Prison to Purpose
We work with a number of speakers who have spent time in prison but have since turned their lives around. They are now working with clients and speaking at events to not only discuss their experiences, but the lessons they have learned and how to prevent others from following in their path and helping others to reform.
MICHAEL MAISEYMichael Maisey is an inspirational speaker and founder of CIP Project who takes you on his journey from Prison to Purpose.
Michael Maisey has built a career on kindness and empathy. He knows that if these concepts are introduced to the workplace, they aid mental health and lead to a harmonious working environment. He is passionate about social responsibility in business and applauds all companies who embrace it.
Michael survived a turbulent and traumatic childhood that resulted in him joining a gang and eventually being imprisoned at sixteen.
Reformed and humbled by the acts of kindness he experienced following his prison sentence, Michael set up a successful business in his home borough of London. His company (CIP Project) was founded on the principles of honesty and integrity. Not only did he earn the respect of his clients and employees, but also built an incredibly successful business that is still operating today. As a result, he was honoured by the London Borough of Hounslow for his services to the community
JOHN HOSKISONJohn Hoskison is a former Professional Golfer and schools speaker whose career was cut short after a drink driving incident saw him sent to prison.
In 1976, at the age of seventeen, John became a professional golfer at the RAC Country Club in Epsom. For three years he practiced every hour available and wore out golf clubs, but after thousands of hours of dedicated work he took his tournament players card and qualified to play the European Tour.
In 1994 however, he shattered the life he had forged. On a November evening, he broke a discipline he had maintained for twenty years and accepted a drink after a golf match before driving home. On his journey back he hit and killed a cyclist and was sentenced to three years in prison. In the blink of an eye, everything John knew was shattered.
After three months of dreadful regret and remorse, he received a letter from the widow in which she offered him the most incredible Christian-like forgiveness. She hoped that somehow he would survive prison. Without that forgiveness, by John’s admission, it is doubtful he would be here today.
For the last fifteen years, John has tried to make up for what happened. He has spoken at over 200 schools, to over 80,000 children, about the dangers of taking unnecessary risks. He has also attended many conferences about how to improve prison and has spoken to many of the top judges in the country, regularly attending the Judicial Studies Board Seminars.
ALEX WOODAlexander Wood early career was in the music industry. From the age of 13 he toured the world as a violin soloist and performed under the greatest conductors of the modern era. He was awarded prestigious scholarships to attend the Purcell School, the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music, won an array of prizes along the way and became a regular guest at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.
At the age of 24 his career was abruptly halted by the onset of repetitive strain injury (RSI) in his right hand and, faced with mounting debts and no source of income, his criminal career began. His life spiralled out of control, culminating in several years spent in prison for a number of dishonesty offences – everything from impersonating the 13th Duke of Marlborough to committing multi-million pound cyber-crime.
Since his release from jail in early 2022, Alexander has turned his life around and become an immensely powerful force in the CounterFraud profession.
CHRIS ATKINSChris Atkins has had a remarkable career: motivational speaker, best-selling author, three-time BAFTA nominated film maker, investigative journalist, award winning podcaster – and an inmate at HMP Wandsworth.
Chris Atkins has worked at the forefront of the media for nearly twenty years, and has made ground-breaking documentaries for cinema, BBC, Channel Four, Sky and many others. His films have been lauded by critics, made front page news and been seen by millions. He’s undertaken undercover investigations into powerful individuals and institutions, including Max Clifford, The News of the World, ITV and UKIP. He was responsible for exposing tabloid malpractice well before the phone hacking scandal broke and directed one of the most complained about films of all time.
Chris Atkins’ filmmaking took a dark turn when he funded a documentary using a dodgy tax scheme and was convicted of tax fraud in 2016. He was sentenced to five years and banged up in HMP Wandsworth, one of the UK’s most dangerous and dysfunctional prisons which he describes as a “dystopian Faulty Towers”. Chris’s deft resourcefulness allowed him to adapt to this terrifying environment by getting on good terms with both prisoners and officers, and did numerous prison jobs as the staff were struggling with huge funding cuts.
Chris became a prison Listener – trusted inmates trained by the Samaritans who help other prisoners who are suicidal or self-harming – and spent months counselling the most vulnerable and unhinged people on the wings. This hair-raising experience set him on a remarkable personal journey, and he became more empathetic, less judgemental and developed a strong urge to fight for the voiceless stuck in a barbaric and inhumane system.