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