A window into LandWorks

Next Friday is my last … I get released from prison and I’m looking forward to that. I’ve got a good set of people to go to. I’ve got a lot of support. Obviously, I feel a bit anxious in different areas. Even though, as I’ve said before, there’s a lot of loss. By actually getting out, you feel that loss again, which is quite powerful within itself. It makes you feel sad, lonely, all that sort of stuff.

The best thing about it, obviously, is I’ve got some good people that I’m living with. I’ve got some good friends that are supporting me. I know when I come to LandWorks that I’ve got a structure for me, which will give me consistency and it’s a start of a very big journey. The start of a new life. When you say that, it’s quite powerful within itself. It’s a good thing. Sometimes I get a little bit fearful about it, but that’s ok. The last few weeks I’ve been doing cooking with different people. I’ve really liked that. Out of everything I’ve done, I think I like that one the most. That’s a surprise because I remember once before my mum was surprised when I made a cup of tea once. Now I’m cooking meals. So, I’m really pleased about that…

I’ve been doing little bits of woodwork with Graham in the workshop. I helped to make the benches. We made half-a-dozen picnic benches and we had to cut them to size, put them together. Yes, that was alright. I enjoyed doing that. Graham is quite patient. He doesn’t shout. He’s fine. He’s as good as gold like that. He’s really supportive and he knows that I struggle with stuff I haven’t done before. So, that’s really good. But, everybody’s like that here, especially if you ask for help, they’re there straight away for you, which is really good…

I tell you what I found really difficult, it was a real struggle for me, is getting all this paperwork ready for when I come out, for all the benefits and things like that. I actually thought I’d just get released, they’d give me a bit of paper and go down to wherever and they’d go “yes, that’s it”. I knew I had to fill in a couple of forms, but I didn’t realise it was going to be quite so… I didn’t even know my National Insurance number. We had to go and find it and all that sort of stuff. I was getting frustrated with that. It’s lucky I had Sue around me that contacted people. I wouldn’t of had a clue how to do any of it. I’m so grateful that I’ve got that support because I don’t know how I would’ve managed on my own.

When you leave prison, all they do is, you go and see the Job Centre woman, who I saw the other day, she came here to see me which was quite handy, and she filled in some forms, but this is just for my Job Seekers. It had nothing to do with housing and that. Then she sends these forms off. Apparently because I’m just coming out of prison, I’m vulnerable, so it gets fast-tracked through a team or something. All the housing stuff and things like that, I would’ve had to of done myself. I don’t even know where the ‘housing’ is. I presume that’s the Council.

I think I’m a low-risk offender. I’ve seen a couple of lads being released lately and if they’re ‘no fixed abode’… Things are in such a pickle that people are struggling. They just haven’t got the staff…  We’re just numbers, as a rule, we’re just numbers. Don’t get me wrong, you’ve got some staff that will bend over backwards for you and help you, but as a rule, things just seem to be getting worse and worse. Take this week, I’m lucky I’m out here working. Most of the jail is shut up because of all the stuff that’s going on with the staff, there’s not enough people because they’re all sick or something.”