User Voice may be small but they have a lot to say

Emma Parton

13/12/2013

It's a fair assumption that probation officers come into this line of work due to a genuine desire to help, support and change people’s lives. This is often due to personal life experiences that enable us to empathise with others.  My life could have turned out very differently but I somehow managed to channel my negative experiences into something positive and this led me to where I am today. I believe in change and want to support people to change. Someone once said that I was a 'rescuer' although this has been to my detriment at times. As a Probation Officer, finding the right balance of punishment and rehabilitation is difficult. The ever increasing layers of bureaucracy has seen the Probation Service focus primarily on enforcement and the traditional social work values of advise, assist, befriend have become diluted. In the five short years I've have worked for London Probation I've seen a rapidly changing service. Some of it good, some of it bad but there’s no doubt that the 'streamlining' of services; a fancy way of cutting resources is detrimental to the rehabilitation process.

Service users expect a lot from probation and whilst we genuinely want to meet expectations, the already shrinking service means we simply cannot deliver it all. This leaves me like others feeling frustrated. The biggest changes are yet to come with the Transforming Rehabilitation agenda and Chris Graylings crusade to create a disjointed, profit driven, untried and untested criminal justice system (this is only my view of course). The next 12 months I face uncertainty, worry and a moral dilemma; to CRC or not too CRC. Do I compromise my values to work for a company I do not believe in? Will it become a box ticking exercise? The truth is no one really knows.

Amongst the day to day probation politics there is User Voice. I've always been a supporter of their work and it's hard not to feel inspired by their passion and innovation. Quite simply they are a breath of fresh air in the changing world of changing Criminal Justice. I see service user involvement as fundamental to improving Criminal Justice services. It adds value, credibility, breeds creativity and is solution focused. The outcome does not only benefit the service user but also the staff. A positive probation experience encourages compliance and engagement. For the officer; less breaches, less paperwork, more job satisfaction. Service user feedback is a hot topic and I’ve been extremely impressed by the level of support from the senior management team. I credit Heather Munro’s enthusiasm for User Voice as instrumental in embedding service user involvement within London Probation.

At times the feedback is brutal, it makes people feel uncomfortable. It causes mixed emotions. Sometimes I cringe. It causes this reaction because we care about our work, our colleagues and our service users. Contrary to some people’s beliefs, Probation Officers like to do more than just breach and recall but no one wants to be told they are doing a bad job. That said it is important to mention that a lot of service users give praise to their officers and the support they receive. However there is always room for improvement and this is what the community councils seek to address. The Probation Service needs charities like User Voice to simply tell it like it is. They say what a lot of Probation staff wish they could say. I have been welcomed into the team and feel truly humbled to be a part of the rehabilitation revolution if only for a short time. The staff are lively, inspirational and committed to the User Voice mission and to each other. User voice may be small but they have a lot to say.

Finding a World of Freedom

Perdita Palmer

22/11/2013

Money is freedom – so some say. But how does one define freedom?

Freedom. Think about it. It’s probably one of the most powerful concepts that determines, or in an abstract sense, surrounds politics, culture and humanity. Everyone strives for freedom but what are we actually striving for?

Some argue that education, opportunity, monetary gain in career success equals or enables freedom. But to do what? Travel? See the world? Revel in materialism? Does money provide reliable means by which to find, experience or succeed in love, self- satisfaction or pride? Money may enable one to access many aspects of life that everyone considers necessary or standard in order to conventionally or superficially ‘survive’ but whether one actually feels free or is free with any of these is a different matter. One might have more money than sense, but happiness, love, family, trust, honesty and satisfaction can never be guaranteed.

As the well known saying goes:

“When you are in the final days of your life, what will you want? Will you hug that college degree in the walnut frame? Will you ask to be carried out to the garage so you can sit in your car? Will you find comfort in reading your financial statement? No. What will matter then will be the people”.

You might be thinking: “what has this got to do with User Voice?” Well, a lot. User Voice and the people that have entered my life have taught me one of the most important and enlightening lessons of my life, so far. And I can tell you now that this lesson has changed the direction of my life in a rich and meaningful way that has left me feeling liberated, inspired, ambitious and free.

