Licence: it’s all in YOUR hands

Before I say anything, I want to acknowledge that some people are released into incredibly difficult circumstances. Many people leave prison with nowhere to live, and those challenges are real. This isn’t for them.

This is for the people who have somewhere to go, who have family waiting and a genuine opportunity to rebuild their lives – but spend every day complaining about every licence condition, every restriction, and every expectation placed upon them. My advice: stop fighting it.

Before my release, I was told that being on licence was harder than prison, that conditions were designed to catch you out and they wanted you to fail. The reality – it’s about mindset. From day one, I made a decision that I would follow my conditions like a religion. I’ve treated them as seriously as any other responsibility in my life. I’ve built good relationships with probation, and it hasn’t steered me wrong. Life is good.

The moment you start cutting corners, arguing out of anger, or treating every condition as a personal attack, you’re making life harder for yourself. All that’s being asked of you is to comply. Is that always enjoyable? No. Some conditions can feel restrictive, frustrating, even degrading at times. But those restrictions are part of the consequences of your actions. Until you accept that, you’ll keep fighting a battle you cannot win.

If there’s a condition you believe is unfair, challenge it through the correct channels. Speak calmly, professionally, and respectfully. Make your case with evidence, not emotion. Sometimes conditions can be reviewed or amended, sometimes they can’t. If they can’t, don’t waste your energy over something you can’t control.

Acceptance isn’t weakness – it’s what allows you to move forward.

If you want to break the cycle of recalls, you have to change your own attitude before you expect anything else to change. Stop believing the whole world is against you. I’ve been home for six months, and the level of supervision I receive is already much lighter than when I was first released. Why? Because trust has been built.

When the professionals supervising you see that you’re compliant, respectful, and not constantly creating problems, they naturally become less concerned about you. If you consistently demonstrate that you’re getting on with your life responsibly, they’ll often leave you to do exactly that. The more noise you make insisting that you ‘deserve more’, the less progress you’ll make. 

The truth is that while you’re on licence, you’re still serving your sentence – just in the community. Stay consistent. Follow the rules. Build trust. Eventually you’ll find a rhythm that works, and before you know it, life begins to feel like your own again.