20 Years at HMP Pentonville: Reflections From the Heart of the Service
This year, Phoenix Futures is proud to celebrate two decades of delivering substance use support at HMP Pentonville. To mark the milestone, we sat down with the Service Manager, who has been with the service since the very beginning, a rare perspective on 20 years of change.
Finding a Path Into the Prison Community
To start us off, could you tell me a little bit about yourself? How did you first become involved with the service, and what drew you to it?
“It was years and years ago. I worked in Holloway with the psychology department, doing some volunteering there, and I met Phoenix Futures in Holloway and got speaking to some people. Then a vacancy came up at Phoenix as a group worker. I went for it.
I think my whole intention at the beginning was just to stay and get some experience in the prison setting. But I ended up really liking it. I wanted to go into forensic psychology, but Phoenix Futures and substance use services as a whole are linked with so many different areas—physical and mental health, social housing and it was very interesting to delve into all those areas.
One of my highlights… years ago we did a qualification called the Mentoring Skills Qualification with all our peer supporters. It was a six-week course. We also did a life skills course. It was great to see them learn and progress, and to see a future for what they can do when they’re released. It’s nice to see the hope, I suppose.”
The Power of Consistent Support
What impact do you think the service has had on the lives of those in custody?
“Sometimes it’s the little things. Just listening to people can change their whole perspective. Sometimes it’s only asking someone how they are, which can change their whole day and give them a bit of motivation.
For example, we had a client being released last month. His probation was in a borough he didn’t want to go to, and he kept going back to a different borough. He ended up back in prison because he wasn’t meeting his probation needs.
The recovery worker did a lot of hard work with OMU, probation, and the community team to get him moved to the borough he felt more comfortable with. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s quite hard to do that. He’d been in and out because of this reason.
The recovery worker later saw the client in the community, just passing in the street, and the client said he was doing really well and thanked him. If he hadn’t done that work, the client would have been back in the same cycle.
Another example was from a few years ago, a client had court and didn’t have anything appropriate to wear. One of our team members got hold of a charity to provide a suit for him.
I think it's also just about giving space to those who aren’t quite ready to change. Just letting them know that when they are, the team is ready to listen.”
How 20 Years Changed a Career
How has working alongside this service shaped your own approach to your role?
“When I started, I didn’t have a lot of life experience really. I was 24, really young. I think it’s taught me to always be open-minded, to listen to people and give them space.
It’s given me a lot of confidence, even in my personal life. This job has helped me be more confident and assertive, and just more open when speaking to people. I’ve learned so much every step of the way, and I think that in itself shapes the person you’re going to be tomorrow. It’s always constant learning.”
Looking Ahead: The Next 20 Years
And finally, what do you hope to see from the service in the next 20 years?
“Continuing to do what we’re doing. We’ve come a long way in terms of integrated working. Thanks to the team, whoever they may be in 20 years, every single person who comes in works incredibly hard. So it’s about continuing and improving staff recognition for such a challenging job.”
