// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
'I lied about being in prison - there was so much shame'
Pratik Doshi (left) and Sobanan Narenthiran have been friends since childhood
When Pratik Doshi was in prison serving a two-year sentence for drug offences he said the shame was so great that when on the phone to his aunties he pretended he was still studying accountancy at university.
"There was so much shame... as an Indian, you are either a doctor, lawyer or an embarrassment," the 30-year-old said.
In 2016 Doshi's degree at the University of Plymouth ended when he was arrested and later convicted of conspiracy to supply cannabis and possession with intent to supply cannabis.
Since his release he has fought to turn his life around and now works for a government-funded enterprise called Breakthrough Social Enterprise, which runs workshops across the country, including in Suffolk and Norfolk, to help former convicts improve their skills in IT and artificial technology to help them find employment.
"It's a double-edged sword, the same rebellious nature that got me in trouble, is the same rebellious nature that helps me get through the shame," Doshi said.
In the year to March, about 20% of offenders were in employment six weeks, external after being released from custody, according to the Ministry of Justice.
Pratik Doshi was training to become an accountant when he was convicted of drug offences, but now he runs workshops to help ex-offenders improve their skills
Doshi said: "There is a lot of regret [over my conviction], my parents, my family have done everything to instill good values to me from a good Jain family and I just let them down.
"I'm scared to go to family reunions and there is a constant game of cat and mouse, where I feel consistently punished for a mistake I made 10 years ago."