-- Newspaper and Website Reviews
MY CRAZY DAYS AS A YOUNG OFFENDER
The Brit (Madeira Newspaper)
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POLICE AND COUNCIL WORKING WITH 100 CROYDON YOUNGSTERS AT RISK FROM GANGS
UP TO 100 young people with links to gangs in Croydon are on the radar of both the police and the council.
The Advertiser was this week told of the scale of the work being carried out by our agencies, which has even involved some entire families being moved out of the borough, to protect them from being caught up in gang culture.
It has been revealed that the council and police are "engaging" with dozens of youngsters – giving an insight into the huge amount of work faced in tackling the problem.
They range from those at risk of joining gangs, to others who have left and still need support, to hardened members.
Andy Opie, head of community safety at Croydon Council, said: "A number would be on the periphery and they would be a target for some of our early intervention. Help is there if they want it."
The work ranges from one-to-one mentoring to finding young people a school place or getting them into positive activities, such as sport or music.
In an extreme handful of cases each year – if they are in danger – Croydon Council has helped to move families out of the borough.
Meanwhile, former gang leader Justin Rollins, 28, believes the gang problem remains out of control across London.
Mr Rollins, who grew up in Carshalton, said: "I'm not involved in it now, but you hear the stories that come out of Croydon, highlighted from the riots. There are probably four main gangs in Croydon; then you have the spin-offs."
Mr Rollins has 17 convictions for robbery, grievous bodily harm, possession of an offensive weapon and possession of an imitation firearm, and has served four jail terms. He formed the gang WZ, short for Warriors, but has since turned his life around.
This culminated in him writing the first in a series of books about his experiences, called The Lost Boyz: A Dark Side Of Graffiti.
His second title, an eBook called My Crazy Days As A Young Offender, has just been released.
Mr Rollins, who is also an urban artist, said: "Writing a book about my experiences has been like therapy."
And in a message to gang members, he added: "I would tell them it's not a glamorous life like you see in films or on the music videos. It's a horrible, brutal reality – there's more to life."
Croydon Advertiser
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FORMER CARSHALTON GANG LEADER JUSTIN ROLLINS TALKS PRISON, CRIME AND TURNING HIS LIFE AROUND
A former gang leader who turned his back on crime has written a book about his days as a young offender.
Justin Rollins, 28, grew up in Carshalton and started his own graffiti-writing gang which turned to violent street crime.
As the level of violence increased Mr Rollins behaviour became more unpredictable and at the age of 18 he attacked two men with a meat cleaver on the London Underground.
The book, My crazy days as a young offender, describes his time in a young offender’s institutions as well as doing time in prison with some of the most infamous prisoners in the UK.
He said: "This is about my young years spent in prisons and young offender’s institutions, being really unwell mentally and having survived on the local streets.
"At 18 I was thrown in to prison with some of the most notorious prisoners in the country.
"They release you from prison and expect you to fit in with other ordinary people but it’s not like that - prison damages people.
"I wasn’t well mentally - I wasn’t the person I am today. I was seriously messed up and damaged.
"I was literally sleeping in Sutton bus garage.
"Then in one incident when I was outside Love2Love in Sutton it made me question my life.
"I started to realise the error of my ways and I went on to write my first book."
After his wake-up call Mr Rollins began to see a counsellor who helped him address the reasons for his violent behaviour and helped him come to terms with his past.
He wrote a book The Lost Boys, A Dark Side of Graffiti which looked back over his life growing up in Carshalton.
His new book, My crazy days as a young offender, focuses on his life from the age of 18 to 28.
Mr Rollins now lives in Tooting Broadway, he has turned his back on crime and does not drink. He wants to be a good role model for his daughter and is pursuing a career as an author.
For more information visit apexpublishing.co.uk
Sutton Guardian
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