Who We Are
We exist to bridge the gap between prison and the community — the point where most people fall through the cracks.
OLN focuses on practical, real-world support, early intervention, and long-term mentoring to help people resettle, comply, and rebuild stable lives. Our work benefits not only individuals, but families, victims, and wider communities by reducing reoffending and improving public safety.
Our ethos is simple: Built by us, for us.
How OLN began
OLN was founded after its founder experienced first-hand the realities of long-term imprisonment, release, recall, and resettlement.
Despite engaging positively with the system, it became clear that many people are released without the basic tools, stability, or support needed to succeed — often leading to breach, recall, or crisis within weeks.
OLN was created to change that reality by designing support that actually works in practice, informed by lived experience and delivered with credibility, trust, and understanding.
About the Founder
OLN was founded by Jamie, who served a long custodial sentence and later experienced recall following a serious violent incident in the community in which he was the victim.
Jamie has extensive lived experience of:
- Long-term imprisonment
- Release and resettlement
- Probation supervision and recall
- Trauma, post-incarceration stress, and adjustment
- Navigating systems that often lack joined-up support
Since release, Jamie has worked constructively with prisons, probation, councils, charities, and private sector partners to develop practical solutions that reduce risk and improve outcomes.
OLN is rooted in credibility, accountability, and lived reality — not theory.