Anyone who knows me, either personally or professionally, will have noticed a change in me over the last 12 months... I've started talking about prisons and the criminal justice system A LOT.

And that's because the system is broken & buckling under enormous pressure, in part due to a severe lack of funding, but there are a plethora of other reasons to boot.

The result is that prisons aren't able to provide adequate rehabilitation to those serving within them, which was the fundamental purpose of the UK prison system's structure. Pure incarceration without rehabilitation just exacerbates the problem, as we're now seeing play out nationally with overcrowding & reoffending cycles.

That said, there are incredible charities & organisations out there dedicating their time & resources to changing this narrative for the better, and focusing on providing those serving time or with spent convictions (and their families) with opportunities & second chances.

One of these charities is Beating Time which helps people survive their prison sentence and thrive on release. From improving mental health and building social inclusion to find & creating employment for those serving sentences, the work they do is crucial in helping people put prison behind them and build the lives they want to live.

Thank you so much for sparing your pounds & pennies for these worthwhile causes.