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.
No comments:
Post a Comment