“I’m coming out to LandWorks on the understanding from the prison staff who have said it will be very beneficial for me. I class myself as a hard worker, but I wanted to explore a bit more about LandWorks and I’ve heard of opportunities of work on release, contacts that you lot have, the work … More Eric says: “I need to get back in the swing of things for work”
“I’ve been here four weeks. My views on this place and the ethos and what I’ll get out of it has certainly changed. It’s taken me four weeks to suss everyone out… I’ve been doing the pots for two weeks. I thought, the first two I did, when I did them I thought “they’re s@*#t”, … More Quentin says: “I’m very apprehensive about what happens when I get out, employment wise. I’m going to be restricted to what I can do…”
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 … More Jarvis says: “I’m so grateful that I’ve got that support because I don’t know how I would’ve managed on my own…”
“What’s been happening? I’m just doing the same really. I’m just learning the gardens with Mon. I work on my own. She’s teaching me the seasons, she’s trying to teach me a whole year’s cycle so that if I wanted to have a job doing it, I’d know how to do it from start to … More Benny says: “prisoners in prison just tell it how it is…”
People say to me “why did you do it?”, I said “greed at the end of the day”, that’s the bottom line, didn’t have to do it, but the opportunity was there. But, I’m not coming back to prison. No chance. but I never knew the implications, how long you’d get… I’ve done what I’ve … More George says: “Are people going to want to talk to you if you’ve been in prison?”
I’m fortunate my time in prison, it’s coming to an end. It’s getting close to the end. A few more bullets to dodge yet… What I’m looking forward to most is to be able to drop my guard and relax. You’re so guarded all the time. To actually be able to relax, even when you … More Frankie says: “What I’m looking forward to most is to be able to drop my guard and relax…”
I suppose one of the things I’d like to try and get across is how easy it is to actually end up in prison. Most people assume that you’ve done something to go to prison. Well, I did nothing to go to prison. Some of my staff didn’t do enough which is why I gone … More Frankie says: “Coming out to LandWorks has been a breath of fresh air…”
I think it’s important to say that I’ve been a long-term criminal most of my life. I’ve come to a stage in my life that I’ve had enough. I’ve hurt so many people, including myself. All the relationships that I’ve had with my children… I haven’t been there for anybody really. Then, obviously, there’s all … More Jarvis says: “It makes me anxious just to do that normal stuff…”
It wasn’t until I was doing some groups in jail and this is pretty much my only real jail sentence… I was doing a group, we used to do a group every two-weeks together, like a ‘smart’ group and it wasn’t until we were picking holes in my sort of life, that I realised the … More Peter says: “So, I think ending up in jail… it done me a favour, really…”
“It’s really nice for me to be able to do a talk on Supporters Day, and that’ll be a good opportunity for me to say how grateful I am. I think everyone loves a happy ending, don’t they? Compared to when I first came here, if anyone said that to me then, I’d be like … More Brett says: “it’s been the best time of my life really because I’ve finally managed to get clean after all those years of trying…”
A window into LandWorks 