Sisco

03/09/2026

Challenging stigma through animation and art.
A massive thank you to Jen at Creative Spark Theatre Arts and the whole team at Braw Talent for helping us create this incredible animation.

We wanted to find a way to help people understand addiction, to offer a glimpse into what can be happening inside the mind of someone who has experienced trauma, and to reach people in a way that words alone sometimes can’t.

There’s an old saying: when we know better, we do better.

We hope this animation offers a small insight into just how difficult it can be to navigate a life affected by alcoholism or addiction.

Judgement doesn’t get us anywhere.

Sometimes, what a person needs most isn’t another opinion about where they’ve gone wrong. They need a hand to help them back up. They need compassion, connection and people willing to love them until they can begin to love themselves again.

We hope you enjoy this animation as much as we enjoyed bringing it to life.

A heartfelt thank you to The Robertson Trust for funding this project and making it possible.

Jen, you are wonderful.
To everyone at Braw Talent, you are wonderful.

And in a world where it can be so easy to judge, dismiss or look the other way, let’s all try to help a world of Robertos.❤️

03/09/2026

WE’RE FINALISTS!

We’re absolutely delighted to announce that SISCO has been nominated for the Scottish Recovery Awards 2026, and we’ve made it through as a finalist in the "Hope Beyond the Walls" category!

To say we’re ecstatic would be an understatement.

Anyone who knows the team at SISCO knows they go above and beyond every single day. They go beyond their roles, beyond expectations and, importantly, beyond the walls of the Scottish Prison Service.

To be recognised in the Hope Beyond the Walls category means so much to us. It shows that the work we do within the Scottish Prison Service, bringing hope, connection and the possibility of recovery to those who need it most, is being seen and recognised.

We also want to say a massive thank you to Paul and the whole team at Abbeycare for their continued support throughout the history of our charity. Your belief in SISCO and the work we do means so much to us.

Whatever happens on the night, we are incredibly proud of our team, our community and everyone who has been part of this journey.

Let’s celebrate recovery. Let’s make recovery visible, accessible and attractive to the still suffering. 💜🎗💜

Abbeycare Scottish Recovery Awards Scottish Prison Service

02/09/2026

A massive THANK YOU to Jen from Creative Spark Theatre Arts and the brilliant team at Braw Talent! 🙌

They came into SISCO offering drama, fun, excitement and the chance for our client group to develop new, transferable skills, and they delivered all of that and so much more.

Together, we also created something incredibly powerful: a two-minute animation.

It’s factual. It’s punchy. It’s sad. But most importantly, it’s real.

Real lives. Real stories. Real people.

Work like this simply wouldn’t be possible without funders, services and partners who genuinely care about what we’re trying to achieve at SISCO, reducing reoffending, creating opportunities and helping people rebuild their lives and become whole again.

A very special thank you must go to The Robertson Trust who saw the value in this work and funded Creative Spark to come into SISCO and make this project possible.

We cannot wait to share our animation with the world. We hope it has as much of an impact on you as it had on us when we watched it for the first time today.

Well done to Jen, the team at Braw Talent, everyone at SISCO who took part, and especially the team at The Robertson Trust for believing in and funding this project.

Real lives. Real stories. Real people.

Watch this space… 🎬❤️

01/09/2026

This is what recovery looks like.
No expectations. No pressure. No judgement.
Just a safe space to meet the troops exactly where they’re at, connect, and be together.

Recovery looks different for everyone, and that’s exactly how it should be.

Happy Recovery Month, everyone. 💜🎗

31/08/2026

A huge thank you to the team at LEAP and the Home Improvement Team for coming into the service today and having some really valuable conversations around energy provision and savings.

This is such a valued initiative, providing our clients with practical support and helping them access better information and advice around energy, broadband and welfare.

