Fresh Starts at HMP Warren Hill
April 04, 2025Posted by:
The start of this story isn’t unique, unfortunately, it’s all too familiar – but the end of the story is something our education team at HMP Warren Hill is really proud of.
A fifty-one-year-old, neurodivergent man ‘DF’ who has been in and out of prison since he was 17. Prior to entering HMP Warren Hill, DF shared that being in and out of prison was a normal part of his life through frequent re-offending. He struggled through a mainstream primary school with no support for his neurodiversity, before being moved to a boarding school for learners with severe behavioural problems. He left school with no qualifications and continued to struggle with basic literacy skills. He has never been employed and has claimed benefits and PIP for his adult life.
DF openly admits that he had no interest in finding accessible and gainful employment or being able to live without relying on benefits. In his own words being a ‘career criminal’ was the life that he was to lead. That was until he completed the Diploma in Progression course with PeoplePlus during his most recent return to prison.
DF now talks with enthusiasm about his future – he wants to set up a dog-walking business and no longer rely on benefits. Completing this course was the catalyst for DF wanting a different future for himself.
Part of the course looked at emotional and stress regulation, working with others, employability skills and a community project. This detailed work gave him the skills to manage himself and his emotions (something that he has struggled to do throughout his life) and to develop a different view towards work. By combining his love of dogs and the calming influence they have over him he is looking to set up a dog-walking business when he is released. This will not only provide him with an income but also a way to manage his stressors, continue developing his communication skills and integrate himself back into modern society.
The man who entered HMP Warren Hill is not the same man who will leave there.
April 04, 2025Posted by:
