Prisoners – and the Times Guardian – were invited to a special event where drugs and alcohol support agencies had set up stalls.

Dozens of inmates from Standford Hill open prison at Eastchurch wandered at will in the visitors centre there to see the sort of support they can get when their time is up.

The event was held as part of National Drugs Week which was also supported by the police with various initiatives such as road checks and special operations.

Standford Hill is an open prison for men nearing the end of their sentence and it has 482 inmates at present.

Leigh O’Halloran–Love, said: “Events like this one help prisoners who want help to get it. It was not open to the public and similar events also took place at neighbouring Elmley Prison for inmates on remand and at the high security Swaleside Prison.”

Among the many stalls with leaflets and other information on display was one run by RAPt – the Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners Trust.

Spokesman Bronya Guy from Minster, said: “We are a charity that is contracted in to prisons to give help and support.”

Also there was a stall run by the Drug Intervention Programme (DIP) which was set up in 2005 for prisoners who are former or current drug users. It helps them break the cycle that they are in by helping to access the best services.

And another stall was manned by Paul Grannum from Turning Point which is the UK’s leading social care organisation, involved in all aspects of substance abuse.

Mr Grannum, 43, from Maidstone, served his time at Standford Hill prison after a string of robberies. He said: “I had a history of heroin abuse so had to feed my habit by stealing to get money. Events like this are fantastic because they showed me how to turn my life around so much that I now work for Turning Point.”

Browsing round the stalls was Terry Parrant, 29, who was nearing the end of a nine year stretch for bank robberies, said: “I know there is a lot of support out there because I have been in prison for so long but events like this are very useful for newer prisoners.”