Pact CEO awarded CBE in New Year’s Honours List

Pact CEO Andy Keen-Downs has been awarded a CBE in the New Year’s Honours list for services to prisoners and their families and children.

Andy has been CEO of the organisation for almost 20 years, during which time he has been at the forefront of work to improve the lives of people caught up in the criminal justice system, in particular, the families and children of people in prison.

Andy said: “This award is recognition of everyone who has worked tirelessly to put families at the heart of how our criminal justice system works.

“By working with HMPPS, voluntary sector friends, philanthropists, and others, we have transformed the landscape - services for prisoners and families today are unrecognisable from those available two decades ago. Together, we have developed Visitors’ Centres, pioneered new ways for prisoners to maintain family relationships, and created packages of support for children with parents in prison.

“It has been a privilege to have played a part in this change. This award goes to every single person who has been involved in this journey and is for their hard work and dedication.

"But we are just getting started. There is so much more we need to do to reduce offending, to keep prisoners’ children safe, and to help families thrive. This unexpected honour is for everyone at Pact and for our friends who share our passion for that mission."

Pact has grown substantially in the two decades that Andy has been CEO, from a small charity with no more than a few dozen staff to one that supports hundreds of thousands of people every year, providing services right around the country.

At the same time, Pact has worked in partnership with a range of other organisations to raise the profile of the importance of family relationships. Family contact plays a key role in delivering safer prisons and reducing reoffending. It also helps families and children through the often devastating impact of having a loved one sent to prison.