Lives turned around

“I’ve finally found peace in my heart,” says Lewis, who turned his life around at Winchester Prison. “It was a long journey to get there. But when people believed in me, I started to believe in myself."

Lewis got into crime as a teenager

“I was regularly shoplifting and doing drugs. At the start, the shoplifting was to have the same things as my mates, but it soon became a way of life.

“Being my own boss and the master of my own destiny at 13 seemed exciting at first. I had no boundaries. I was going to take what I wanted and no one was going to stop me.”

Lewis turned his life around at Winchester Prison

“I became a peer supporter for the substance misuse team, I was given trust and responsibility and I began to feel some self-worth. Helping others stopped me thinking about myself.

“I started praying each day for myself and the guys around me and my connection with God grew. I surrendered my past and found that people genuinely wanted to help.”

Lewis is now out of prison and has set up a landscaping business

“I have found that life is about progress not perfection. I am trying my hardest, 
with the help of God, to be the best version of myself. My life has started again. And I’m really proud of how far I’ve come.”