Switchback

We're recruiting a Partnerships Lead! You will play a pivotal part in a fast-growing, pioneering charity supporting young men leaving prison to build stable, rewarding lives. Switchback is a charity rooted in relationships and nowhere is this more critical than in our partnerships with organisations providing training, education, and employment opportunities for the young men (Trainees) we support following release from prison. For full details and to apply, visit our job pages via the in our bio. We are holding an optional online Q&A from 6.30-7.30pm on Wednesday, 20th May 2026. If you’d like to join and hear more about us and the role, please register by emailing [email protected] (and you will be sent the link to join). Deadline to apply: Monday 1st June.

Why aren’t people in prison allowed to vote? This week, with communities gathering to vote in the local elections and have their say on the future of their area, our Experts by Experience Board (EBE) met to discuss one group who don’t have the right to vote: people in prison. The uncomfortable truth is that most of the 87,000 people in prison are unable to have their say on issues that directly affect them. It’s a subject that Switchback’s EBE raised as something they’d like to speak out about as people who have been through the system themselves. Here’s what they had to say about why people in prison not having the right to vote matters. #ReshapeRelease

“PARTNERSHIP” Partnership was a huge component here in this movie, from real world experience to grown breaking communities at the heart of it all. @tomblyth & @davidjonsson__ spent a day breaking bread over some focaccia and real life experience. @thedustyknuckle is not just a bakery, it’s a bakery making a difference with a programme that is changing andshaping the narra surrounding the criminal justice system. Let’s eat & talk life!!!

Meet @ca___42 program lead of the Dusty Knuckle bakery proudly hosting the great @davidjonsson__ & @tomblyth From Big screens to Local Community programmes embedded in our society 🙌🏿💛 Adversity lives within our society hidden behind closed doors, under our noses are unsung heroes like @thedustyknuckle & @switchback_ldn helping change the narrative & challenging perceptions when it comes to the criminal justice system 🙌🏿💛 1 LIFE AT A TIME 1 MENTOR AT A TIME 1 ACTION PLAN AT A TIME 1 SLICE OF SOURDOUGH AT A TIME Next time you enter a space think twice, that coffee or slice of focaccia may have just changed the narrative & future for some of our young Londoners today 👏🏿 Call this video a token of appreciation to the heroes behind closed doors

New prison thriller WASTEMAN brutally shows the prison system’s ineffectiveness when it comes to rehabilitation. Unlike many films in the genre, it heavily integrates the experiences and voices of real prison leavers. The result is an authentic look at the missed opportunity to support people in the justice system, which would ultimately benefit everyone. Switchback and our Experts by Experience Board (EBE) consulted on WASTEMAN, with some men also acting in the film. We spoke to director @cal_mcmau about the inspiration behind the film, working with Switchback, and what he wants people to take away when it comes to the current justice system. #WASTEMAN is out on 20th February

"An eye for an eye leaves the world blind." David Jonsson and Tom Blyth spoke to Switchback about why they believe in second chances ahead of their prison thriller WASTEMAN. Switchback and our Experts by Experience Board (EBE) worked with Tom, David and the whole crew to embed lived experience in the film and make sure it was an accurate representation of prison - and it's failure to rehabilitate people. Watch the full interview via the link in our bio and make sure you see #WASTEMAN when it's released on 20th February @lionsgateuk

"We need more support. Not just for young men, but for everyone." David Jonsson and Tom Blyth talk to Switchback about their new prison thriller WASTEMAN and how proper support could have changed their characters' lives. David also talks about his mum's former job as a police officer, and how it influenced his approach to the film. Switchback and our Experts by Experience Board (EBE) consulted on WASTEMAN and acted in the film, advising on language, character, costume and set design, helping to build an accurate picture of the prison system. Full interview via the link in our bio #WASTEMAN is out on 20th February @lionsgateuk

