Wellingborough rail worker given new year honour for helping prisoners find ways back into work

A dedicated prison visitor who has made it his mission to help give prisoners a real shot at getting a job when they leave custody has been awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen's New Year Honours.

Vincent James, who lives in Irchester, has spent the past decade visiting prisons to speak to inmates about careers at Network Rail, encouraging their self-belief and giving them hope of a job once they leave custody.

The 54-year-old has visited at least one prison every month since he started on his mission and it's estimated he's reached about 6,000 prisoners during that time.

Now he's been given the prestigious British Empire Medal, which is awarded to those who have gone above and beyond to make their communities a better place.

Vince grew up in the shadow of King's Cross Station and started out as a train cleaner 33-years-ago. He rose through the ranks to become Lead Industrial Relations Consultant, managing relationships between the trade unions and bosses at Network Rail.

He said: "I'd heard that nobody was really doing anything with the prisoners with regard to employment when they were released which was putting them at greater risk of reoffending.

"I knew that at that time we took on former offenders at Network Rail so I offered to come in and talk to them in the local prisons."

He began to talk to groups of around 60 in prison chapels. He was aided by Network Rail's generous policy of allowing its workers five volunteer days each year and by managers who understood the importance of his work.

As word spread, Vince was approached by the education manager and the prison governor to do further talks and then partner education providers began to get in touch to ask him to extend his work. He also became involve in the Ministry of Justice's Inspirational Employers scheme and began to go into prisons further afield.

"I did about three or four years talking to them about what it would mean to work at Network Rail, why we have zero tolerance on drugs and alcohol, helping them to understand the skills they'd need and the importance of having an employment plan and a CV," he said.

"But then the law changed and everbody working on the railways had to have security clearance. It meant that we couldn't employ ex-offenders."

Vince approached Network Rail Chief Executive Officer Andrew Haines to challenge the new blanket policy.

He agreed that he would support Vince's stance. It took Vince two years to persuade all the relevant bodies to adopt a new policy. During that time he continued going into prisons but had to tell inmates how challenging it would be for them to get work at Network Rail.

But Vince did get the policy changed and now each case is judged on its own merits once the applicant has gone through and individual risk assessment.

Because the recruitment process can be so challenging for prisoners, Vince has also begun helping to set up a direct recruitment scheme which also offers training, a project that is currently delayed because of Covid.

He said that he hadn't expected to be given the BEM and it came as a shock.

"When I got the letter I thought it was a hoax," he said.

"I wasn't allowed to tell anyone except for my wife, who is really chuffed."

The North Northamptonshire New Year Honours list in full:

Alison Duckles CBE (Wellingborough: Head, learning and development, Laing O'Rourke. For services to education)

Yvonne Baker OBE (Rushden: Chief executive, STEM Learning. For services to STEM education)

Dylan Fletcher-Scott MBE (formerly of Desborough: Olympic gold medal winner. For services to sailing)

Kevin Moseley MBE (Wollaston: Founder and chief executive officer, SwimFin Ltd. For services to international trade, to investment and to charity)

Maisie Summers-Newton MBE (Wollaston: Paralympic gold medal winner. For services to swimming)

Charlotte Worthington MBE (Corby: Olympic gold medal winner. For services to BMX racing)

Timothy Aldous BEM (Kettering: Works supervisor, Forestry England. For services to forestry)

Ben Hodgkinson BEM (Geddington: Created CPAP device. For services to the NHS during Covid-19)

Vincent James BEM (Irchester: Employee, Network Rail. For services to prisoners)

Aaron Shrive BEM (Desborough: supplied the NHS with PPE. For services to the Covid-19 response)

Julie West BEM (Rushden: Poppy Appeal volunteer, Rushden Branch Royal British Legion. For voluntary service to veterans).