Thank you to everyone involved for taking the time to support our clients and help them explore ways to reduce costs and access the support available to them. ⚖️

17/08/2026

Thanks to the team at Good Vibes Meditation Mental Health and Wellbeing Trust and Susan Gilbert for coming up to support the troops in Barlinnie ⚖️
When we know better we do better 🙏

HMP Barlinnie recently welcomed Susan Gilbert from Good Vibes Meditation Mental Health and Wellbeing Trust to deliver a breathwork and mindfulness session for those in our care.

The session introduced practical techniques to help participants manage stress, regulate emotions, and build resilience. Through guided breathing exercises and mindfulness practices, individuals explored ways to develop greater self-awareness, improve focus, and support their overall wellbeing.

Participants also took part in a reflective goal-setting exercise, encouraging them to think positively about the future and identify meaningful changes they would like to make in their lives.

Good Vibes Meditation was founded by Susan, whose own lived experience and mental health journey inspired her to create a space where individuals can access practical tools, guidance and opportunities to improve their mental wellbeing. The organisation delivers a range of services including breathwork, mindfulness, meditation, life coaching, and community-based wellbeing programmes.

13/08/2026

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!!!!!!! 🏃‍♂️

My story is probably not what you would expect from someone entering a half marathon.

I came from poverty and disadvantage, with very little opportunity, guidance or positive influence around me. I took the wrong path early in life and, as a result, I spent almost half of my life in prison.
Eight years ago, I reached a point where I knew enough was enough. I had a choice to make: I could continue allowing my past and my circumstances to determine the rest of my life, or I could try to become something different.
I chose different.
It wasn’t an overnight transformation. I had to rebuild my life and, in many ways, learn how to live it again. But once I made that decision, I committed to it.
For the past six years, I have worked within a criminal justice organisation Sisco. There is certainly some irony in that. I went from being a resident within the prison system to working in a role where I now support people who are experiencing many of the same struggles I once did.
Today, my job is about rehabilitation, recovery and hope.
I work from a trauma-informed perspective, but I also bring something that can’t be learned from a textbook, lived experience. When I sit with someone who feels that their life is over because of the decisions they have made, I can look them in the eye and genuinely tell them that it doesn’t have to be.
I know what prison feels like. I know disadvantage. I know what it feels like when opportunities seem almost nonexistent. But I also know that your past does not have to become your future.
And now, for some reason, I’ve decided to run a half marathon!
Until recently, I hadn’t run for nearly two years. I only started running again around seven weeks ago, so I’ve certainly not chosen the easiest way of doing this. But that’s probably quite fitting for me.
When I decide I am going to do something, I finish it.
Running 13.1 miles will undoubtedly test me, but I’ve faced longer and more difficult journeys than this one. I’ve learned that sometimes you don’t need to see the whole road ahead of you. You just need to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
That’s what I’ve done with my life.
So when I cross that finish line, it won’t just be about completing a half marathon. For me, it will represent the distance I’ve travelled over the last eight years.
I’ve gone from spending half my life in prison to spending my working life trying to help other people stay out of it. I’ve gone from needing someone to show me that another life was possible to being in the privileged position of trying to show that possibility to others.
I’m not ashamed of where I’ve come from. It’s part of who I am. But it doesn’t define where I’m going.
This half marathon is another challenge and another finish line.
And if sharing my story helps even one person believe that, no matter how far behind you think you are, it’s still possible to start moving forward, then those 13.1 miles will mean even more.

Help Kevin Coyne raise money to support SISCO

12/08/2026

Another fantastic performative male show at The Fringe with Darren McGarvey and guest Sean Patrick Toal ⚖️

Conversations around justice, addiction and the power of connection ♥️

11/08/2026

Let's create more global change Compassion Prison Project ⚖️✨️

11/08/2026

We miss you Fritzi ⚖️

ACEs, adverse childhood experiences, change the way we see the world and ourselves.

Most of the people in prison have at least one ACE, and 64% of the men and women we surveyed in prison have six or more ACEs. Violence witnessed or experienced during childhood changes the way your brain functions and affects our behavior, decisions, and outcomes.

When we are aware, we can repair.
Help us bring this work to people throughout the United States and around the world.

Learn about ACEs on our website at compassionprisonproject.org.