Empowering Change: How Prisoners are Recycling Electronics and Rebuilding Lives

HMP Highpoint South is transforming electronic waste recycling into a powerful tool for prisoner rehabilitation. Launched in Autumn 2023, the prison's digital workshops have developed a unique model that addresses environmental challenges while providing prisoners with critical employability skills.

This initiative, part of the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) rehabilitation efforts, enables prisoners to dismantle and recycle Xerox print devices under the supervision of DSA Connect, providing a pathway to future employment.

Sustainable Recycling with Purpose

The HMP Highpoint Electronics Recycling Workshop follows a meticulous process. Each printer brought to the site is first registered in a digital portal that tracks the printer’s progress through every stage of dismantling. Each device is manually dismantled piece by piece and sorted into groups of materials, such as plastics, glass, metals, toners, and circuit boards. The workshop achieved greater than 99% weight matching before/after regular batch testing, with 99.8% of components passed on to local recycling specialists. The remaining 0.02% of materials, classified as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), are responsibly disposed of through certified waste disposal processes, ensuring no landfill use.

As of September 2024, the workshop has processed over 3,000 Xerox^® devices, achieving zero landfill waste. Initially employing 12 prisoners, the workshop now provides valuable skills to 30 prisoners. Following its success, the program expanded to HMP The Mount in October 2024, where 26 prisoners now process 600 units monthly.

Xerox’s relationship with the MoJ spans many years, providing managed print services for MoJ departments, including HM Prison and Probation service, since 2014. The MoJ utilises over 5,000 Xerox^® print devices across 700 sites. Building on this relationship, the Electronics Recycling Workshop, established in partnership with DSAC, now helps sustainably manage end-of-contract devices while equipping prisoners with valuable skills.

Building on Success: Component Recovery and Reuse

In August 2024, HMP Highpoint launched a pilot Component Recovery and Reuse Workshop, focusing on extracting components for reuse in Xerox devices. There are now plans to scale up operations at a selected prison, potentially employing 30 individuals to process 300 devices monthly.

Real Stories of Rehabilitation

The digital workshops program has led to real employment opportunities, with one prisoner securing a job offer with DSA Connect following his release, stating: “This initiative hasn’t just taught me technical skills; it’s given me hope for a real future after prison. I never imagined I’d be writing articles for the prison newspaper and stepping into a technical job upon release.”

Research consistently shows that finding employment post-release significantly reduces reoffending rates. A government study found that work plays a crucial role in reducing recidivism—a finding mirrored in studies across the EU and US. Programs like these not only reduce recidivism but also offer former offenders a chance to reintegrate into society with dignity.

DSA Connect is actively seeking job opportunities for workshop prisoners in the construction, waste management, facilities management, IT and hospitality industries.

Looking to the Future

As the initiative continues to expand, it serves as a model for addressing the e-waste challenge while reducing recidivism rates and benefiting the environment, society, and prisoners. Plans for future growth include scaling the program across additional prisons, further increasing the number of participants and expanding the volume of devices processed. These efforts aim to cement the initiative’s role in supporting the UK's circular economy while offering life-changing opportunities to prisoners.

The digital workshops at HMP Highpoint South and HMP The Mount stand as a testament to the potential for innovation in tackling both environmental and social challenges. By combining sustainability with rehabilitation, the program not only supports prisoners in building brighter futures but also addresses one of society’s most pressing issues: e-waste. As the program evolves, it continues to inspire change across industries, proving that impactful solutions can benefit both people and the planet.