Blake's Story
He/His
Blake arrived at Elizabeth Fry House in June 2023. He had previously been a resident earlier in the year, this placement had ended in recall as Blake made the decision not to return one night. Blake had remained in touch with his keyworker following his return to prison. He was keen to have another opportunity to come to Elizabeth Fry on release.
Blake describes his life before prison as “not very good”. Currently aged 23, he has spent much of the last five years in prison. He describes his behaviour in the community as being filled with drinking, fighting, not following the rules and not listening to what his Probation Practitioner was telling him. Blake’s behaviour in prison continued a similar path. He describes “wasting” his time, and spending most of his sentence in segregation. He talks about sometimes using violence or refusing an instruction as a way of making sure prison staff would spend some time talking with him. On other occasions he did it because he was bored or annoyed with someone.
Blake had heard some stories about Elizabeth Fry House before he came. These included being told that he would be recalled to prison for returning a couple of minutes late and that the staff were “really strict”. He naturally felt anxious but was reassured by the Prison Governor that he had only heard from people who had been recalled, not from all of the people that had moved on successfully.
The Blake we know at Elizabeth Fry House does not fit the description of an angry young man, fuelled by alcohol and not listening to the advice of those around him. Rather he is engaged, motivated and open to using the support available to make changes to his life. When asked what has made the difference, Blake talks about the support he receives from the team at Elizabeth Fry, that staff have time for him.
Blake talks about how he surprised himself by enjoying the therapeutic gardening group. He says he finds gardening relaxing, and it helps him to chill. He is rightly proud of having grown cherry tomatoes, sunflowers, broad beans, kale, marigolds and aloe vera. The act of planting seeds, looking after them and watching them grow has clearly had a positive impact on Blake and mirrors the work that is being done with residents at Elizabeth Fry House.
Blake also speaks about the value of having the support of a substance misuse worker on site. He describes these sessions as keeping him motivated and helping him to stay on track. He is aware of the need to find positive activities to fill his time and preparing for when he moves back to Wales.