Breaking free from the stigma of prison

A charity in Bristol is taking a stand in the battle against youth reoffending by unlocking employment opportunities for those who have been in prison.

64 per cent of all adults leaving jail are reconvicted, and two-thirds of those fail to find work on release.

But Key4Life, an organisation based in Bristol and the South West, strives to better these statistics and the lives of young men bracing the outside world when they finish their sentence.

A charity in Bristol is taking a stand in the battle against youth reoffending by unlocking employment opportunities for those who have been in prison.

64 per cent of all adults leaving jail are reconvicted, and two-thirds of those fail to find work on release. But Key4Life, an organisation based in Bristol and the South West, strives to better these statistics and the lives of young men bracing the outside world when they finish their sentence.

The stigma of having a criminal record limits opportunities for people, but if they enter Key4Life’s program, people are four times more likely to be in employment and four times less likely to re-offend.

Key4Life would like to see employers realise that ex-offenders are a pool of talent and part of the solution to a shortage in skilled staff.

“We want companies in Britain to see the untapped potential and people who’ve come from very deprived communities, many of whom have been in prison and have not had an easy start in life,” said Eva Hamilton MBE, founder and chief executive of the charity.

Describing their employability workshops, Hamilton said: “They are always the most incredible days to see a transformation in a broken human being. Today, they can rebuild themselves in a new way – the change is just extraordinary.”

Source: https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/breaking-free-from-the-stigma-of-prison/

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