My journey has gone from conservatism, ignorance and boredom to freedom of thought, satisfaction and appreciation. Having had a very privileged upbringing, it is common of many of my peers to follow the expected timeline of life progression. So, you go from completion of secondary school, to university and into a job that reflects your desire to maintain and replicate the standard of living we are all used to. Yes, privilege, education and financial stability provides opportunity and freedom of choice but how free actually are we? It might sound strange but overwhelming opportunity is actually largely restricting. So much choice equals indecision, confusion and most profoundly dissatisfaction.

I feel as though many of my peers lack in education through experience because of the expected timeline progression. But the opportunities I have said yes to, have led me down a different path that now makes me feel detached from my familiar peers.

My journey began with the shock of someone close to me facing a long stretch in prison. This turned my life upside down and was the catalyst for my desire to become a successful defence barrister but also to enrich my life by understanding and appreciating the lives of others. My personal experience opened up a whole world of understanding but also frustration. The ignorance that fills society about many aspects of the criminal justice system and the people that pass through it infuriates me daily. I used to be one of those conservative bigots who at one stage would have supported an individual such as Chris Grayling. But tragedy happened to me, tragedy happened to my family and it’s not until it happens to you that you can then understand and appreciate other people’s stories.

This society is filled with so much superficial public discourse instilled by the powerful who more often than not have no idea what the people they are there to serve, face. In many ways, I wish I had remained in my bubble and had not experienced such a tragic situation. But in many other ways, I feel as though it has educated me in such a way that makes me cringe at the thought of how I would have lived my life. Before my journey began, I had no idea what I wanted to do but I was money motivated. I had no real passion in life apart from money. Without a specific passion to follow, I was on the brink of entering a career in headhunting/recruitment that would have filled my daily life with aggression, close mindedness and a vulgar desperation for the big pay cheque at the end of the month. How sad. And how lucky I am now to have escaped that.

It’s easy to hear about someone else’s story and have a momentary feeling of sympathy or compassion but how genuine and long lasting is it? My story, however tragic it has been has not even compared to some of the stories attached to some of the individuals I have got to know. But, because of what I have experienced so far, I can truly understand and appreciate the hardship that now inspires me.

Life isn’t about money. Of course you need money to survive but there is much more to life than materialism, the superficiality of relationships, the sick desire to appear a certain way or attempt to embody someone you are not. There are people in this world that have been at rock bottom and faced such tragedy in their life but had the individual strength to acknowledge it, face it, overcome it and carry it with them to save others. Many of these people I have met, I work alongside daily. To come from working in a corporate environment in the city, bored out of my brain, counting down the minutes until the day ends and feeling miserable, bored and so selfish to take for granted the ease and stability of my life compared to where I am now, is amazing. And it’s just the beginning. The moment I walk into my work place now, I can feel the electric passion that unites every single one of us. This is a feeling that I have been lucky enough to experience and learn about; I seek this continuation of satisfaction throughout my career and throughout my life.

Bigots exclude people who have been through the criminal justice system. People even look at me differently and want to dissociate themselves with me because I’m attached to someone in prison. But these individuals, I pity.

My life has taken a completely different direction than was expected, working with individuals who originally felt unfamiliar to me, but I’m proud.

I’m proud to be surrounded by people who are educated, ambitious and enriched with a pure understanding of life. There is no individual better than an ex – prisoner to be able to know and understand the true meaning of freedom. The thought of the raw sense of freedom upon release, a feeling that I have not personally experienced, is so powerful and challenges what most people’s definition of freedom is.

Call me pensive but the last two years of my life have awakened me and have made me a better person. The people I work with every day make me a better person. To have experienced such a transformation is heartwarming. A job shouldn’t be undertaken just for monetary gain. A direction in life shouldn’t be pursued just because it is expected of you or because it’s convenient.

I broke my socially expected rules and feel as though I have found freedom to now live my life.

'Our greatest assets are those we seek to give a voice'

Chris Dossett

31/10/2013

‘What’s your story’ the youth wing of User Voice was born in 2011 following a consultation with over 740 young people across England. True to the principles of User Voice, young people themselves took their experiences directly to key decision makers, presenting their findings to Members of Parliament. The organisation has since evolved, engaging with well over 2000 young people with functioning youth advisory groups across the country; most of which I have had the privilege to be involved in. As we enter 2014 there has never been a more important time to give services users a voice and I believe User Voice is the most equip to do so.

