Pictured ( from left ): Mike Thomas , Chris Franks , and Neville Brooks outside HMP Prescoed . |
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‘ I expressed an interest in working with clients on the criminal justice side , as they ’ re going through what I ’ ve been through .’
that the person I was 20 years ago is the real better person .’
Very early into his prison sentence , Billy decided to be ‘ proactive and make some changes ’ with the first step being giving up cocaine . He then became the healthcare orderly at HMP Cardiff , which involved sorting out laundry , serving food , general cleaning , and helping the nurses with anything that wasn ’ t clinical . He also trained as a Samaritan and became the listening coordinator in the prison .
The positive changes Billy made saw him put on a release on temporary licence ( ROTL ),
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which is an important part of the process for the resettlement and rehabilitation of prisoners coming close to the end of their sentences . It gives them the chance to organise work , housing and re-establish relationships with families and their communities .
Billy ’ s first job on the ROTL was working for DHL , packing shopping – before he heard about the CHASE programme from two friends and realised it was an amazing opportunity . However , despite being accepted on the course , it looked like he might have to pull out due to an unfortunate incident .
‘ About two weeks after I started at Turning Point , I actually fell in the prison and broke my leg , shattering it just below the knee . I had 12 individual fractures in my tibia and fibula . I was in hospital for six-and-a-half weeks ,’ he says . ‘ I ’ d just started the online induction and training . Chris Franks actually drove from Hereford to the hospital in Newport with a laptop for me so I wouldn ’ t miss out . I did all my induction and training from a hospital bed .’
After completing the course , Billy joined Turning Point in Herefordshire as a trainee recovery worker , and is now a fulltime recovery worker .’ I expressed an interest working with clients on the criminal justice side as they ’ re going through what I ’ ve been through and I thought maybe I could help because I ’ ve got insight into it a little bit ,’ he says .
‘ In my role now , I primarily deal with alcohol treatment requirement ( ATR ) and drug rehabilitation requirement ( DRR ) assessments with clients . My clients are either prison leavers or people who have been given alcohol or drug treatment requirements and are
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on probation . I have three-way meetings with social services , probation and with the courts . Through one-to-one and group sessions , our focus is for clients to reduce and give up their drug or alcohol addiction .’
He also runs a 12-week recovery skills programme ( RSP ) every Tuesday evening , which is a treatment pathway for both alcohol and drugs and we also offer evidence-based treatment for people who are already abstinent or are controlling their use . ‘ We look at coping mechanisms , we look at behaviours , relationships with people , with substances , we talk about different methods of controlling or reducing intake ,’ he says .
Billy is now just a year away from being released . He is happily married to his wife , a schoolteacher , and the pair share a son and are expecting a daughter in a couple of months . He is adamant that there should be more programmes like CHASE , saying that , ‘ Being able to come to work through the CHASE programme , it ’ s opened opportunities that I think are essential ’.
JOHN
Another member of the programme , John , says he ’ s finally found direction in his life thanks to the skills he has learnt through CHASE , which he now puts to use as a recovery worker at Turning Point Herefordshire . The 28-year-old is serving a tenyear sentence for manslaughter which was the culmination of a troubled young life .
‘ I had my stomach pumped at 11-years-old due to alcohol intake ,’ he says . ‘ My mother was a heroin user and an alcoholic and passed away when I was 18 because of a heroin overdose . I
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carried on drinking and taking more drugs until this sentence when I decided enough was enough . I really wanted to change my life and get on the straight and narrow and live a normal life . I put myself into rehab and have not used any drugs or alcohol for several years now .’
John felt the CHASE programme would be perfect for him because it would give him the opportunity to help others , something he says he is passionate about . ‘ Since I ’ ve stopped using drugs , I recognise the damage that it created in my life . I ’ m just so passionate toward helping others ,’ he says . ‘ I work with individuals who are struggling with some form of addiction with alcohol and drugs , some more severe than others . I also run group workshops every Tuesday evening and that ’ s spent delivering an evidence-based programme to clients online .’
He added : ‘ I ’ m forever grateful that the knowledge that I ’ ve gained through the programme was a tremendous step forward for this line of work . I am thankful for the opportunity that was created for me to get this job . I feel like someone has finally given me a chance to move forward in my life without judging me because of what I have done and given me an education and knowledge to achieve in my life . To be able to get paid for doing this and the opportunities that this job has given me is amazing .’
John has his first parole board hearing in August and plans to move from Wales to Hereford to continue working for Turning Point on release .
Some names have been changed for anonymity
Eoin Bolger is regional head of operations at Turning Point
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