Where the seed was watered, and how it grew.

Welcome to May’s edition of the Myrtos Newsletter (if you have any suggestions for a catchier title, please let me know) where we’ll be sharing which businesses are actively advocating for the hiring of people who have a criminal record, and how an inclusive training provider enabled an individual to improve their confidence and get work, plus more. Before we do that though, I’ll tell you more about my Criminal Justice journey.

How the seed grew roots

I explained last time that my parents loving behaviour towards our neighbours who were addicted to drugs and alcohol is what planted the seed in my heart for this work. It took a while for that seed to embed though, and after a few rebellious teenage years of winding up my parents and learning how to evade the part time police in our town, I managed to get into University (UWE in Bristol, for those who are really interested). I chose to study Psychology, purely out of interest, with no real career plans in mind.

After graduating I worked as a Teaching Assistant for a year supporting Brickwork students with their literacy and numeracy. It was actually this job that solidified my passion for working with men who were misunderstood, who didn’t believe that they would amount of much, and who lacked a lot of confidence despite being incredibly talented. It was an honour to to see these young men for who they really were, without the bravado of who they thought they should be. I even learnt how to build a wall, and often found myself sewing up holes in their coats or jumpers.

After a year in that job, I decided to go to Australia to travel for 3 months. I hadn’t taken a gap year before Uni, and I wanted the chance to explore some of the world before getting a career. Before going, I managed to secure myself a job as an Assistant Psychologist in HMP Bristol where I would be facilitating Offending Behaviour Programmes for sentenced men. On my return from Australia, I was told the job was now on hold (thank you budget cuts!), but after a short stint of working in a pub, the funding was found and I started in the prison.

I’ll never forget the first time I set food on one of the wings on my own. I was 23 years old, fresh faced, and looked like a rabbit in headlights! I didn’t know what to do, so I smiled, kept my head up and faked it until I made it. It seemed to work, and I soon found myself feeling comfortable on the wings, getting used to closing and locking gates behind me. Sadly, the funding went again and they closed Psychology, so I got moved to the Offender Management Unit and began writing risk assessments on newly sentenced men. I then qualified as a Probation Service Officer, and continued doing the same role in the prison, but now for the Probation Service.

I stayed in that job for 4 years, and despite some challenges, I genuinely loved it. I recognised that prison can be a place of rehabilitation, but if there isn’t stuff in place on release, then all that good work quickly fades. I learnt that a lot of the men I got to know were hurting, they were afraid, and their behaviours reflected this. My heart for them opened even more as I got to know each of them for who they really were, and not who society had told them they were. I’m so grateful for my time working in that prison because it set me up on a career path which I love, and which has taken many different twists and turns…to be continued.

Big Business names in the new Employment councils

Bosses from household names such as, Greggs, Iceland Foods, and COOK will be among those to sit on new Employment Councils which will support people who are serving their sentenced in the community into work. These follow on the Employment Advisory Boards which operate in Prisons, and support those in prison to get work on release. Find out more here

And finally, read how Muti Live, an inclusive training provider, welcomed and supported a learner who has a criminal record to improve their confidence, develop their skills, and get work in the industry they are passionate about.

If you have any questions, feedback, or criminal justice items you’d like us to cover, then do get in touch and let us know.

Be sure to share this newsletter, and the workshop link, with anyone who may be interested.

Until next time, don’t delay in increasing your inclusive work practices today…