“Prisoners. Well, they deserve all they get, don’t they? Why support lads who’ve broken the law? My son’s a good boy but he can’t find work. Why don’t you sort him first? Why give them special help?” Why indeed?
Life’s a game of snakes and ladders. We all play it. The snakes are: bereavement, debt, divorce, redundancy, miscarriage, illness, you name it. But usually we have something – education, experience, friends, families – to help us back up the ladder.
Now imagine a different life. There’s nobody and nothing there for you. Just more snakes – theft, gangs, addiction, violence, prison. No hope. “But why do they need extra help? Prisoners have it too easy.”
From day one we must equip prisoners to lead lawful, useful lives outside. Prison itself…