Prison leavers get help to turn business ideas into a living
Finding someone willing to offer a job after prison can be difficult. RIFT Social Enterprise helps people explore another route: working for themselves, with advice that continues after release.
Writing in the Big Issue, RIFT chief Andy Gullick describes Sam, who planned a painting and decorating business through video sessions before leaving prison. Two years after release, Gullick says, Sam is still trading, with no further offending reported. RIFT supported him for 12 months afterwards, including with digital skills.
Technology partner NEC Digital Studio describes a complementary route: turning RIFT’s workbooks into interactive exercises on the prison Virtual Campus, allowing learners to build business portfolios. That brings practical business learning onto infrastructure already used in prisons.
Both accounts come from organisations delivering the support; one person’s experience cannot establish a wider reduction in reoffending. Starting a business also carries costs and uncertainty. The useful lesson is continuity: helping someone test an idea before release, then having an adviser to turn to when real life changes the plan.
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