Taking a step forward can often mean stepping into the unknown. This is how it is for me most days as well as those people we’re about to train in independent living skills.
In my most flippant moments you’ll find me saying ‘ I love a prison’. As someone who is constantly excited by change and new ideas, prisons have always tapped into this. I can’t get my head around them and this spurs me on to understand more about how they work (and often don’t). I want to understand the group dynamic that exists within them, why people (including staff) behave the way they do and the impact this all has on individuals.
Walking around Norwich prison recently it was apparent that it is a microcosm of society. It’s a little town in its own right with education facilities, launderettes, restaurants and a hospital. All life is here and yet for many it’s a dark and foreboding place and time in their lives.
For me it’s full of opportunity. Which is why I’m going back to one of the most rewarding times in my career, and looking forward to working in HMP Norwich this summer.
Since I started Your Own Place I knew that we should be working with people pre-release. People, like me and you, who are anxious as well as excited about their future.
As a tax-payer and human being, I want to be a part of giving them the best possible chance as they take a brave step forward and back into their community.