The successive government now admits “we did a great job punishing people, we did a great job with crime going down and we did a poor job reforming people. We need to make sure there is mentoring, a buddying system, giving probation the autonomy they need.” – Sadiq Khan Shadow Justice Secretary (2013). Currently, under Justice Secretary Chris Grayling the criminal justice system is being privatised, untested on a scale not seen anywhere else in the world. Therefore, it is now more important than ever to monitor impact on services users. User Voice is the mechanism in which to do so as it exists to bridge the once vacuum between those who decide policy and those that experience it. Offering some of the most excluded people in our society to have a say over decisions that affect their lives.

Having worked across the youth service, youth offending service and on the troubled families agenda, as well as studying participation; never have I seen such genuine empowerment as witnessed since joining User Voice 6 months ago. I contribute this to our model of engagement and that User Voice lives its values as an organisation; employing those who have been through the criminal justice system. This is unique as it is apparent through the entire organisation from the CEO, to management, right to the front line. In doing so User Voice has developed a team with genuine expertise and experience of the problems we seek to solve, creating genuine passion and understanding which lacks in other organisations. 

With a democratic progress of engagement I have witnessed young people empowered and able to offer some of the most insightful understanding to offending I have ever heard. With such strong values through our organisation I see our staff motivating institutions and our many partners within the criminal justice system; enabling them to better understand the experiences of the very people they are employed to work with.

Whilst I remain optimistic, not everyone believes in giving us a voice, nor anyone who has ever offended. Our journey as an organisation must continue as we produce growing evidence that our model works and we continue to challenge the very culture of our institutions and society.

I would like to conclude by stating that our greatest assets are those we seek to give a voice, those who are turning their experiences of crime into positive, beneficial and lasting change for others. I feel deeply privileged to have the opportunity to learn from them every day. 

The Pressures of Making a Quick Buck...

Peter Nzekwu
25/10/2013

I come from a place where most of the illegal activities I was involved in were usually done for one reason and one reason only...money! Immigration problems stopped me from working and making money legally so I had to find as many other ways of doing so as possible.

Understanding that most young people are confronted with situations unique to each person, and that that is what leads them into a life of crime, is very important.

Some offend for money, some offend to look cool and others offend just because they don't feel like there's anything better for them to do.

What it is that we need to get through to these young people is that: easy come, easy go!

Young people are very impressionable and will usually see something they like, admire or want, but underestimate how much actually needs to be done in order to achieve their goals.

The concept that anything worth doing is worth doing properly, is one that young people can greatly benefit from.

The key is not to expect too much of young people but rather to hope that they broaden their horizons, as they are still developing as a person and need room to learn from their own mistakes. 

The ones who are more mature in their attitude towards life and the idea of volunteering should, in my opinion, be rewarded for this with paid opportunities. Mainly because young people need financial stability just as much as adults.

Provide young people with more to gain and I guarantee our young people army grows faster than imagined.

'We are like a family, we look out for one another and work as a team, helping others have a voice'

Gail Bland

14/10/2013

My name is Gail, I am an ex-offender and I have worked for User Voice since January 2012 as a Programme Manager setting up and developing a service user council within probation. Also, I deliver a peer mentoring accredited training programme to service users who will then mentor other service users.

Employment for people with criminal records is very difficult especially in today’s current economic climate.  Employers seem to shy away from employing ex-offenders, very often their CV’s go straight in the bin; they don’t seem to be able to look beyond the offence.

I committed a crime 12 years ago and received a 12 month sentence suspended for 2 years.  My experience of probation back then was not a very good one, there was help available but the organisations giving this help and support only seemed interested in ticking a box to say that they had worked with an ex-offender, they often classed a conversation as support.  I often think what if User Voice had been around 10 years ago, personally I wish it had.  I have seen a change in probation's attitudes towards service users.

I was fortunate that I was able to keep my job after being given my sentence, my problems started when this organisation went into administration.  I was out of work for 2 years, applying for all sorts of jobs, the rejection was terrible, this left me feeling depressed and worthless.  When I did get an interview they focused on my offence, and then I heard nothing from them.

I was given a break by an old work colleague who knew all about my offence, this made me feel great again; it was with a charity that trained and gave work placements to ex-offenders and those coming to the end of their prison sentences.  At last a job to help others in a similar position, or so I thought.  Some members of staff gave me a hard time, they went to the board asking that I be finished as I had a criminal record how ironic when these were people supposedly helping offenders and ex-offenders, they did not get their way.  I will never ever forget that experience and don’t want to see others experience it.  I stuck it out and I left when I wanted to leave I did not let them force me out.

