The Prison Gate Mission- A cup of coffee and a friendly word

Within a few yards of the Charity’s Central Refuge was Strangeways Prison, one of the largest prisons in England with 20,000 prisoners a year discharged according to the 1888 edition of the Charity’s magazine. From September 1887 employees from this Charity and others from Central Hall and the City Mission volunteered every morning between around 7 and 8 o'clock to greet prisoners newly released. An invitation card was given offering a cup of coffee, a simple breakfast of bread and butter and a friendly word at the Mission Room located in one the Charity’s buildings nearby. Annual reports state 10,000 released prisoners a year used the service.

 

From 1902 annual report, volunteers waiting for prisoners

Articles in the Charity’s magazine ‘The Christian Worker’ had referred to Prison Gate Missions in other cities which seem to have been the inspiration to begin their own. The Charity’s main concern was to help the younger prisoners. While children were labelled as prisoners, their offences could be minor including begging, sleeping out, trespassing on the railways or loitering. Some children met on release were provided with a place in one of the Charity’s homes. Both children and adults were helped by providing clothes, finding employment, re-connecting with family and friends, finding lodgings or providing encouragement to sign a temperance pledge committing not to drink alcohol. An article from the 1888 magazine refers to a recently released prisoner who made such a commitment against the use of alcohol and the support she could expect to receive: 

M189/8/1/8 from the 1888 magazine 'The Christian Worker'

An article in 1889 magazine mentions Mary who left prison for the fourth time when aged only 19. Her offences were related to drunkenness, a street-fight led to her latest imprisonment. The article explains Mary lost her mother at 15 and lived in the poorest surroundings. Although not without struggles, Mary was eventually found suitable accommodation where her, ‘health and strength has returned.’

The danger of a continuing cycle of drink leading to short prison stays would have been obvious to those working at the Prison Gate Mission. A 1913 article on the mission recognised that some cases were chronic and in such cases individuals would say just what they thought would be acceptable to the religious and charitable workers who offered help. While the magazine articles generally focus on positive outcomes, there are occasional references to individuals who hadn’t been able to take advantage of the help offered.The 1892 magazine for instance states,

 ‘… we had an old woman who had been in prison no less than 208 times, and who had not had a home for 28 years, the only friends she ever meets are the Prison Officials and those of our workers who meet her at the Gate.’

Many of the early mission cases referred to in the Charity magazine relate to women and girls, including women leaving Strangeways carrying infants who had been in prison with them.

A case in the 1890 magazine recounts how 16-year-old Maria was jailed for a week for, ‘obstructing the footpath.’ It appears this offence could simply have meant loitering on the street. The article explains the Charity’s outrage that such a minor offence by someone so young would lead to treatment the same as a hardened criminal. Maria had no mother and an absent father and lived in a poor neighbourhood meaning it was usual for her to wander the streets with friends when the mills were closed. Maria was found a place in one of the Charity’s homes.

M189/8/2/7 Prisoners leaving Strangeways from 1909 magazine ‘The Children’s Haven’

The 1909 Annual Report provides another example of how the Prison Gate Mission could work. Volunteers met a woman at the mission just released who explained if her son could be found work this would help her to pay rent. The Charity therefore found her son work in one of their Brigades, earning money either by cleaning shoes in one of the Charity’s stands around the city centre or delivering messages for a fee while stationed one of the city’s railway stations.

Reflecting the extent of poverty in the city, the 1910 Annual Report reflects how the homeless would appear when the Prison Mission breakfast was over, ravenous for the surplus bread and coffee left over after the prisoners had met. This was referred to numerous times in the Charity magazine and feeding the homeless seems to have served as a secondary function of the Prison Gate Mission. More than one child amongst the groups seeking food in this way were provided with a bed in one of the Charity’s homes.

With juvenile offenders being a particular concern of the Charity, their staff from 1892 attended police courts each morning to assist with cases involving young offenders. The magazine mentions staff would move from the Prison Mission breakfast to the courts for this purpose. The Charity promoted the use of the First Offenders Act 1887 which meant first offenders for minor crimes could avoid a prison sentence if they had fixed accommodation. The Charity of course could provide the fixed accommodation required. They also took advantage of the 1902 Act giving magistrates power to remand under 16s to voluntary homes by offering their Children’s Shelter to take children remanded who would otherwise have gone either to jail or the workhouse. In the first year of the act the Charity took in 47 children on remand between 7 and 15 years old. This number rose in subsequent years.

The Prison Gate mission continued, chiefly helping adults as children were increasingly likely to be remanded elsewhere. As the Charity’s emphasis was always on young people they decided to transfer the service in 1915 to the Manchester City Mission, though the Charity’s rooms were still used being so conveniently located. Mr Horne the Superintendent of the mission referred in a 1913 article to the quiet individual talks with released prisoners which took place in the Mission Room. He also acknowledged the difficulties, stating much of the work, ‘goes for nothing’ although there were ‘numerous rewards.’ In these circumstances the huge effort and commitment of those working and volunteering at the Prison Mission year-round seems remarkable.