In-career-ceration

I recently read an article about prison and prisoners of which I don't want to say I was shocked or surprised by because that would be the wrong choice of wording to use. I suppose the best description, and I'm going back on myself slightly, would be that the article left me feeling pleasantly surprised. …

A reflection of Perth et al.

To celebrate becoming a director on the board of Starting Step I wanted to do, as such anyway, something a little different. I decided to do what I usually do and take a look back at one of the prisons with whom Starting Step will initially be working. It is slightly different as, although reflections …

Change the headlines!

I believe, that in order to change the misconceptions and negative perspectives, of which society has many in relation to our criminal justice system, we need to change the headlines. I was taken aback this weekend when I went to double check my spelling of a name before commenting on a related post on LinkedIn. …

Perspectives

Moral Panic Theory Or as I like to call it Media Hype Frenzy. Please take a moment to allow your mind to bring to its front our criminal justice system, although once I have finished you may see things differently in respect of how you see or even read things. The concept of moral panic …

Reading? Why?

I have spoken many times, and on a variety of platforms, about my role as a Shannon Trust mentor. When I look back on my time as a mentor, which I do regularly, I always have a little reflective smile to myself. Not just because of the wonderful feelings you get from giving back but …

Basic to Boardroom

Those days are passed now And in the past they must remain But we can still rise now And be the nation again So, why is this half English, half Welsh former prisoner opening a blog with lines from the Scottish Anthem ‘O flower of Scotland’? Well, first I’d like to introduce a company by …

A Private Education

I am not writing this to attract praise, far from it. I have that in abundance from those I choose to have around me. My inner circle so to speak. My reason for writing this and anything else I pen is more about highlighting #WhatCanBe rather than #LookAtMe. I suppose in a way it is …

Book NOW!!!!!!

Along with "if you can't do the time don't do the crime", the term "prison is like a holiday camp" are two phrases that if I'm honest used to be like a red rag to a bull and with steam emanating from my ears I'd violently type my retort. Nowadays though, I just snort my …

Where’s it all heading?

Bit of a long blog I'm afraid, however, I'd like to think the end justifies the means. I've mentioned on a number of occasions about how one of my coping mechanisms when things in the brain department need a tidy up is to be creative. I pick up a pen and paper and whatever comes …

It takes a village!

When we reflect, look back at history it provides us with an opportunity to not only see where things went wrong and learn from the mistakes but to also see what went right and to learn from the lessons. A part of HMP Brixton's history provides us with evidence of #whatcanbe when the local community …