Jasmine Gregory, Case Manager at HMP Thameside, won a Serco Pulse award in the ‘care’ category for her outstanding work with one particular prisoner in her case load.
Talking about Jasmine’s excellent work, her nominator said:
“Jasmine became the case manager for one of our prisoners (Mr. C*) who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He and the jail were advised that he would have weeks to live and it was unlikely that he would be freed from prison due to the severity of his condition. Release on Temporary Licence, on compassionate grounds, was sought but refused. Jasmine did not give up and appealed: in fact she appealed three times and each time more passionately. Eventually his release was granted.
“Although Mr. C is a prisoner, with a criminal record, and rightly incarcerated for the crimes he committed, his family is not. Jasmine’s appeal was not just for the compassion for a dying man but also for a family that wanted to have as much quality time as possible with their dad, husband and grandad.
“Jasmine spent an exceptional amount of time with Mr. C before his release, ensuring he understood the rules. With any release on licence, the most minor thing could mean a return to custody, so Jasmine wanted to make sure that he would not have to return to prison through a silly, or unintentional mistake. She went through what to do when he was ill and what his family needed to do once he reached the end of his life. She didn’t shy away from having these difficult conversations.
“At the time of Mr. C’s release, he was told he had around 8 weeks left to live. Week in and week out, without fail, Jasmine rang him to make sure everything was ok. Where there were issues, she checked with the medical services or other relevant agency to make sure the concerns were noted and dealt with.
“The pressure of dealing with someone in those circumstances must be immense for anybody, let alone for someone where it is well outside their job description. The calls often lasted for an hour or more, and were emotionally draining for her. But despite this, Jasmine maintained her commitment to communicating and comforting him, and if need be, members of his family.
“Mr. C lived well beyond the eight weeks he was initially given. During that time, he said to one of Jasmine’s colleagues that his longevity had a great deal to do with the amount of kindness and compassion Jasmine showed to him and his family. They were overwhelmed with the support she has given them, something they never expected.
“What Jasmine has done has been exceptional. The term ‘going above and beyond’ is a term that is often used however, in Jasmine’s case, this could not be a more accurate description.”