Gaolhouse Denim- Stitched-up by prisoners
by Startacus Admin
How’s this for a conversation starter - “Guess who made my jeans?” Granted it’s not the most obvious of opening lines, but is sure to grab the attention if the answer is “Inmates of Her Majesty's Prison Service.”
You see, the prison service has a big problem - they would like the majority of their prisoners to be engaged in a normal working week whilst in prison. However, at present, of the 85,000 people currently detained at Her Majesty’s pleasure just 10,000 or so are gainfully employed. In many cases, it isn’t lack of will which is the problem but rather lack of work - there simply aren’t enough prison industries to offer everyone who wants to be productive, the opportunity to do so. As a result, prisoners often experience difficulties reintegrating into society and, having been out of the habit of working for so long, 50% of them will not be able to find a job - a statistic which is directly linked to reoffending rates…and so the cycle begins again.
Gaolhouse Denim is a British Jeans designer and manufacturer that has taken it upon itself to help give a leg-up to prisoners who aren't content to sit around waiting for their sentence to pass. They have installed themselves in the tailoring shops of a number of prisons across the country and provided inmates with the opportunity to learn new skills, gain a sense of achievement and receive some money for their efforts, which they can spend or save for use in the outside world.
Key to the ethos of the company is the fact that the inmates don’t only benefit financially from the arrangement but also benefit from the fact that the work (and tangible end-product) give a sense of achievement and the skilled nature of the work helps them to gain a perspective on their own potential.
“Providing inmates with meaningful work is the best way to increase prisoner to prisoner collaboration and instil a solid work ethic where often there has previously been none.”
It’s a business with a real sense of responsibility, knowing full well that they could have so easily (and more cheaply) outsourced the labour to some distant land, but choose instead to not only make great jeans… but make a difference as well.
“We wanted to take a stance. It may only be a small stance at the moment, but you’ve got to start small and think big.”
Now that’s our kind of thinking!
It’s a great little scheme (and its jeans are great too) so why not pay a little visit to find out more about them and the work that they do ? http://www.gaolhousedenim.com/#home-jeans
Or if you you are inspired by stories of people turning their lives around then you will probably enjoy having a gander at these:
The Last Mile Project- Finding hope in prison
Allison's Journey from prison to poolside
Gloucestershire Bike Project - A True Social Enterprise
If you like what you see here on Startacus, why not become a member of our growing community? It's free! And you'll get all this - exclusive access to our Business Toolkit, discounts and offers galore for your business via our member only business deals, the chance to network and connect with loads of fellow self-starters, and maybe even become our celebrated 'Self-Starter of the Week' and tell the world your startup tale! Join right here for free...
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Startup funding is never easy, however here are a few of the options that can help you fund your startup without going broke in the process
Innovative startups are currently being sought by BMW Group Financial Services UK which has just launched the third instalment of its Innovation Lab
Starting a business can be a lot of hard work, so here's a few ways to avoid burnout and find a healthy work life balance.
The child health app on a mission to become the first nationwide digital redbook, just got a step closer to making their mission a reality...
The Cambridge-based startup that has created an empowering tool to drive the next wave of biological innovation
At one-day event Ideation NI Thon, students will get the chance to solve global and local sustainability, environmental, city and health problems.
NI startup ESTHER, a peer-2-peer giving platform allowing charitable donors to give money directly to people living in poverty, head to New York for a 4-day fact finding mission.
The lowdown on how an Australian startup generated global sales for their innovative product, "weighted blankets"...
At 82% the UK takes 4th place in the list of countries being most ready for automation and robotics, whilst 30% of UK population’s jobs are at risk of automation.
The innovative game, eQuoo that helps users build their emotional fitness and thereby help fight their mental illness
Published on: 25th March 2014
.png)
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- Ideation NI Thon at NI Science Festival sets out to solve global issues 17th Jan 2020 At one-day event Ideation NI Thon, students will get the chance to solve global and local sustainability, environmental, city and health problems.
- NI startup ESTHER takes flight to New York 16th Jan 2020 NI startup ESTHER, a peer-2-peer giving platform allowing charitable donors to give money directly to people living in poverty, head to New York for a 4-day fact finding mission.
- 2019 stats show that the gender pay gap continues 14th Jan 2020 Recent research by Starling bank shows that in 2019, women earned up to £12,319 less per year than their male colleagues of the same age and within the same industry
- Digital DNA Awards 2020 nominations now open 13th Jan 2020 The Digital DNA Awards, held in partnership with MCS Group, celebrate the best tech talent, from companies of all sizes, excelling in the world of Digital and Tech and not just in NI...
