Transforming Lives Through Justice Reform

My story of helpfulness is about all the people I know that have lived experience of the criminal justice system and are now doing something phenomenal to make it better for other people. My friend, Tony, was in and out of prison for 15 years. He has set up the charity Hope and Vision, which is about housing people after they come out of intensive rehab. My friend Mandy has a long history of being in and out of prison but has gone on to become a drugs worker and runs housing projects for women. My friend Paula runs a Prisoner Policy Network at the Prison Reform Trust and has taken a more structural approach. Like me, she looks at how we can get the voices of people with experience of prison and criminal justice to change policy and practice in our system. These three people are some of the bravest and best people I know, and they challenge me constantly to be better, to dig deeper, and to go further in the pursuit of real justice.