Experiencing the criminal justice system from the other side
Nelena Paparisva and her colleagues from PA Consulting volunteered with StandOut at HMP Pentonville last year to support people on the StandOut course develop their CVs. In her blog, she shares her experience - from her unique perspective as a former police officer.
It was a chilly Tuesday morning, and I was on my way to meet the StandOut team at HMP Pentonville for a briefing. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’d signed up to what I thought was an incredible opportunity to volunteer to support men think about employment ahead of release. I certainly felt a strong feeling of purpose, but equally, part of me felt scared to revisit what used to be an active part of my working life as a police officer. Trying to pinpoint my fear, I think it stemmed from the realisation that I would be reminded of the lack of support provided to people leaving prison and the resulting impact.
I don’t think I could count the number of times I witnessed individuals enter the criminal justice system and get stuck in a vicious circle. What’s more, for a number of those individuals that was because of the lack of alternative options.
The StandOut team met me and the rest of the volunteers by HMP Pentonville’s gate and explained how the day would run; we then proceeded through to security checks. We entered the prison’s central wing. The majority of the people in the prison had not yet woken up for the day, so the only sound came from keys rattling on prison staff belts and the opening and closing of heavy metal gates. As we walked through the wing to where the workshops would take place, I turned to look into one of the empty cells. The wall next to the bed was covered in family photos next to what looked like handwritten letters. For a split second I imagined what it would be like not being able to see, or even contact, my family for even a short time and panicked.
We arrived at the classroom where we would spend the next few hours, each of us working with a StandOut Trainee due to be released from prison soon, to help build their CV. The classroom was colourful and welcoming, with a sense of hope. On the walls were various workshop posters made by StandOut Trainees with messaging around a positive mindset and building resilience.
“What shook me the most was how strong his belief was that he had nothing to offer.”
The Trainee I was paired with, who I will refer to as David, came and sat next to me and straight away thanked me for helping him. I asked him what his dream career would be and his response was that he would be willing to do anything that would prevent him from re-entering prison. There was an uncertainty in his voice. We spoke for a few hours, during which he told me about his journey and how difficult it has been for him to break that vicious circle. He felt disappointed in himself for not managing to steer away from the behaviours and situations that have repeatedly brought him back to prison over the last few years and let down by the system for not offering him a supportive platform to move forward. David said that being in prison had become easier. It had become his new way of life and one he was all too used to. Within five minutes of our conversation, he asked me what the best way would be to hide the fact that he has been in prison from his CV, as he felt that this would be the only way for him to ever get employed again. What shook me the most was how strong his belief was that he had nothing to offer.
“He described StandOut as the lifejacket he needed to grab for this to be his ‘last time’ and said how empowered he had felt throughout the course working with the StandOut coaches. It gave him hope that this is genuinely a life he can leave behind for good.”
David had so many skills he didn’t even realise! He had never sat down to think about what his strengths are, what he wants to achieve, and how he wants to use those skills to fulfil his purpose. No one had shown him that it is possible…until he became a StandOut Trainee. He described StandOut as the lifejacket he needed to grab for this to be the ‘last time’ and said how empowered he had felt throughout the course working with the StandOut coaches. It gave him hope that this is genuinely a life he can leave behind for good. It was time to click ‘save’ on David’s CV and say goodbye. He shook my hand firmly and thanked me for helping him “start a new life out of there”.
The work StandOut does cannot be overestimated. David, and thousands of people like him, don’t know how to create a life outside prison. StandOut offers more than a training programme; it offers the foundations to materialise the prospect of a new start.
I walked back to the gate having worked with David to complete his CV and having completed what I can only describe as a successful day at the office!