Unlock works to improve the lives of people with criminal records, helping them overcome the barriers that convictions can create when rebuilding their lives. A grant from the Weavers’ Company supported Beyond the Label, a project for people convicted of sexual offences who are preparing for, or adjusting to, life after prison. The project combines practical information about issues including disclosure, employment, housing and rehabilitation periods with anonymised stories from people who have successfully rebuilt their lives. It was designed both to give participants accurate information and a more hopeful view of life after custody, and to provide useful resources for the professionals and organisations supporting them.
Unlock recruited 15 people to share their experiences, with a further three subsequently volunteering their stories, and delivered pilot sessions to 30 men at HMP Rochester and HMP Rye Hill. The resulting Beyond the Label information pack is also being extended to other prisons and shared with professionals working in the criminal justice sector. Early results from the pilot showed a clear practical impact: 75% of attendees reported a better understanding of disclosure rules and licence conditions, while participants also reported an increased sense of hope about their future. By turning the material into a resource that can be reused in prisons, online and in training, Unlock hopes the project will continue to reach many more people beyond those involved in the original pilot.
