Helping to give ex-prisoners a second chance

In March, I was proud to host and speak at Project ReMake’s latest graduation ceremony at Capita’s head office in London. We’re entering the third year of our partnership with this charity, which provides prison leavers with education, entrepreneurship skills and the opportunity of employment.  

The results speak for themselves 

I’ve seen first-hand the transformation of the people coming through Project Remake as ‘course graduates’ into ‘normal working people’. Often the graduates will be initially nervous, hesitant and anxious in a corporate environment – even a positive ceremonial corporate environment – like the one we had last night.  

In just a few months, after internships at Capita, the graduates are almost unrecognizable from the first time they set foot in our office. They are increasingly self-assured, at ease with their past and most importantly, optimistic about their future.  

The graduation ceremony is so much more than a warm and fuzzy feeling for those in attendance. It marks a turning point in the life of these individuals who are given tailored support in their rehabilitation journey. It’s an important milestone for all those who have helped the graduates along the way. Project Remake is the sum of many parts; its network of volunteers, university lecturers that give up their time, student mentors and business experts that provide coaching and guidance. And of course, Kameel Khan KC, who launched this programme and is making it work.  

It’s always one of my favourite nights of the year, to meet the graduates at this point in their journey, on a road to turning their lives around.  

Not many people are given second chances 

The reason I can write about this event and the work of Project ReMake so enthusiastically is because the results speak for themselves. To date, everyone who has been through Project ReMake over the course of three years has not reoffended. When compared with the national average that sees 30% of prison leavers reoffend within 12 months - that’s impressive! [national average of 30% link]  

This proves that the reoffending cycle, with the right interventions, can be broken. There are exciting times ahead for the charity Project ReMake as they look to expand geographically with the help of university partners such as Bradford and the University of West England. Capita will continue to support ReMake and offer internships to graduates in these locations.  

Justice, equity and society 

The criminal justice system disproportionately impacts non-white people. This is due to a variety of factors from bias within policing and the criminal justice system, to deprivation, access to education and housing which stack the odds against some people. For example, black people make up 3% of the UK’s population yet 13% of the UK’s prison population.  

We know this trend starts early, with a greater number of children in prison coming from minority ethnic groups. Once young people are in the prison system, even with educational support, it remains a challenge to break the cycle of the revolving door in and out of prison. This is largely because many cannot find honest work. Employers will not take a risk on those with a criminal conviction, let alone a custodial sentence, and with no financial security, many ex-offenders have little choice but to turn back to crime to put food on the table. This is something my colleague, Omar Mentesh, spoke about authentically at last night’s ceremony. Omar said: 

‘I first went to prison at 15 and this was all people expected of me – so it was all I began to expect from myself’ 

Omar later went on to talk about how, despite gaining a high level of education (he now has a degree!), he still couldn’t secure work because no one would give him a second chance. It was genuinely so great to hear how in joining Capita, Omar can now introduce himself as a ‘father, a partner, a prison leaver, and a Capita employee’ and be a great role model for his son.  

We know Omar is one of the lucky ones. He has a stable home environment, a community of tutors, mentors, friends and colleagues willing him to do well. He also now has great work experience and references for his CV. His message to the class of 2023 graduates was:  

“Forget your past, from today, you can be a somebody.” 

The case for second chances 

I’d defy any business leader to come to an event like the one we held last night and not see the case for giving a prison leaver a second chance.  

Every individual I have met through Project ReMake has their own story of the moment they made a bad choice and how it unfolded and resulted in a criminal conviction. By listening to their stories, and offering them a second chance, it can unlock a mutually beneficial scenario – a job.  

By no means is the journey to hire prison leavers easy. Not only are there commercial and operational challenges but changing the hearts and minds of our broader employee base proved a hurdle at the start. Nevertheless, it has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve been involved with in my career, and I’m pleased to say we now have an active volunteer community in Capita supporting Project ReMake graduates into work. 

I’m excited to learn what happens next for the class of 2023 and am looking forward to welcoming many of them as interns into Capita.