I am really privileged and honoured to work for User Voice, the staff all have a vast amount of experience, knowledge and passion and the one thing that really sticks out for me is nobody judges you, we are like a family we look out for one another and work as a team, helping others have a voice.  I love my job, and the service users I work with are fantastic, it's great to see them gaining confidence and belief and becoming stronger each day.  

'It's fair to say if you do the crime you do the time, but how the time is spent will determine whether or not they will serve further time in prison'

Tanayah Sam

09/10/2013

For the past 20 months I’ve had the privilege of being a Programme Manager for User Voice. 

I facilitate three Prison Councils, which requires me to work inside those establishments four days a week. The job at times can be challenging but even more rewarding. User Voice Prison Council is not just a means for Prisoners to have their voices heard, but also at times it has enabled prison staff to have their voices heard also. 

It’s been three years since I was released from prison having served a 9 year prison sentence. The irony of it is the jail for which I received the 9 year sentence is the jail I now spend two days a week in facilitating the User Voice Prison Council and its Director was the Governor of one the jails I served time in on that sentence.

Since my release I’ve always had a strong desire to be involved in an organisation that pushed for a service user response within the criminal justice system. Facilitating space for co-production, enabling the service user and service provider to have dialogue to create better opportunities for rehabilitation and showcase desistance. 

It’s fair to say if you do the crime you do the time. But how the time is spent for many will determine whether or not they will serve further time in prison in their future. Only offenders can stop offending so the service user should have a voice in how best services can provide a meaningful service to help them break the cycle. 

"We are the vehicle for the young people; we carry their voices and their courage to the decision makers"

Ricky Sykes
09/09/2013

Hi, my name is Ricky and I work for User Voice as an Assistant Programme Manager, working on youth projects.

To find myself working with User Voice has been a great inspirational journey; day in and day out I still feel the privilege of working on my passion which is supporting young people.

For many years as I ground away at life with the little wisdom I had, I would ask myself time and time again, why do things keep going wrong?  Why do I find myself making the same mistakes over and over again, finding myself in situations and places surrounded with the same people making the same mistakes as I was? It wasn’t until coming to work with User Voice that I got my answers to the numerous why’s that I had asked myself over and over. I now understand that it was to give me that depth, that understanding and that energy to help transform Young People’s lives through my own experience of challenges, victories and failures.  I now find I am able to truly relate with the struggles these young people are facing daily, (and the direction they are heading in), if they aren’t to receive the support, understanding and care they so need.

To be a part of a team of people with the same passion and drive as myself at User Voice is also a privilege I find myself in every day of the  week,  as we come together to bring about change.  We are the vehicle for the young people; we carry their voices and their courage to the decision makers who then get the opportunity to hear from young people first hand; their struggles, desires, and their ambition, as they try to positively affect their own and their peer’s lives despite the challenging environments they face daily.

I believe that Young People should be allowed their mistakes; I explain to them that this doesn't mean I don’t want them to make the right choices but I do respect their personal journeys.  They may stumble, but that isn't necessarily a reflection of the quality of the work being done with the individual. I try to remain open minded and non-judgmental allowing young people the room to make mistakes and to grow from them; they know that I will be there for them regardless and that I value them.

‘’The proof is in the pudding!” so they say, well if that’s the case then I have tasted some pretty tasty proof puddings whilst being at User Voice!  My colleagues and I have witnessed some amazing transformations take place in the many Youth Offending Services we have worked in. To witness the change in character from the young people as they really feel listened to, valued and respected is amazing and never fails to remind me of why I work with User Voice.

My thanks to all the User Voice team and young people that I've worked with for your trust and belief that things can get better as long as we keep  believing  in people.

I will continue to do my best to bring about positive change as I work here at User Voice and as I gain more privileges meeting more young people and the professionals working with them, and enjoy my journey and learning that is never ending.

