Former inmates trying to rebuild their life after prison can face many obstacles. Adjusting to life outside can be a challenge but finding a job with a criminal record can difficult too.
Samantha Graham, Chief Operating Officer of Clean Sheet, speaks to Christian Today about how the charity is working with inmates even before they leave prison to have the best possible chance of finding employment and making that all important fresh start.
CT: When prisoners are just coming out and making that adjustment to being back in the community, what do they need at that time?
Samantha: It can be really daunting for someone coming out of prison. For someone who's been in multiple times or for a long time, prison might be all they know. In leaving prison, they're going into an unknown environment, and the world may have changed a lot since they went inside. So there can be a lot of apprehension about the future and concern even about whether there will be anyone there to meet them at the gate.
I've worked at Clean Sheet since last September but I've worked in the criminal justice system for over seven years. I remember interviewing one gentleman who said that prison was his world; he felt safe there, he knew who he was and he had status. The idea of coming out and engaging with a society that he felt completely separate from was very hard for him.
CT: Your work with them starts before they even come out of prison. How do you help to get them ready for life outside?
Samantha: Yes, prisons that we have a partnership with will refer someone to us in the last 12 weeks of their sentence and the prison's resettlement team will take them through our membership module. The membership module is focused on work readiness and starting to get them into the mindset of what it means to be in employment. It also gives them an idea of what support they can expect from us when they come out into the community. We make sure we get their contact details so that, as soon as possible after they've been released, we can get in touch and be there to help them. We want to be a friendly voice in amongst all those other voices they might be hearing when they first come out.
CT: Do you find that a lot of prisoners are keen to get back into work?
Samantha: Yes, definitely. From the people I have spoken to, there is a real appetite to find work because employment is so much more than just a job. Often it is a source of stability and provides a steady income that is legal and reliable. Sometimes relationships in families can be strained because of things that have happened in the past, but someone coming out and finding employment can be the catalyst for restoring these relationships because the family can see that the person is doing something differently; they're not just going back to old ways.
That first job on the outside can be huge in terms of restoring hope, purpose and helping our members to feel that they can fit back into society, that they don't have to be on the outside, and that they can start over.
CT: What hurdles can ex-offenders face once they've come out of prison in terms of trying to find employment again?
Samantha: It is very challenging. There can be so many applicants applying for the same job and sometimes companies will look through all of those applicants and automatically dismiss anyone who's ticked the past convictions box without even considering whether that person's application is strong.
There is the stigma of having been in prison. In an ideal world, if someone has served their prison time, then really as much as possible - if they're deemed to be safe enough to release back into society - that sentence should be in the past. But in reality, there can often be the hidden sentence that people carry going forward because others can make assumptions about ex-offenders. There can be stigma and prejudice around a conviction.
We are working with employers to help them see ex-offenders as an untapped resource that could be really beneficial for their business. We have a directory of employers who have said that they will look past the stereotype and consider our members on the basis of their skills rather than their past convictions. That's all we are asking employers to do: look past the stereotype, see if you think they could be the right person for the job and take them on as they would any other person applying.
CT: How long do you continue to work with ex-prisoners after they have found employment?
Samantha: We keep in touch with them for a year after they've found employment. It's very important for us to know how our members are doing and how the employment is going because it's all about sustained employment. We always recommend to our members that they try as much as possible to stay in that first job placement for at least a year to help build up their CV and work history, but if for any reason they feel like they want to change jobs or try something else, we are there to help them with that new job search too.
CT: Trust is really important between Clean Sheet and the ex-prisoners you work with. How do your Christian beliefs motivate what you are doing?
Samantha: It's the whole concept of the second chance. As Christians we know how important a second chance is. It's about having that opportunity to have another go and start again. Jesus showed that example again and again in the Bible.
With us, it's really not about judging someone based on what they've done. If they are ready to work and they want to get into employment – if they've completed their sentence and been deemed safe enough to come back into society and work – then we are ready to work with them because employment is a route out of crime. It can restore family relationships and, ultimately, it helps to create a safer society because someone being in employment and being reintegrated into society prevents future crime from taking place.
