Friday 30 August 2013

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.


Tuesday 27 August 2013

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 balanceOvercome embarrassmentListen 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!!!

Monday 19 August 2013

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….… 


Monday 12 August 2013

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. 

Tuesday 6 August 2013

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.