Poetic Justice

Shauna Dacres

30/08/2013

One wrong mistake took me out; I felt that I was drowning in the mist of my tears when the judge sentenced me to 5 years imprisonment. I felt this way because I saw my life flash before me. Every second, every minute, of every day, I felt that I wasted the last years of my teenage years being in prison and not doing anything remotely constructive. I remember I was put on a ‘Restorative Justice’ course: Sycamore Tree. I knew nothing about this; the only indication of what was meant by the word ‘restorative’ was to amend.

I started the course thinking that it would not benefit me. However, I found that it had helped me to help myself in dealing with the hurt and pain that I caused my family and me; I learnt to accept.

The course was designed to raise victim awareness and also to bring the offender face to face with the victim so that they could have their questions answered with an apology. This was a unique opportunity for the victim and the offender to communicate so they both could find closure and move forward.

During the course I found useful tools that would help me to understand how my actions can and would affect those around me.  For example, the ‘ripple’ effect, this was demonstrated by the offender dropping a coin in a pool of water which would then create ripples throughout the pool. The coin represented me and the ripples where my actions and each ripple got bigger as the coin sank.

From that day on my outlook on life changed, I had more consideration for others, I cared about what people felt or thought. Most of all I cared about what I had put my family thought. Desperately trying to gain the respect and trust from my family especially my mum, I made a conscious decision that when I left prison I would try my best to help young people from going to prison and wasting their teenage years, as I knew having been locked up day after day, and night after night. This was no life for a young person who hasn’t lived or seen the world. There was more to life than just sleeping, there was more to life than just 4 walls and a small window that I could hardly stick one leg out of. There was more to life than looking at walls with disturbing thoughts of previous prisoners.

I wished and hope for the day I walked to freedom, I wish for the words ‘you’re free to go’. I often thought to myself, once I’m free what as the future got in store for me? Will I ever find employment? Will they accept me for me? Will I ever put the past behind me and will I cope?

Lo and behold I was free, after serving a two and a half year sentence. Upon release I had set myself targets that would help me get back on track and start my life again. I was lucky enough to have the help of service providers who helped me find employment. I had been short listed to go for an interview for a social enterprise scheme CanDo Coffee, who wanted to offer employment to people who had been involved with the criminal justice system. I was happy for the opportunity of employment and because they cared to help those with a criminal conviction, and I accepted the position as a Coffee vendor. Unbeknown to me the work I wanted to get involved with was a stone’s throw away from me, at User Voice! This gave me the pleasure of working on the Youth Team as a Youth Engagement Coordinator. Carrying out the responsibility of this role has enabled me to help young people to engage in positive and meaningful activities. It also allows me to share the journey that I have been on at such a young age. If I can reach out to one individual and make a difference in their day to day life then for me it is job done.

This is my blog...

Joanna Stabler
27/08/2013

To be forgiven.  Without judgement or blame.  To forgive myself.  Space to be honest with weaknesses.  Accept and be accepted by others without pretence. To be given another chance.   To see the best in everyone.  To be a friend you want to be, without ‘something’ holding you back. Accomplish balance.  Overcome embarrassment.  Listen as well as to be listened to.  Be open to the outcome.

This is me, or who I want to be

I try, I fail, and I learn & give it another go

This is me, this is User Voice?
This is why I believe

I’m not an expert, and will never pretend to be, but I do have belief.

That’s my passion, this is my blog!!!

Rehabilitation and Santa Claus; what's the difference?

Zoe Kennerson

19/8/2013

One is a social concept constructed on the understanding that hard work and behavioural change can reap benefit and reward, however is dismissed by many who doubt evidence of its existence…..the other is a fictional character created to encourage compliance.

So do we believe in rehabilitation?  Do we believe in change?

As an ex-offender and an ex-addict I believe! I believe that I am evidence that people can change, and that not only does rehabilitation exist, it is possible.

I began working for User Voice in October 2012 as a Programme Manager on a Peer Mentoring Project. It was during this work that I began to wonder if others shared my belief and recognised the potential in people and the power of change.

Criminal Justice Services seek not only to punish people who break the law, but to aid rehabilitation and support change. Surely for this to be achieved we need to believe it is possible?

So is rehabilitation real or just another myth like Santa Claus?

We often hear people talk about change, reform, desistance and rehabilitation. We see services strive to achieve and sell the benefits of reform. But do they really believe in it, that it truly exists?

