A TEAM dedicated to helping criminals change their ways has told how it helped and alcoholic homeless man found in a garden shed and thought to be dead recover and rebuild his life.

The man, in his 50s, known as Adrian to protect his identity, had threatened suicide after being released from prison for the latest in a string of minor offences.

He was brought in by the SWITCH offender management team which has helped him turn his life around.

His persistent offending has now been cut dramatically, from a cost to the public purse of £9,000 over nine months, to just £900 in the last year.

"We believe in people's power to change,” said Angie Kennedy, who leads the SWITCH team and works for the Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire Community Rehabilitation Company.

“We specialise in working with people who are marginalised in society because of their behaviour and who end up with a list of convictions for low-level crimes. We adopt a carrot and stick approach to rehabilitation – being very strict with the enforcement of agreed rules but also very supportive in helping people overcome their problems.”

Probation officer David Henretty, who was part of the SWITCH team working with Adrian, said: "Our integrated approach is certainly working with Adrian.

"He had committed 15 offences in a nine-month period at a cost to the community of over £9,000. But in the nine months since working with the SWITCH team, the frequency of his offending is down 50 per cent and the cost of his offending dramatically cut by over 90 per cent.

“People for whom low-level offending such as shoplifting is a habit sometimes take time to change but we demand and achieve constant improvement and expect people to end up crime free.

“Adrian is now well on the way to completely turning his life around. He is back living with his partner. He is volunteering two mornings a week at a community centre in Swindon where he is working on a gardening project. He has also gone into training, gaining the qualifications he needs to volunteer two mornings a week in the community cafe.

"Someone like Adrian who comes out of prison on a short term sentence currently leaves with just £46 in their pocket, nowhere to live and no-one to support them with their rehabilitation. This makes it highly likely they will re-offend.

"But from February this year, new legislation has meant everyone serving under 12 months in prison will receive rehabilitation. In Swindon, this service will be delivered by BGSW CRC.

"I am just glad we were able to reach and help Adrian before it was too late."