In the below case study, we have changed the name of the person involved in the Release on Temporary Licence scheme to Judith, to protect their real identity.
As Judith– a participant of the EMR Release on Temporary Licence (RoTL) programme in conjunction with HMPPS (His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service) – sees out the final weeks of her sentence, she is also preparing to say goodbye to her colleagues at one of EMR’s facilities in Southwest England.
As part of the RoTL scheme, prison and probation staff can provide the most trustworthy, hardworking, and reliable inmates with opportunities to work outside the prison on day release.
And, in line with its longstanding commitment to giving vulnerable young people – and those from disadvantaged backgrounds – a better chance at life, it’s a scheme that EMR has enthusiastically embraced.
“There were a few different opportunities available for me to work while in prison, but I wanted to do something a bit more physical. I have never liked the idea of sitting down in an office, staring at a computer all day,” says Judith. “Working in the yard at EMR was a great option for me.”
Since joining EMR in the spring, she has undertaken a broad range of tasks that help maintain the high quality and consistency of the company’s market-leading sustainable materials.
“I’ve been able to work at every stage of the recycling process – the one thing I haven’t done is drive the forklifts because it takes a lot of training. If I wasn’t coming up for release so soon, that would have been an opportunity available to me too,” she says.
Her time with EMR has also given her the chance to learn about a brand-new industry and gain valuable skills:
“I never knew you could recycle so many metals. As I’ve worked with EMR, I’ve got to know about all the different grades and now I can go through each bay and identify every material that EMR processes.”
Judith’s contribution has been crucial to the site’s operations, handling material brought on site from a range of different customers. “One of the jobs I’ve spent the most time on has been segregating cables to correct grades so that they can all be recycled effectively.”
While her hard work and dedication has seen her quickly become a valued EMR employee, Judtih also credits her team for helping her feel so welcome:
“The idea of working shifts with people who all knew that I was serving a sentence was a little intimidating at first, but I have never been judged by anybody – they’ve all welcomed me as part of the team.”
And her hard work has made a good impression to management at the site too. A trainee manager at the site said he has been delighted to see how committed Judith was “from day one”.
“Her enthusiasm and positive attitude were two of the reasons why she was selected for the role and why she has settled so well within the team,” he adds.
Despite having another job lined up when she is released, Judith believes that working with EMR will have significant benefits once she is back home:
“As I’m approaching my release date, the opportunity to earn some money has been very important. My partner and I want to be able to move into our own place when I’m out, so it will really help with that,” she says.
And, while serving out her sentence, Judith says working at the yard has had a significant psychological benefit to her weekly experience of prison. It’s yet another reason why she would recommend working with EMR to other men and women at HMPPS.
“Having a job where you have to work hard, learn a lot and are given the ability to leave the prison regularly has meant I am able to give back to the local community” she says. “And now that my sentence is ending, my experience with EMR has made sure that I’m ready to put the past behind me and make a fresh start.”