"We couldn't have made this film without Switchback." Here's what happened when David Jonsson and Tom Blyth sat down with Switchback to talk about working with prison leavers for their new film WASTEMAN. Switchback’s Expert by Experience board (EBE) invited the film’s actors and crew into the office to consult on everything from language to character development and costume, props and set to make sure the film accurately reflects what it’s like for young men in the UK prison system. EBE also starred in the film as extras and shared their experiences of prison to make Wasteman as authentic as possible - showing how broken the current system is and why we need to support people to live life differently. Visit the link in our bio to watch the full interview. #WASTEMAN is out on 20th February. @lionsgateuk

The Power of Mentoring. A film by the Leathersellers and @switchback_ldn “For most of the young men that we’re working with, they’ve probably had people in their lives who let them down or exploit them. The really important part of mentoring is that it’s the complete opposite of that. At Switchback, when we talk about ‘through the gate’, we mean that we start mentoring pre-release in prison. Everyone leaving prison needs some kind of trusted person, named person, that is consistent ‘through the gate’ because it’s such a huge shift in someone’s life.” Switchback CEO, Sian Williams. — Young adults aged 18-30 years make up just over a quarter of the prison population in the United Kingdom. Almost half of the adult prison population will reoffend. With support from The Leathersellers’ Foundation’s Responsive Grants Programme, London based prison resettlement charity Switchback is using the power of mentoring to help change this. Watch the full film now via theleathersellers link in bio #ReshapeRelease 🎥 Producer / Director / Editor - Lucy Emms - @lucy.emms DoP / Sound - Tom Green - @tomadamgreen

Switchback: The Power of Mentoring. A film by @theleathersellers and Switchback "A guy I meet with, he knows he's going to be working with me, Rahul, for this 12-week period that we are going to set goals together. We're going to go through challenges together. He's going to have that support. We meet with the guys and I say, "What are we doing?" Like, "What are we doing today?" Cool. You want to go for that license? Great. Let's do it. Oh, you want to work on cover letter? Great. Let's do it. You found a house and you want me to come check out with you? Great. Let's do it. Simple things: starting a bank account, doing a resume, but even up to bigger things like maybe you want to try and reconnect with family or maybe you did actually have a career and you're building towards something. You do want to resume that. For the person engaging in it, there's a face to it. So, they know Switchback is all these people, but Switchback is also Rahul.” Switchback Mentor, Rahul. -- Young adults aged 18-30 years make up just over a quarter of the prison population in the United Kingdom. Almost half of the adult prison population will reoffend. With support from The Leathersellers' Foundation's Responsive Grants Programme, London based prison resettlement charity Switchback is using the power of mentoring to help change this. Watch the full film now via theleathersellers link in bio #ReshapeRelease Producer / Director / Editor - Lucy Emms - @lucy.emms DoP / Sound - Tom Green - @tomadamgreen

The Power of Mentoring. A film by the Leathersellers and @switchback_ldn “I’m taking the right paths. Life, you only get one. Today, I’m going to enjoy today.” Switchback Trainee, Bevan. — Young adults aged 18-30 years make up just over a quarter of the prison population in the United Kingdom. Almost half of the adult prison population will reoffend. With support from The Leathersellers’ Foundation’s Responsive Grants Programme, London based prison resettlement charity Switchback is using the power of mentoring to help change this. Watch the full film now via theleathersellers link in bio. #ReshapeRelease 🎥 Producer / Director / Editor - Lucy Emms - @lucy.emms DoP / Sound - Tom Green - @tomadamgreen

The Power of Mentoring. A film by the Leathersellers and @switchback_ldn “We’re kind of seeing government and decision makers shift back to recognising the power of mentoring, the power of really good one-to-one support. If you talk to probation officers from two generations ago, they will talk about the fact that what we do at Switchback is what they did as a job.” Switchback CEO, Sian Williams. — Young adults aged 18-30 years make up just over a quarter of the prison population in the United Kingdom. Almost half of the adult prison population will reoffend. With support from The Leathersellers’ Foundation’s Responsive Grants Programme, London based prison resettlement charity Switchback is using the power of mentoring to help change this. Watch the full film now via theleathersellers link in bio. #ReshapeRelease 🎥 Producer / Director / Editor - Lucy Emms - @lucy.emms DoP / Sound - Tom Green - @tomadamgreen