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Posted on March 18th 2013
‘Prison, Me? No Way!’ Trust visit
Religion and Philosophy visit from the ‘Prison, Me? No Way!’ Trust
On the 11th March 2013, an ex-convict called Tony came in from the ‘Prison, Me? No Way!’ trust to speak openly and share with us his story.
He told us in great detail about his early life and background as a teen living in Brixton and how he, like many teenagers, chased the ‘bad boy’ lifestyle. For him it all started in secondary school when he began chatting back to teachers, bullying, bunking off and getting excluded. Outside of school he was hanging around with older friends, taking drugs, running the streets and breaking the law. As he was open and honest with us about what he was like at our age, it was easy for us to understand where he was coming from and, maybe for some, to relate.
As he moved on through the talk he told us more and more about his life: going to prison for the first time and seeing it as gaining ‘street cred’, how his friends suddenly disappeared and reappeared when he got out, his family, and the subsequent times he ended up in prison. He repeatedly told us how much he regretted it now, and how he was in no proud of the things he had done.
He later explained to us how at one point he really felt he was living the high life, dealing drugs and making money. However, a disagreement led to the trigger of gun being pulled, and to Tony being found guilty of murder and imprisoned for twenty years.
Towards the end of the talk he explained to us that throughout his life the people who had been there for him were the ones he had shunned from his life; his family and his children. He spoke about his friend Jason, who he’d always disrespected for wasting his time on education, before finding out recently that he lived in an expensive house in North London, bought honestly as a result of his successful career as a barrister. Tony proved to us the importance of loyalty, family and education, which are valuable lessons for anyone.
‘In life there are more snakes than ladders.’ This is something Tony told us that stuck with us all, and we all understood where he was coming from. The fact that he was so open and honest, and didn’t hold back, made the whole talk more real to us. Tony ensured that it had an effect; the ground was level and everything was genuine.
Tony is now in rehabilitation, and is reintegrating himself into society in an open condition prison by spending a few days with his family every two weeks, and giving talks to students like us. I think all young people should get to hear a story like Tony’s, in its raw state from a real person. It really did make a difference and had a real effect on all of us. I’m sure we’ll all remember it for a long time to come.
Georgia Reid – 9TB
