An ex-convict has spoken about the difficulties he has faced since leaving prison, including the breakdown of his marriage.

Speaking at the maiden National Ex-Convicts Conference event in a video shared by JoyNews on Facebook, he said his wife left him because of his prison history, while he now struggles to provide for his children and find a place to sleep.

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"Life after prison has been extremely difficult. My wife left me because of my prison history. Today, I struggle to feed myself and my children, and I have no other place to sleep except seeking shelter in a slum," he said.

He said his experience reflects the difficulties many former prisoners face as they try to rebuild their lives, including rejection by spouses and family members, unemployment, and stigma.

"Sadly, my story is not unique. Many of my fellow ex-convicts have been abandoned by their spouses, rejected by their families, denied employment, and stigmatised by society.

"We are encouraged to reform, yet when we reform, when we return to society, our past is often considered more..." he stated.

Another former prisoner said some inmates end up back in jail because of debts they are expected to pay after their release.

He explained that such debts may be paid with money, through work or in kind, and failure to settle them could lead to further imprisonment.

“A lot of prisoners come out, and they go back. They come, and they go back. But one funny thing about life is that most of the returning prisoners, they come out with a debt that they have to pay.

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“It's either you pay, or you pay in the form of work, or you pay in the form of kind. If you don't pay, then you go back. Life is full of debts,” he shared.

Watch the video below:



MAG/SEA

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