Jakari was 18 years old when he started to engage with the PLAN A programme in prison. He’d been convicted for a violent offence and was struggling with spells of self-harm. He shared having been a long-term carer for his parent before prison. Members of his family had also been stabbed during his childhood. Jakari well with creative psychotherapy right away, attending all 15 of his hour-long sessions. He learned about trauma responses and how past experiences, socioeconomic factors and societal expectations can impact decision making and emotions.

Jakari also showed interest in learning more about neuropsychology and furthering his understanding of his ADHD diagnosis. Jakari’s creative output indicated a great desire to move forward and think carefully about life beyond his prison sentence.

Jakari moved on to the second strand of PLAN A; 18 sessions of restorative practice. He was very hesitant about the idea of engaging with the victim of his offence, still caught up in his justification for what had taken place and very far from being able to give a heartfelt apology. He shared a sense that he had to ‘eat or be eaten’, and with his additional caring responsibilities at home, he was under a lot of pressure to provide. Through exploring loss, influences, victimhood and the ripple effect, Jakari developed stronger empathy and changed his thinking around his previous choices. He expressed a desire to train as a Youth Worker and contribute towards making his neighbourhood safer for future generations. His prison records showed that he was avoiding violent situations and that he had stopped self-harming.

The final stage of PLAN A was one to one mentoring, over a 16-week period. Jakari shared his new self-awareness, empathy and commitment to a crime free future with his mentor. Together they explored practical goals as well as reflections on the past. Family, friends and relationships became a key focus of their sessions. Jakari was completing a maths course and his mentor supported him with this, providing consistent encouragement and ensuring he had everything he needed to do his work.

Through engaging with PLAN A, Jakari accepted responsibility, improved his wellbeing, understood more context around victimhood and crime, and developed ways of moving forward. Belong continues to support Jakari and we hope to see him through to his eventual release.