Breaking free from the stigma of prison

A charity in Bristol is taking a stand in the battle against youth reoffending by unlocking employment opportunities for those who have been in prison.

64 per cent of all adults leaving jail are reconvicted, and two-thirds of those fail to find work on release.

But Key4Life, an organisation based in Bristol and the South West, strives to better these statistics and the lives of young men bracing the outside world when they finish their sentence.

A crime prevention charity which rehabilitates young men in prison or at risk of going to prison, Key4Life aims to provide real solutions to help reduce youth offending – through a blend of music, football, equine therapy and emotional release sessions.

The charity also runs employability programmes events that involve speed-dating style interviews and feedback sessions from dozens of local employers. Those who have been through Key4Life’s prison and preventative programmes are proven to be less likely to return to jail compared to national figures one year post-release.

Now in full-time employment, Corrie Moore is the product of the charity’s pioneering workshops that have reduced reoffending rates to 16%.

Speaking to Bristol24/7 after he was offered a job from ITS construction at a recent event, Moore said: “I have changed my life from what I was doing in the past compared to now… If it wasn’t for this programme, I dont know where I’d be.”

Moore found applying for jobs a stressful ordeal, despite trying to make himself more employable.

He isn’t the only one – two-thirds of prisoners fail to find work after release, according to Key4Life’s figures. The criminal record tick box, often featured as part of applications, can automatically filter out ex-offenders and relegate them to unemployment.

The stigma of having a criminal record limits opportunities for people, but if they enter Key4Life’s program, people are four times more likely to be in employment and four times less likely to reoffend.

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Key4Life would like to see employers realise that ex-offenders are a pool of talent and part of the solution to a shortage in skilled staff.

“We want companies in Britain to see the untapped potential and people who’ve come from very deprived communities, many of whom have been in prison and have not had an easy start in life,” said Eva Hamilton MBE, founder and chief executive of the charity.

Describing their employability workshops, Hamilton said: “They are always the most incredible days to see a transformation in a broken human being. Today, they can rebuild themselves in a new way – the change is just extraordinary.”

Speaking about their involvement with the Key4Life, Andy Graham, director of ITS recruitment, said: “We don’t know about their history, so it means they can draw a line in the sand and say to companies like ourselves to say that I’m looking for a fresh opportunity. It’s rewarding for us to be able to be in that position to give them that opportunity.”

Main photo: Betty Woolerton

Read more: Disproportionality in the criminal justice laid bare in new report

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