Jodie Hind, 34 from Stockton is an inspiration to people who want to turn their lives around and is a catalyst for change.
Jodie had spent the majority of his adult life in and out of prison since the age of 15 and was a chaotic drug and alcohol user.
In 2005 Jodie was put onto the PPO (Prolific and Priority Offender List) which identifies 10 individuals in specific areas who pose greatest threat to safety and confidence of their local community. PPO allows local partners to concentrate their efforts on these people and help them change.
Through this scheme, Jodie was able to gain the support he needed to beat his addictions and began training to become a counsellor in a bid to help others like himself in the future.
In May 2009 Jodie was released for the last time from HMP Holme House and it was at that point that he decided to change his life. This was a daunting prospect for Jodie as he had virtually grown up in custody and had known life no other way.
Not only did Jodie have to distance himself from his criminal past, he also had a drug/alcohol addiction to beat.
When Jodie first visited Five Lamps in June 2009, Jodie met with Mark Thompson, Five Lamps’ Employability Team Leader and discussed his aspirations to help other ex-offenders like himself and in particular, those with addictive behaviour issues. Mark Thompson suggested to Jodie that he train to become a counsellor. Mark helped Jodie enrol on NCFE Counselling course.
Mark also suggested to Jodie that he could start mentoring other ex-offenders and this led to Jodie running talks in local prisons to other high crime causers about living a crime free-drug free lifestyle. One of the offenders Jodie spoke to in a local prison said
“It made me think about a life out there. If Jodie can do it, so can I”
In October 2009, Jodie began volunteering at Five Lamps as Volunteer Mentor and in April 2011 Jodie secured full time employment at Five Lamps as an Integrated Offender Management (IOM) Worker through funding from Stockton Drugs and Alcohol Action Team (DAAT) and Five Lamps.
Jodie said
“Looking back it’s hard to believe that this is my story because I seem so distant from that way of life today. I strongly recommend people with similar backgrounds to myself to consider engaging with staff at Five Lamps to help change their lives too.”