8th October 2025
We know that the right interaction with right kind of prison officer at just the right moment can be the spark a prisoner needs to turn their life around. In the same way that a good teacher can transform a child’s life, a remarkable prison officer can radically alter the outcomes for a prisoner in their care. And yet, the perspectives of those with lived experience of these interactions, and of the prison system more broadly, are so often ignored.
At Unlocked, ex-prisoners play a central role in all aspects of a participant’s journey – right from the outset conducting recruitment interviews, supporting training sessions throughout Summer Institute, and speaking at events during their two years on the programme. We believe that learning from those with lived experience of the prison service is vital for effective and impactful training, and it remains an essential part of the curriculum for Unlocked’s programmes.
As part of this, Unlocked’s participants have the opportunity to sit down with our trainers with lived experience for a more informal discussion about their experiences in prison. These Candid Chat Café sessions allow new prison officers to gain a greater understanding of prisoners’ perspectives of life in prison to ensure that they can have the greatest impact possible and drive rehabilitative change on the landings.
We spoke to three of our lived experience trainers – Theo, Paul and Godfrey – about Candid Chat Café and the important role ex-prisoner insights play in training for new prison officers.
What is Candid Chat Café?
Paul: Candid Chat Café involves Unlocked’s lived experience trainers giving our knowledge of what prison is like from an ex-prisoner’s perspective. We introduce ourselves and speak about our experiences. We then take questions from participants which are relevant to the training that they are receiving at Summer Institute.
Godfrey: It’s a really informal part of Summer Institute, and I really love it. It allows participants to ask questions that they’ve probably been thinking about throughout their training. It gives them the opportunity to speak more openly in an environment where they feel able to ask these questions. They’re out of uniform and there is a positive atmosphere for us to talk about our experiences.
Giving prison officers that living proof that rehabilitation is possible is always going to give them that hope and drive to do the job in prison and understand that they can help a prisoner
What role does Candid Chat Café play at Summer Institute?
Theo: Participants get a very authentic and genuine answer to their questions that they can’t always get in the formal setting of a classroom. Participants feel comfortable asking questions that they may not otherwise be able to in a way that advances their learning and helps them to become better prison officers.
Godfrey: The main thing for me is showing participants that rehabilitation is possible. Giving prison officers that living proof that rehabilitation is possible is always going to give them that hope and drive to do the job in prison and understand that they can help a prisoner. It also prompts a lot of conversations that they might not have been able to have in the classroom.
Paul: I also want them to know what it is like in prison. Prison officers won’t know what it’s like to be a prisoner, and there will always be those boundaries between the staff and prisoners in prison, but Candid Chat Café is a free environment where we can give them a clearer insight into what prisoners experience.
Find out more about the role of ex-prisoner insights on the Unlocked Graduates programme.