The new report found clear benefits to UK charity Key4Life's seven-step rehabilitation programme
Date: 18 September 2026
New London Met research has found that a pioneering rehabilitation programme could be “transformative” if adopted across the prison estate.
“You’re Not Just a Number: Experiences of the Key4Life Programme at HMP Fosse Way” was funded by a London Metropolitan University Transformation Fund.
Dr Natasha Du Rose, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at London Met, examined 46 participants in Key4Life's seven-step rehabilitation programme at HMP Fosse Way in Leicester.
Key4Life is a UK charity that rehabilitates young men in prison and in the community through a blend of emotional development, employability training, and long-term support.
Its 7-step programme is structured around three core pillars: emotional resilience, employability and ongoing support.
Participants learn emotional resilience through several innovative teaching methods, including life-decision making exercises, equine therapy, football coaching from Queen’s Park Rangers, and mentoring from a well-known rapper.
The final report, published by the Centre for Security Research and Studies (CSRS), identified 12 positive outcomes, including a changed mindset, reduced violence, and improved employment prospects.
With previous graduates acting as facilitators, Dr Du Rose said participants view the programme as more authentic and distinct from anything else they had encountered before
She added: “Central to these findings is the shift in how men see themselves. For many, hearing an employer say ‘we see value in you’ was a first. That recognition transforms self-perception from ‘offender’ to ‘someone with something to offer’.
“Crucially, Key4Life's support continues through the gate and into the community, with graduates returning as mentors and creating a self-sustaining model.
“These findings provide evidence to support the national expansion of relational rehabilitation programmes across the prison estate. When we invest in relationships and treat people as capable of change, they often prove us right.”
The publication of the report is particularly significant at a time when reoffending costs the taxpayer an estimated £18 billion annually and changes to automatic release dates for some prisoners will come into force from 1 October.
The report concluded: “This research demonstrates that programmes such as Key4Life deliver precisely the kind of transformative, evidence-based intervention that the government's prison reform agenda demands.”
According to the charity, only 8 per cent of Key4Life participants reoffend, compared to a national rate of more than 50 per cent. And 62 per cent move into employment, education or training, against just 17 per cent nationally.
Writing in the report, Eva Hamilton, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Key4Life, said:
“At a time when the UK justice system continues to face high levels of reoffending and increasing pressure on prison capacity, the findings of this report underline the importance of investing in approaches that support genuine rehabilitation.
“Key4Life is proud to have partnered with London Metropolitan University to bring forward this research and we hope it contributes meaningfully to the wider conversation about how best to support individuals leaving prison to build brighter futures and crime-free lives that positively contribute to society.”
