Somehow, Anthony found his way into a small classroom on a heritage-listed camp in Pinjarra in 2017, standing before 12 Indigenous men who formed intake 12 of an in-prison training program for justice-affected men. Anthony, having been an alcoholic and drug user for 30 years, a drug dealer, a bankrupt, raised four great kids, worked in a host of different industries, was compelled to share information he’d gathered during his time on this planet. They listened, opened, shared stories of their art, challenges, and the new skills they were learning. Anthony was captivated by their enthusiasm and growth. At their graduation, he felt the powerful impact of their transformation. Inspired, Anthony took this passion to WA’s prison system, presenting soon after to 43 men at Karnet Prison. Though they started out guarded, by the end, they laughed, shared career hopes, and connected deeply—a moment that showed him it struck a meaningful chord.

 

Fast forward 5 years, 103 employed justice-affected individuals, 648 inmates educated across 11 prisons in WA, we were faced with the prospect of taking our prison efforts national. We zoomed out for a moment. Sat with the work we’d achieved to date, and dreamed up what impact our efforts could have. After 2 months of developing a national reintegration program, we sat with a 40-page delivery document, a passion still burning bright and a “why not us” mentality.

 

Reboot Australia was born, 2022.

 

A social enterprise reintegration employment company disrupting the cycle of incarceration. Reboot offers reintegration guidance, reintegration training/employment programs and employment opportunities. ​​​

​

A long way from the heritage-listed camp in Pinjarra standing in front of 12 indigenous men about to graduate, but still guided by the same enthusiasm and passion.

 

Our mission: We disrupt the cycle of incarceration

Our vision: To create a seamless reintegration journey powered by education, advocacy and employment outcomes.

Our mission hasn’t changed, but how we are doing it has grown over the past 3 years. Reboot has now created reintegration programs that leverage federal funding, presented to over 249 employers, educated 1236 inmates on how to navigate reintegration system and placed 301 candidates in direct employment.

 

All this is done with one thing top of mind, the humans leaving the justice system. From day one, our connection to the individual has driven us to endure the challenges of a reintegration company. Just as we encourage our participants to uncover their “Why”, we’ve done the same.

 

Reboot is not interested in being just another employment company. We have a heart. We try, we fail, we learn. Just like the individuals we work with.

 

As humans, this work is too important to let go. We walk into every prison in Australia with the same enthusiasm as day one, with a big smile, knowing the life-changing impact that is in store.