Lived experience groups

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Revolving Doors is a welcoming and positive organisation. We provide opportunities to meet great people and help change the criminal justice system. We have a variety of lived experience forums and teams, regional forums representing the South, Midlands and North of England, and a National Women’s Forum.

It’s easy to get involved – and attending a forum can be a first step towards many more opportunities.

Who can become
one of our members?

We’re looking for members who have: 

  • had recent repeated contact with police, courts, prisons or probation
  • committed low level offences, such as petty theft or minor drug offences
  • experienced problems such as mental ill health, substance abuse, domestic violence/abuse or homelessness

If you have experience of the three criteria above, and would like to find out how you could get involved, please contact us.

Why get involved?

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“The greatest reward for me is knowing that my children and others may not have to endure the injustices that I and many others have. The real reward is witnessing the real changes being made.”

Contact us

Members enjoy meeting and collaborating with others, and this creates a strong sense of community. It’s an opportunity to use your knowledge and experience of the criminal justice system to directly influence decisions that are made about the system. It also provides the chance to learn new skills, build your confidence, and move onto new opportunities.

Opportunities

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“Revolving Doors really do put us at the heart of everything, plus divert us on to other things.”

Contact us

The starting point for getting involved with us is to join one of our forums. We have many other opportunities that can follow this, including: 

  • joining a specialist lived experience team focusing on a specific project
  • becoming a peer researcher
  • facilitating our forums
  • speaking at events. 

We also run regular peer research and peer facilitator training.

Featured Forums

National Lived Experience Team

This group of 12 people works with NHS England to support the design of non-custodial health services within the criminal justice system. These include Liaison and Diversion, Reconnect, Mental Health Treatment Requirements and Healthcare in Courts.

East Midlands Panel

The panel provides lived experience insights into the commissioning and delivery of health and justice services in the East Midlands.

National Women’s Forum

This forum is a safe women-only space that, like all our forums, aims to improve the services and policies within the criminal justice system.

National Expert Citizen’s Group

This group represents people who have experienced a combination of homelessness, contact with the criminal justice system, mental health problems, and alcohol or substance use. The group works closely with government departments to improve services and change the system.

“We have really enjoyed working with the forum and have learned so much from our work with them.”

Nicola Edwards, Residential Women’s Centres, Ministry of Justice

Get in touch

Interested in recommending a lived experience member to us? We’re always looking for partners who can refer new members to us. Get in touch using the contact form below.

    Are you contacting us on behalf
    of yourself or someone else?

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