Kate Sees Hopeful Signs For Addicts In Jail

The Duchess of Cambridge has visited a women's prison in Surrey to raise awareness of the work being done to help prisoners addicted to alcohol and drugs.

Kate spent around an hour at HMP Send meeting inmates and ex-offenders who have all been helped by the Rehabilitation of Addicted Prisoners Trust (RAPt) , which operates in 26 prisons across the country.

The charity has been running a dedicated drug and alcohol treatment unit since 2000 at the closed Female Training and Resettlement Prison, which has space for 20 women prisoners.

The 12-step programme is the only one of its kind in the country for female inmates, and works with women to help them beat their addiction and build better relationships with their families.

Former heroin and crack addict Kirsty, who has been "clean" for eight years, met the Duchess and told her how her parents had been drug users and drugs had been an everyday part of her family life.

The 36-year-old spoke about the Duchess' reaction to her story: "She was saddened probably, anybody would be, it's not nice for anybody to hear that anybody was in that situation.

"I think what it also does is it creates some understanding, it gives a backdrop. Because you know, sometimes the way that addicts live their lifestyles we're not the greatest advertisement for humanity are we?

"And so sometimes to hear there's a potential reason, that it isn't just that we woke up one day and decided to test our families' lives and create absolute chaos in communities, there were reasons - some acceptable, some not - but there were reasons."

According to RAPt, over two thirds of those who have completed the programme are still drug and alcohol free three months after release from prison.

The Duchess' visit is the latest engagement reflecting her interest in issues surrounding addiction and the work being done by charities to help vulnerable individuals and families.

She is also patron of addiction charity Action on Addiction.