Every Case is Different......

I have concentrated on my Scottish friend rather a lot recently, and that is perfectly understandable as she is in a really dire situation that, unfortunately, is still not resolved. For those who are new to my blog please read my previous posts and let me know if you are able to help at all. 

http://outofsync8.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/petrified-and-in-pain-prohibitive.html

All my prayers today are directed towards a resolution before she needs to leave for London tomorrow morning.

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However, I do not want to appear on here simply as a Probation Basher :-) 
I have been home for exactly four months tomorrow. It has been an incredibly stressful, tiring, busy, emotional, unpredictable and erratic time! I landed feet first and running; back to being a full time mum and with a major housing crisis to deal with. I also have children with specific needs which has added some spice to the mix!

Four months later I am in a good place. I have built a good relationship with my Probation Officer, who was originally very wary of me and mistrustful. This made me very wary of her too, especially with my attachment and trust issues. I am pleased to say, though, that we now have a good understanding of each other. I am an incredibly honest person, (often too honest) and have a very strong sense of fairness. Learning to be assertive while inside has really helped me to be very open about how I feel and about how I perceived my PO, and I think this has been an important part of our relationship building.

Housing has been incredibly difficult to deal with as, shortly after arriving home, I found myself and my children to be homeless. This is incredibly common with ex-prisoners, most local councils consider them to be intentionally homeless on release and this is a big reason behind re-offending. We have been living in temporary homeless accommodation, overcrowded and miles away from home, for 3 months, which has been really tough. At times I have wanted to just curl up in a ball and hide. But I have tapped into an amazing inner strength I discovered in prison and we are about to move into our new home, back in our home town and perfect for all the children. Being forced into this housing situation, however, has really strengthened the already impermeable relationship I have with my children. We have become an even closer, even more bonded group and I can only see a positive future for us as a family.

It is really common for prison leavers to struggle to find employment, sometimes for many years. Even though many prisoners leave with armfuls of qualifications and certificates, employers still see the criminal record first and the person second. So I am pleased to say that I have landed a job in the exact industry (social care) that I was aiming for! Not only that, but I was actually headhunted for the role, my musical skills being sought after in this particular area. Being interviewed by an ex probation officer meant a good understanding of what a criminal record actually means and that it was not going to be an issue.

My aims now are to continue moving forward in my personal life, and to continue to move forward with my deep and sincere desire to help change things for other prisoners, ex-offenders and those at risk of offending. I will continue to campaign for prison reform, continue to help bring cases such as my Scottish friend to public attention and continue to do whatever I can to make the lives of others better.