Mum’s, Dads, Grandparents, Aunties and Uncles all tell their young children about Santa. “Be good” they say, “Santa is watching!”   They spend lots of money on presents (to hide and pretend Santa delivered) and they prepare for his arrival on Christmas Eve. Like those trying to support people to rehabilitate, a lot of effort and energy is put into Santa, all the right things are said and done, but his actual existence is still dis-believed. A whimsy for children who know no better!

So how do we make people believe? Not just say they believe, but actually believe! We show them. We show them that not only does it exist, it works!!!

Through my work at User Voice I have been lucky enough to meet lots of rehabilitated “ex-offenders” who have made changes to their lives and are committed to helping others to do the same. My role includes training and supporting peer mentors to provide a service to people in the Criminal Justice System. I see rehabilitated people on a daily basis and my observations tell me that rehabilitation is real! I am fortunate enough to be in a position that enables me to see past the statistics.

The people I work with are evidence of change, the living proof! Not only have they been successful in not re-offending, but they offer hope and inspiration to others who wish to change.

It is human nature that if you are going to try something new (always a daunting prospect when hard work is involved), you look to others who have already done it, to give you some advice and guidance. Surely it makes sense that this opportunity should be available for those looking to stop offending.  Having a peer mentor who has rehabilitated and understands the dynamics of change can be so beneficial for marginalised individuals who want to change. I work with peer mentors who on a daily basis make a conscious decision to live their lives in a different way. These people are thoughtful, insightful, reflective, self-aware, sharing and hard working.

Peer mentoring is a powerful service that contributes towards the reduction of reoffending by providing an opportunity for people to share their own experiences and support others who are in situations they have experienced.

Peer mentoring in criminal justice services is the evidence base that change and rehabilitation are possible.

Of paramount importance, peer mentoring is about belief.  I like my colleagues at User Voice and the team of peer mentors I support, all believe in rehabilitation. We believe it, because we have lived it!   And we believe that the people we work with can achieve it too….… 

An insight into two weeks work experience at User Voice

Jude Jubey
12/8/2013

Speaking at the Criminal Justice Convention 2013

Week 1, Monday

I was in a meeting with Bob Ashford, who is running an organisation called Wipe the Slate Clean. They are trying to get people that have committed a crime years ago that was seen to be a minor offence to have it removed from their history. This I felt was very interesting because it’s one thing that is very close to my heart, because I hope one day I could have my own slate wiped clean.

Later that day I was in a preparation meeting about going to see the MP Jeremy Wright on the rehabilitation of prisoners. This was very interesting because the new plans mean that a lot of things are changing, and I felt that it if the government did it the wrong way things could get much worse.  That meeting went on for a long time, I got to meet council members from all over the country and we all realised that most of the time people are facing the same kind of issues just in different places.

Week 1, Tuesday

We went to the Ministry of Justice and we all made our points to the MP. I felt happy that everyone got a word in, and I hope that he took what we said into consideration, only time will really tell.

Then we went to a meeting at London Probation to talk about what happened and how we felt it went. This was very interesting because I was able to see how everything works and develop a better understanding.

Week 1, Wednesday

I was at a meeting with the head of London Probation, Mark Johnson and Daniel Hutt. They talked about the benefits that User Voice has been able to bring to the trust through elected council members within Probation. 

Then we went to a Cando Coffee meeting with What If, we were looking at the branding and what kind of message Cando want to give out to their customers. Being a social enterprise they have to be very careful because some people don’t know what it is and will think it’s just another charity.

Then we had another meeting right afterwards with one of the board members looking at the structure of User Voice and how the board works, and this gave me a much deeper understanding of how big User Voice really is and how big it’s grown in such a sort time. This for a charity I think is an amazing thing because it just shows how different they are to many of the other organisations that work within the criminal justice system.

Week 2, Monday

I was at the office helping to map out Southwark to make sure that we understand what things are being offered to young people. I enjoyed it because I was able to learn so much about the different organisations within my area.

Week 2, Wednesday

We went to meet the young people at Tower Hamlets Youth Offending Service and we took them for some lunch, and I had a talk with one of the young people about what she wants to do. I showed her that there are apprenticeships that she could get involved in and I called one of my contacts that work in Channel 4 Apprenticeships and she gave me the link to what was left on offer and I passed the information on.  This I hoped would help her to do something really good with her time. There is something about helping people that I enjoy and I really think is vital in life because when you give you feel so much better.

Week 2, Thursday

I was with Mifta and Shauna at Southwark feeding back to the Youth Advisory Group on what I had been getting up to on my work experience and showing them that it really is an amazing door that User Voice opens to you and it’s always about you being able to show people that you are a capable person.

The week was an amazing insight to how User Voice works and how much change they are making to the criminal justice system, and this I think is an amazing thing because it really does need a change and only offenders can stop re-offending. It also showed me that I had the skills to influence people in a positive way to see how by helping us you will be helping so many more people.

I want to thank everyone for giving me the chance to do my work experience at such an amazing place, it really opened my mind and gave me so much energy and drive being around such wonderful and inspirational people. 

Why learning is fundamental to rehabilitation

Stephen Akpabio (LL.M)
6/8/2013

In June 2002, I was convicted of a drug related offence. Although this was my first conviction, it was serious enough to warrant a long custodial sentence.

My first impression of incarceration was that it was quite simply, a complete waste of time. The exception was if you were able to do something meaningful with that time. There was limited choice available as one would expect but education was available. Knowing I faced at least eight years inside, it seemed worthwhile for me to concentrate my efforts on self-development. After all, being in prison was ample evidence of my failure as a criminal. My focus became self-education and self-development.

I completed my first course in 2003, my first degree in 2008, my first Master’s degree in 2009 and my second in 2010. I recall often being asked by both prison staff and my peers what I planned to do after my studies given that a criminal conviction is a bar to most types of employment. Admittedly, at the time I did not know. What I did know was that the process of learning in and of itself provides benefits which include improving self-esteem and self-confidence, opportunities to network and meet new people, participation in a positive and rewarding activity, and perhaps, employment! 

Quite apart from the qualifications, it is the process of learning that is important. Learning is part and parcel of our daily lives and we learn new things every day. The ability to read is something most people learn at a young age. However, some service users lack the ability to read, often through no fault of their own.

Nevertheless, the consequences of lacking the ability to read can be debilitating and can impact negatively on people’s lives. That is why I am delighted to be involved with a national charity, User Voice, as a Programme Manager. User Voice is a charity that is led in the main by ex-service users (80% of frontline staff) and we are working in partnership with London Probation Trust to deliver a Reading Peer Mentoring Programme, Toe-by-Toe, in the community. We aim to help those who lack the ability to read learn how to read with the aid of a specially developed Reading Plan and the support of their peers. The Reading Plan has been developed over a 25 year period and is currently being delivered in 97% of prisons in the UK. Its success in prisons is one reason why we plan to deliver the Reading Plan (Toe by Toe) in communities across London.

This fantastic project has benefits all round. For the participants, they learn to: read - with all the benefits that brings, while society stands to benefit from reduced reoffending, active citizens positively engaging with their communities, contributions to the local economy due to improved employment prospects for participants, etc. For both ex-service users and society, it is truly a win-win situation.

User Voice has been the key to the windows that are my eyes

Rebecca Page
29/07/2013

User Voice has undoubtedly been the key to the windows that are my eyes!

I spent the best part of my working career which spanned over 13 years in a highly corporate, selfish, closed minded, ugly environment, where you either eat or be eaten. During my time within this industry I believed this environment was second to none. Everyone in it, including myself was superior to all others, and money and power was the answer to everything.

After perhaps 2 years in, the processes, policies, discipline and ‘take no prisoners’ (excuse the pun) mentality which bound me, were indeed almost like chains. At the time of course, I found this to be powerful, and people that worked for me often found themselves at the sharp end of my greed and zero tolerance. All because I wanted / needed / was told that I had to be the best. This ugly trait that was nurtured by this environment which conditioned me seemed to happen without me even realising. At the top and still climbing towards Regional Management – I single-handedly caused myself to fall and to lose everything.

That was just a snap shot of my life – then.  As a woman the journey I went on which brought me to the present day was undeniably shattering, together with insurmountable shame. Behind every offence whatever it may be there is always a deep and complex story which has components of pain, shame and disappointment in equal measures. I definitely felt all of these emotions. For me I literally
accepted my punishment and correction; I had my blinkers on, and perhaps unlike others I did not analyse anything at the time. I did what was required of me. It’s only when that episode of my life was finished that I really analysed and broke down every little detail of myself, my mind and general being, which allowed me to reflect, amend and change. Doing this whilst I was in this nightmare and almost surreal environment would have made me far too vulnerable.

