Greater Manchester Probation Trust

Tommy Turns His Back On Alcohol

TOMMY has been in and out of prison for more than a decade, but firmly believes he has changed during his current period in custody.

The 40-year-old pleaded guilty to stabbing a friend during a drunken row in 2005, inflicting a wound which although serious didn’t leave lasting injury. Tommy was given an Indeterminate Public Protection (IPP) sentence, and is now in Kirkham Open Prison, after several years in closed conditions.
Drink has played a major role in his offending, which stretches back 17 years, with crimes including drink driving, assault and one count of domestic violence.
But Tommy is far more optimistic about the future, and has quit alcohol and benefited from programmes run by the probation service. He has also developed a good rapport with his probation officer which he says has helped strengthen his resolve.
The father-of-one said: “I’ve reached a time in my life when I realised the offending has to stop.
“What I’ve done has been really hard for my family, I feel ashamed about it. I’ve turned 40 and have spent the last five years inside and it’s given me time to reflect on everything, and on my selfish actions.
“My offending has been drink related, but now I haven’t had a drink since 2005 and I’m in maintenance.”
The last offence occurred after he had a drunken row with a friend, who attacked him. Tommy, who readily admits he was in the wrong, retaliated and stabbed him once.
Since starting his sentence at Forest Bank Prison in 2005, he enrolled on courses to help him improve his skills prior to starting accredited probation programmes, and has since taken on extra work of his own volition.
Tommy said: “I feel really good about the progress I’ve made, and I feel positive about the future.
“I was always very impulsive, but the probation programmes have been fantastic in helping me realise where I went wrong and look at how to stop making those mistakes.
“I’ve used alcohol to control my emotions, I also became physically and mentally attached to it. Drink gave me Dutch courage, especially when I was young and daft, and it meant I’d get into situations that I wouldn’t have done if sober.”
As well as completing Addressing Substance Related Offending, Controlling Anger and Learning to Manage and ETS, Tommy has enjoyed learning a range of skills to help him when he is released. Kirkham is an open prison and for a week a month Tommy stays with his parents in Rochdale to help with his future resettlement back into the community.
He added: “I’ve learnt about how to stop, think, break things down and cope with problems without getting angry.
“I’d been brought up to fight back if attacked, but I now see that’s wrong. It’s far harder to turn the other cheek and walk away, but it’s the right thing to do.”
He also been employed outside the prison where he has helped rebuild a wall at St Chad’s in Lancashire, for which he was praised by the church’s canon. The work has saved the church an estimated £25,000.
He said: “I feel really proud of the job. We took the old wall apart and me and two lads completely rebuilt it.
“I’ve also got contact with my son again, whose 14, and everything is falling back into place.”
IPP means that the parole board has to sanction his release, and he is next before the board in March.
David McGee, probation officer, has been struck by how Tommy has altered.
He added: “I’ve known him for many years and the change this time is striking. It’s particularly impressive because he’s had to push hard to get to do some of the courses.
“He has really challenged himself. It’s extremely hard because he’s very well known within the town, he keeps meeting old friends while on home leave who think he’ll be up for going out and drinking like he used to, so each time that happens he has to explain he’s teetotal and that he’s put a stop to all that.
“Altering on that level means losing a lot of former acquaintances, adapting your lifestyle and it takes real commitment to achieve.
“He was ready to change when he started his last sentence, he’s just needed support and encouragement and has done fantastically well.”