Reordering the Chaos

When we first met Tom in custody, his story sounded like so many we hear—only his was ‘sharper’ at the edges. Growing up, home wasn’t safe. His dad’s violence and drinking meant he often tried to shield his mum, and took the blows himself. When his dad left, different male partners of his mum came and invariably soon went, leaving everyone unsettled. As a teenager, Tom’s mental health began to unravel into anxiety, depression and psychosis. Drugs and alcohol became his way to numb the fear and confusion, until dependency took hold of him.

With no steady support, crime offered money and a warped sense of belonging. Tom started dealing, carrying a knife, and using violence to collect drug debts. Before long he was arrested and given a prison sentence for serious offences.

Custody can change the narrative from some young people in a positive direction. For others it can freeze a young person into survival mode: the routines are rigid, relationships are often strained, and danger can feel around every corner. The future can feel like a closed door. And then on release, the obstacles start to stack up quickly —probation appointments, housing worries, gaps in education…and the pull of old networks that promise quick answers.

That’s why consistent, relational support from a Mentor matters. Through regular prison visits—often arranged with chaplaincy—our team helped Tom make sense of his history, and prepare practically for his move back into the community.

It wasn’t straightforward. His thinking could be chaotic, and an employment course fell through almost immediately. But we kept showing up for his In2Out Mentor, building trust as they worked to find specialist therapeutic help. It was that step that started to changed everything. When he started therapy, his mind, his thoughts, his understanding of the past and expectations for the future were chaotic and disordered. But after some time his mind and his life started to become “reordered,” as his mentor put it. It was almost miraculous.

"The right support and a ‘reordering’ of someone’s life doesn’t erase the past, but it can certainly start to rewrite the next chapter”.

Soon after, Tom moved into stable accommodation, found work, and—when he was ready—stepped away from intensive support to live independently. Two and a half years later, his Mentor bumped into him in the street. He was between jobs, but still in the community and had not reoffended.

Regular visits, around a consistent, trusted relationship, and the specialist help where it’s needed, are what gives a young person a real chance to build a different life.