A year and a half on, having been working for User Voice for one year now, I have found all that positive energy and friendly strength which I once knew before my corporate journey. The passion that encompasses every single member of the team (including myself) is electric, and full of warmth and understanding.  Additionally I have been able to transfer a lot of my skills I had gratefully learnt within my previous career (which were acutely identified by my manager Paula Harriott who I find truly inspirational). I like to think I bring a welcomed different dimension to the team, by managing our vastly experienced London based Programme Managers, as well as the delivery and implementation of all our London Projects.  The platform that User Voice provides every single day to people that are ready within themselves, and that do wish to make a difference to their own lives is priceless.

I wake up every day knowing that there is a real possibility that I or any member of the team will help someone to see that re-offending is a dead end, and equally potentially highlight to one of the many services that the time and effort they put in is not a waste. Re-offending can be reduced.

Only by ensuring that service users are involved in the decision making process will enable this to happen.

I wanted to work with young people to allow them to make positive choices which will help them in life

Mifta Choudhury

22/07/2013

I joined User Voice almost 11 months ago working on the Youth Programmes. I deliver the Youth Councils and Advisory Group projects across London and also support staff on the adult community side with Peer Mentoring.

User Voice is unique because of the staff who work here and the holistic support it gives to service users.

I spent the best part of my life in prison. One of the things that I saw was that people kept coming back; I saw people who got out of prison after being inside for two or three years and down the line I would bump into them again, I would think to myself why have they come back into prison?

When we had a catch up and a chat I would ask them about why they were back in prison and they would tell me that they had no help or support outside once they had left jail, they were back on streets doing what they had to do to survive… I remember the same people saying to me, I’m not coming back to jail! In the end it was thanks to those people that I decided to get an education while I was in prison.

I decided that I wanted to work with young people to help them, to support and guide them and allow them to make positive choice’s which will help them in life.  It’s not my job to impose my values or beliefs on the young people I work with, but I use my learning experiences to inspire these young people onto a better future.

I find that the young people I work with at User Voice are innovative, resilient and passionate about making change, once you get to know them!  They see you for who you are and once you have built the relationship with them you get to see this passion and drive. We have some great conversations and other times we have a really good laugh!

The young people I've been working with are now the leaders of their Youth Council/Advisory Groups, and now being accredited as Peer Mentors. They have learned to manage and balance their life to extent where they now turn up for meetings on time and can commit themselves to helping to change local services and the community and look at life in a different way. 

I don’t think this is just down to me; it is by the young people learning, adapting and by having absolute consistency from User Voice staff who provide a holistic, caring approach to working with these young people.

The impact that criminal convictions can have on employment prospects

Bob Ashford
15/07/2013

The first week I joined User Voice I went to a staff business development day. At the start of the day everyone introduced themselves and talked about their previous offences openly. This was unlike anything I had experienced before and when it came to myself I shared my background in Youth Offending teams and the Youth Justice Board from the delivery as opposed to the service user perspective. 

I did though share the two offences I had committed 46 years ago as a 13 year old- producing a mix of astonishment and wry amusement among the people there as the offences were so minor. Did they count I wondered?

Several months later I had to resign as the Police and Crime Commissioner candidate for Avon and Somerset because of those two offences. This was when it hit me that yes those offences did matter, and 46 years later were still capable of stopping me doing something I felt passionate about.

I then remember coming into the office just days after I resigned and was cheered by everyone for being so public and campaigning against the injustice which affects everyone with a criminal convictions.

Last week I found myself sharing the platform at the Criminal Justice Conference 2013 with Jude Jubey, a young man who has been a member of Southwark Youth Advisory Group which has been facilitated by User Voice. The subject was the impact that criminal convictions can have on employment prospects. 

Jude spoke eloquently on his own experiences as a young black guy from Southwark, the problems he had and the aspirations he held. I then spoke, a middle aged, middle class white guy, on my experiences and those of the many hundreds who have contacted me with their own personal stories which have come about as result of their criminal convictions. 

The contrast couldn't have been greater between the two of us, and yet in many ways the thing that joined us together, and the many others who weren't in that room, is the way society sees the offence and not the individual behind that offence. 

That is the real tragedy and why together with User Voice we are challenging and changing perceptions and practice. That’s why it means so much to me to be a part of the team.