Mixtapes that provide the soundtrack to a new life
16 Jun 2025
Working to help former offenders rebuild their lives requires Ingeus colleagues to have patience, empathy, resourcefulness and resilience.
To that list of skills Health Trainer David adds another – deejaying.
He has been a DJ since he was in the Army 20 years ago and is now bringing his mixing skills to his role with the Ingeus justice division in Leicestershire.
At weekends he is DJ Crazy Dave, getting people on to the dance floor at weddings and corporate events, but Monday to Friday he is, when required, the ‘Intervention DJ’, working with people on probation to give them a taste of something different.
Some of them may even follow in his tracks as a means of earning money, but that’s not what his sessions are all about. He says: “It’s not part of my day-to-day work but sometimes former offenders referred to our Personal Wellbeing service see it as a way of starting a new hobby, finding an interest that boosts their self-confidence and mental health, and gives them something different to focus on.”
The region’s Youth and Arts Lead, Simon, budgeted for some speakers, a mixer, and laptop for David to use with participants. He said: “David’s passion and dedication to deejaying makes him a positive role model for participants in our rehabilitation programmes.
“Music is a universal language so immediately he has common ground with participants that has nothing to do with offending. It can open up conversations that may not have been possible in a more traditional intervention.
“They can make a mixtape for themselves, or perhaps someone else in their lives, which allows communication of personal emotions that might prove difficult otherwise.”
Among those attending David’s sessions is a former professional DJ who had spent three years in and out of prison due to drug and alcohol abuse.
David said: “He wanted to get back into it so started working with me. He’s finished probation now, doing well and has got back into deejaying.
“From my point of view, seeing their faces enjoying the music is great. We get them to pick their favourite 10 songs, then we play around with them and record the results.”
Like the former offenders he works with now, David knows the benefits of having a passion for something that provides a different take on life. He says deejaying “was a lifesaver” by giving him a means of earning a living when he left the Army with just £92 in his bank account.
Then when his gambling addiction brought him before the courts it was a welcome distraction before volunteering as a Peer Mentor with Ingeus, leading to his current paid role.
With his young daughter now looking to learn music mixing David says: “I love being a DJ and it’s nice to see the participants I support, as well as my daughter, sharing my enthusiasm.”
WHAT’S TOP OF HIS DJ CHARTS?
“It depends on what part of the country you are in,” says David. “Apart from the standard hits like Mr Brightside and Mysterious Girl, here in the Midlands I get asked to play a lot of Northern Soul and reggae.”
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