John Burton, 49, knows the struggle of re-entering society after prison. Having served two sentences since the early 2000s—for cigarette smuggling, then drug trafficking and money laundering—he now dedicates his time to helping others avoid a return to crime.
Upon his release in 2017, Burton returned to Liverpool and was struck by the number of homeless people, including ex-servicemen and former prisoners. He founded Inside Connections, a not-for-profit organisation that supports people with convictions and their families. The first initiative places prisoners on day release at a Willmott Dixon construction site at King's Dock on the River Mersey, where they learn skills from steel fixing to electrical work.
Burton explains: 'This is all about breaking the cycle and getting them out of a life of crime.' Recruits earn wages, with 40% going to the Victims' Families Fund, helping them save money before full release. The scheme has expanded to other construction firms and the Jockey Club, offering jobs and training.
One success story is Stefan Cripps, 31, a former heroin addict who credits Inside Connections with providing housing and a job. Without the scheme, he says, 'I would have been back into crime or else self-harming or even worse.' Burton hopes to roll out the model across the UK and Ireland.
Inside Connections also developed a phone app to help prison visitors find routes, save on travel and accommodation, and access discounts. The app grew from Burton's work at HMP Oakwood, where he reorganised the visitors' centre kitchen to improve food quality.
Due to his criminal record, Burton cannot be a company director or open a bank account, so his son Ben, 22, runs the organisation, with his daughter Olivia set to become co-director at 18. Burton says: 'The more people we get into work the more people who are not reoffending. That is good for society.'
