Howie has been in and out of Western Australia's prison system for years but says he hopes this will be the last time.
He is waiting to be released from Bunbury Regional Prison pre-release unit in the state's south-west where he works on community projects throughout the region.
But it was not until he started working on a unique project fixing old or unused bicycles, that he found purpose and self-worth again.
"I took a lot from the community, and it's good to give back," Howie said.
"It's opened my eyes.
"I can do a lot with my hands that I never knew I could do."
Howie — whose name has been changed to protect his identity — is part of a project that repairs bikes which get sent to communities in need.
Giving back to the community
For the last five years, Bunbury Police Station has been collecting stolen, lost, or abandoned bicycles and given them to Bunbury Regional Prison's pre-release unit.
"The bikes are repaired at the prison, parcelled up and transported up to Perth," Assistant Superintendent Shane Dowell said.
"The BMX bikes go to Aboriginal communities up north, and the rest go to places like Africa where transport is very limited."
It is part of the non-for-profit organisation Bikes for Humanity.
Superintendent Dowell said the prisoners learnt a range of new skills through the program.
"Repairing bikes, using hand tools, and seeing all the work they're doing is benefiting the wider community," he said.
Part of the role of the prison unit is to develop job-readiness in inmates and support them to acquire new skills that they can take out into the community.
"The three core things we look at is housing, employment, and support," Superintendent Dowell said.
"If they have two out of three of them, the chances of re-offending are reduced considerably."
'I feel useful'
Now with new skills, Howie is optimistic about the future.
As a pre-release prisoner, Howie gets to go out into the community and help with local projects.
"When you've done a little bit [of time in prison], getting back into the community is a scary thing," he said.
Howie is starting to think about what life is going to look like on the outside.
"I'm useful, not worthless," he said.
"There are a lot of skills we don't know that we've got when we're stuck in that one way [of behaving], and they've got a system that works in bringing them out."
Howie has completed a traineeship in cabinet furniture making and hopes to pursue the vocation when he is released.
