“I’m going home as you know, I’m going home at the weekend and I’m out in about six weeks. And as great as that is, and it is great, it’s fantastic, but it brings a whole new set of fears that I didn’t know about, that no-one tells you about. You just think you’re going … More Quentin says: “I never want prison to be normal…”
“When I come out of prison I’ve got somewhere to live. I’m hoping to go back to teaching if I can. I used to do that and loved it. If I can’t do that or I need to earn money from day one, then the answer is I don’t really know. I’ve got a couple … More Benny Says: “I’m not broken, I’m just changing. I am transforming…”
“It’s a learning curve. If I was bitter and angry, I wouldn’t be on the resettlement wing and coming out here. I’ve come through the whole system, not one nicking, haven’t even said ‘boo’ to a goose… When I actually get released in December, I leave on the Friday and I start work on the … More Lee says: “As soon as you say you’re an ex-convict, “next”, that’s the way it goes…”
“What have I done since January? Planters, been building planters. They’ve been selling, none left, all sold. Picnic-benches, they’ve gone. Mirrors… I had a counselling session with Becca and she was going through these stones … where were you before you went to prison? where are you in prison? where were you during prison? where … More George says: “Prison has made me a better person…”
“I was homeless and I was robbing from shops to feed myself and stuff like that and I got caught. That’s how I ended up going to court and then coming here. That’s how it went down really… I was homeless for about a year. I was verified homeless in [Town]. Verified means if someone … More Dimone says: “Learn to bloom as you put it. I’m blooming with my cooking…”
“I was brave enough to get out of an abusive relationship and then just so fortunate to have been pointed towards this project. It’s just been miraculous. The support network and everything is so positive, instead of putting you down and being badged as this or that. It’s great I’m out and the fact I … More Helen says: “I want to move forward and being here makes me feel positive in moving forward all the time..”
“There are the things that the courts never gets to hear, because the police say you are this, this is what you are. I’m a hard-working person and this is what I do, but all they heard was ‘this is what he is’ and ‘that’s what he is’ and ‘this is because we think this’. … More Lee says: “For 18 months I’ve been sat in that prison with a stagnant mind. I need something to do and here it is…”
“There’s a lot of stress when you go out on town visits from prison, because there’s a massive build-up to it in anticipation, and it can be an anti-climax. You get your few hours and within a blink, it’s gone. There is a lot of stress for everyone who’s involved. It’s a medal, it’s a … More Benny says: “What I have learnt is life outside of prison goes twice as fast as life inside prison…”
“I’m nearly leaving now, what a gang of people you’ve got out here. They’ve not just helped me, they’ve helped me in ways I didn’t think I could possibly be helped. Being a heroin addict for 30 years and coming out of myself within five months, I didn’t think could be possible. So, I feel … More Eric says: “I’m nearly mended”
“I think a lot of people are a bit wary about picking up prisoners, but that didn’t faze me at all. I’ve worked with people before who’ve been in prison. People have made mistakes and that’s life, isn’t it? We all make mistakes. People say to me “why are you driving prisoners?”, like it’s something … More Ernie says: “I think a lot of people are a bit wary about picking up prisoners…”
A window into LandWorks 