Helping ex-offenders into work
Helping ex-offenders into work is a critical part of reducing recidivism, yet many employers won't take on people who have been in prison. Three ex-offenders share their stories, and Yvette Carter provides Serco's perspective.
Steve Mellor (aged 35), manager of Bolton branch of Timpson’s and personal boxing trainer
Steve Mellor
I was thrown out of school when I was 13. By the time I was 18, I was selling drugs with friends. We got into a fight with some other dealers, and my friend stabbed and killed one of them. I got life for joint enterprise.
Inside, I decided I had to sort myself out. I couldn’t read or write, so I took every course I could, starting with numeracy and literacy and moving on to NVQs in engineering and fitness instruction, then an Open University diploma in sports psychology. I realised I really could turn myself round.
I also did an intensive cognitive self-help course – several hours, every day, for six years. You get down to the basic truths about yourself and go down some very hurtful paths. But that was the best course I did.
In 2010, I had an interview for Timpson’s academy scheme. I trained while inside, then on the job. Now I run my own shop, do all the stocktaking, invoicing... It’s daunting, the faith they put in you! They lent me £1,000 when I was released, to get me started. It’s unbelievable. I had sleepless nights thinking, “Who’s going to want to employ me?”
I had a baby boy at Christmas so now I’ve got a family. I’ve never been happier – it’s brilliant. But you can’t ever forget where you’ve been, so that you never go back...
Read on at Ethos Journal
Ethosis aimed at public sector leaders, politicians, academics and policy specialists debating the future of public services today.
