Key4Life charity helps more than 500 ex-prisoners find jobs

A charity for ex-prisoners says just 16% of those it supports end up re-offending.

Key4Life has helped more than 500 prisoners and young men at risk of committing crime find jobs.

Eva Hamilton, founder of the charity, said many of those they see are overcoming "huge" traumas.

One ex-offender helped by the programme said: "I can't ever see myself going back to prison."

Based in Somerset, the charity actively encourages employers to hire ex-offenders and has now been running for a decade.

It offers skills training and emotional support to those trying to rebuild their lives after a prison term.

Key4Life says that two thirds of its users go on to find work and finding a job helps reduce the chance of them re-offending by a third.

Ms Hamilton set up the charity with the aim of breaking the cycle of crime.

She said: "It's hard enough to get a job, it's even more difficult for people that really want to turn their lives around and be given another chance.

"It's just seeing so many people feeling they've no options in life," she added.

One of the ways that the charity offers support is by hiring mentors who are also ex-offenders to teach job and life skills.

The men also get to experience music, football, equine therapy, NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming) and emotional release sessions.

Ben Williams, 24, was just 17 when he was jailed for stabbing someone in retaliation after his friend was killed.

He was sentenced to 12 years in prison but served six due to good behaviour.

He said: "Jail wasn't very easy for me at the start.

"It became a lot easier to deal with at the end. I think that forced me to grow up quite a lot.

"I haven't felt like this in a long time and I feel like this is my opportunity to better myself and I probably won't get another opportunity like this if I mess up so I don't see myself ever going back to prison."

The charity holds workshops with various employers who then interview the young men in full knowledge that they hold a criminal record.

James Lovell from Wessex Water attended one of the workshops.

He said: "I think it's great to support this. What I can see here today is a number of young men that have had some difficult circumstances and some difficult times in their life.

"What I see now is that they are putting everything that they possibly can in place to improve the outlook of their lives."

Mr Williams was offered a short work placement with Wessex Water after the session.

He said: "I never thought I'd be in a situation like this.

"A lot of people wouldn't look at us twice in a job and I've had that most of my life so it's time to make something of myself and be like, I told you so."

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