisci MBE.
The Clink Charity’s dedicated
support workers work closely
with each trainee during their
time in the Clink and beyond
the prison gate. They undertake
interview coaching, produce a
CV together and ensure they
have housing and what they
need to start over. They also
line up interviews and liaise
with other support agencies
specific to the individuals’
needs. Support is given to the
Clink graduates for as long as
they need whilst they
reintegrate back into society.
This has proven to be the
successful ingredient in
rehabilitation and ultimately
reduce the risk of reoffending.
Prisoners at each of The Clink
Restaurants work a 40-hour
week whilst gaining City &
Guilds NVQs in food
preparation and front-of-house
service. Simulating a
professional working
environment, prisoners with six
to 18 months of their sentence
left to serve are carefully
selected for the programme,
going through full-time training
in order to reach the required
level to succeed in their
respective industry. Following the success of the
first Clink restaurant at HMP
High Down, a second was
opened at HMP Cardiff in
2012. There have since been
an additional two restaurants
opened, with The Clink
restaurant at HMP Brixton
opening in 2014 and the fourth
training restaurant opening at
HMP Styal in Cheshire in April
2015.
To ensure the success of the
programme, The Clink Charity
was launched in 2010 to
develop a five-step model that
could be applied across more Dining at The Clink Restaurant
is a memorable experience
where service is second to
none and the food offers a
contemporary twist on
Support is
given to the
Clink graduates
for as long as
they need
whilst they
reintegrate
back into
society.
The Clink Gardens in Surrey.
traditional British cuisine, with
the menus creatively designed
around the changing seasons.
Each restaurant also offers
facilities for business meetings,
corporate events and private
dining.
In addition to the Clink
restaurant projects, The Clink
Charity also operates its own
gardens as well as external
catering service, Clink Events.
The Clink Gardens began at
HMP Send in 2014 where
women prisoners work to gain
experience and achieve City &
Guilds NVQ qualifications in
horticulture. The fruit,
vegetables and herbs produced
from the gardens are delivered
to the restaurants along with
eggs from the chickens for
which the women are also
responsible.
The Clink’s external catering
service, Clink Events, was
launched to provide bespoke
catering within the M25 beyond
the walls of the restaurant and
prison. It provides the prisoners
in training the opportunity to
gain additional experience in
event catering.
If you would like to know
more about The Clink
Charity and Restaurants
please visit
A delectable treat from Clink Food Service.
Visit The London & UK DatebooK on www.thedatebook.co.uk
www.theclinkcharity.org
THE LONDON & UK DATEBOOK
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