I’m out of prison, but I’ve been given no support to rebuild my life | Letter

Letter: A former prisoner says that unless the government offers meaningful housing and employment help to those leaving prison, they will end up back there

I agree with John Podmore’s comments on prisoners (Letters, 18 March), but they do not go far enough in addressing what happens after release. As a former prisoner who spent five and a half years in custody, I can say plainly that support on release is almost nonexistent.

People talk about rehabilitation, but in reality you are released back into society with little more than a reporting requirement and the expectation that you somehow rebuild your life from nothing.

In my case, I left prison having lost every asset I owned at the age of 56. Despite holding two degrees and qualifications up to level 7, I have been unable to secure even the most basic employment. I have applied for jobs that require no qualifications at all and still been rejected. When you ask for help, it is simply not there.

Probation, in my experience, amounts to little more than a brief monthly meeting. There is no meaningful assistance with housing, employment, or reintegration. The system monitors you, but it does not support you.

Without the support of my family, I would have had no safety net at all. Many others do not have that luxury, and it is no surprise that people fall back into the same cycles that led them to prison in the first place.

If the government is serious about reducing reoffending and violence, it must address this reality. Until there is genuine, practical support for people leaving prison, the system will continue to fail those inside it and the wider public.
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