A young man standing in a corridor at HMP Isis in London

London · Since 2008

A way out.
A life
to be proud of.

We support young men leaving prison in London to change their relationship with society - through one consistent, motivational relationship that starts inside and doesn't stop at the gate.

Donate now See how it works

Support our work

Your donation helps us walk alongside more young men as they build a life to be proud of.

Donate now

The evidence

do not reoffend within a year of release

Around half of prison-leavers nationally do.

reach our benchmark of Real, Lasting Change

A fundamental shift in mindset and lifestyle.

move into long-term work, education or training

Compared to only 10% of prison-leavers nationally.

The problem

Prison ends. The hardest part begins.

A young man walks out of the gate with a plastic bag and nowhere to sleep. No bank account, no ID, no one waiting. Within weeks most are back where they started - not because they chose to be, but because nothing around them changed.

Switchback exists in that gap. One mentor. One relationship. Held steadily from the inside of a prison to the inside of a working kitchen, for as long as it takes.

Reoffending within a year

Nationally~0%

Switchback Trainees0%

Switchback Trainees are five times less likely to return to custody.

The programme

One relationship,
both sides
of the gate.

A Switchback Trainee talking with his Switchback Mentor over a cup of tea

01
Inside
A Switchback Mentor meets a young man in prison and starts building a real, consistent relationship - long before the gate opens.
02
Through the gate
We are there on release day. The first 48 hours decide everything, so nobody walks out alone into nothing.
03
Outside
Hands-on training in real working kitchens and bakeries across London, alongside housing, benefits and family support.
04
Real, lasting change
Not just a job. A stable, rewarding life a young man can be proud of - and stay in.

Light falling through a barred window inside a London prison

“I'd been in and out since I was fifteen. Switchback was the first place that never once gave up on me - even when I did.”
Switchback Trainee, East London

Real stories

Hear from a Switchback Trainee

Watch on YouTube

Flip the script

Trainee journeys

See all

Kam's story

Released with nothing but a bag and a travel warrant, Kam met his Mentor at the gate - and started building a life he could stay in.

Devante's story

Twelve weeks in a working kitchen gave Devante more than skills. It gave him a routine, a wage and people who expected him to turn up.

Lenox's story

Housing, benefits, ID, family. Lenox and his Mentor worked through it all, one week at a time, until the ground felt solid.

Mohamed's story

From a cell at HMP Isis to full-time work in London, Mohamed's journey shows what happens when someone refuses to give up on you.

Trainee voices

Real words. Real change.

“Switchback didn't just find me a job. They were the first people who believed I could be something else.”

Trainee, aged 24

Three years out of prison, now a chef in London

“My mentor turned up on the day I got out. No one else did. That relationship changed everything.”

Graduate, aged 29

Working at a social enterprise bakery

“I didn't think I was worth investing in. Switchback kept showing up until I believed it too.”

Graduate, aged 31

Now mentoring other Trainees

Influencing

CHANGE ONE LIFE. THEN
CHANGE THE SYSTEM.

Everything we learn alongside young men leaving prison, we take back into the rooms where justice policy is made. Our Experts by Experience sit in front of ministers, select committees and prison governors - not as case studies, but as authors of the argument.

From prison recall to the first 48 hours after release, we campaign for a system that invests in people's success rather than paying for their failure.

Read our influencing work