How Prison Sparked a Mission to Prevent Youth Offending | Joel Dunn

In this episode, Joel Dunn, founder of The Paradigm Project, shares his journey from prison to founding a charity focused on preventing youth involvement in the criminal justice system. He talks about his background, how it all started with a mentoring course in prison, and the support network that helped him rebuild his life. Joel also discusses the importance of understanding his own story, why he chose to work in prevention, and the impact of The Paradigm Project’s work. Plus, he shares insights from his research into the school-to-prison pipeline.  

This podcast is also available as a video – just search Life After Prison on YouTube.

Our listeners are the most important part of Life After Prison and we want to hear from you! Your feedback is really important as it lets our funders know what you think of the project, and helps make sure they continue to support Life After Prison. So it would be a massive help if you could fill out this form and let us know what you think. Thank you so much! 

Useful organisations: 

Mind (UK-wide) – Provides support and advice for anyone experiencing a mental health problem. 

https://www.mind.org.uk/  

Helpline: 0300 123 3393 

Samaritans (UK-wide) – A 24/7 helpline for anyone feeling distressed, overwhelmed, or suicidal. 

https://www.samaritans.org/  

Helpline: 116 123 

SurvivorsUK (UK-wide) – Provides support for men and non-binary people who have experienced sexual abuse. 

https://www.survivorsuk.org/  

Helpline: 020 3322 1860 (Text and WhatsApp support available) 

CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) (UK-wide) – Focuses on preventing male suicide but supports anyone in crisis. 

https://www.thecalmzone.net/  

Helpline: 0800 58 58 58 

Shout (UK-wide) – A free, 24/7 text service for anyone in crisis, providing immediate support. 

https://giveusashout.org/  

Text: 85258  

Spark2Life (London) – Offers mentoring and workshops to help young people and adults make positive life changes, often led by individuals with lived experience of the criminal justice system.  

https://www.spark2life.co.uk/  

Exit Foundation (London) – Supports individuals looking to leave gang involvement and criminal lifestyles by providing mentoring, education, and employment opportunities. 

https://www.exitfoundation.org.uk/ 

The Paradigm Project (National) – Tackles social inequality for young people with a focus on prevention and addressing the school-to-prison pipeline. 

https://paradigmproject.co.uk/  

Change for Good (London) – aim to empower those leaving prison and resettling in London to transform their lives through mentoring, advocacy, and peer support. 

https://www.changeforgood.info/ 

Key4Life (Somerset and London) – Helps young men at risk of offending or who have been in prison to transform their lives through mentoring, employability programs, and emotional resilience training. Their innovative approach includes music, sports, and equine therapy to build confidence and create opportunities for lasting change. 

https://key4life.org.uk/  

Step Together (Bristol and Bath) – Works with offenders and ex-offenders, providing mentoring and volunteer placements to rebuild their confidence and skills. 

https://www.step-together.org.uk/  

Sacro (Scotland-wide) – Offers tailored support to prevent reoffending, including mentoring and housing advice. 

https://www.sacro.org.uk/  

Northern Ireland Alternatives (Belfast and Derry/Londonderry) – A restorative justice organization that supports individuals reintegrating into the community. 

https://www.alternativesrj.co.uk/  

Contact us:  

If anything you’ve heard in this podcast has inspired you to make a positive change in your life, or you’d just like to get in touch, please contact us.  

💬 Socials: @afterprisonpod on Instagram and X, @lifeafterprison on TikTok  

📧 Email: podcasts@prison.radio  

✉️ Write: Life After Prison, National Prison Radio, HMP Brixton, London SW2 5XF  

🖥️ Website: https://lifeafterprisonpod.com/