Spark Inside Coaching in Prisons

Spark Inside began in 2012. Since then we have provided coaching services to over 600 prisoners and prison staff in London and the South East. The aim of our work is to reduce reoffending. Reducing reoffending benefits all of us. It means there is less crime, fewer victims, safer communities. We envision a world where people live safe, harm-free lives and everybody contributes positively to their communities. Coaching enables self-sufficiency, fosters independence and personal responsibility. It empowers people – those living and working in prisons – to become independent leaders of their own lives, as opposed to victims of their circumstances. Independent external evaluation of our life coaching programme have shown it reduces reoffending by one third. It was proven to directly improve wellbeing, empathy and emotional intelligence, decision-making and resilience, confidence, and create a positive future outlook. Evaluations of our systems coaching programme show an 81% increase in positive prisoner behaviour. It was statistically proven to improve prisoner and prison officer relationships, as well as their understanding of, and empathy for, each other.