9
When I was fifteen I was sentenced to five years for robbery. I was after money for drugs so me and my mate stole seven hundred pounds off someone. My friend had a knife on her and, although she didn’t use it because she had it I got a longer sentence. At first I was in the Aycliffe Secure Centre but as soon as I turned sixteen I was moved to Low Newton. There were only a few young offenders there, everyone else was much older.
I committed my offence because I wanted money to pay for drugs. I began using drugs when I was thirteen which was the point when I went off the rails. I locked a teacher in a cupboard and threw away the key so no one could let her out and I did worse things too. For a while I was locked up in a psychiatric hospital. I couldn’t cope with the world without help and the help I got was drugs. I put my troubles down to my dad. He was a drinker and he’s been in prison for drugs offences. He used to beat up my mum: I don’t remember a time when he wasn’t violent to her. It was to block out my bad memories that I used drugs. First it was cannnabis, but then crack and heroin. I started using heroin when I was fifteen. I stole and prostituted myself to get money to pay for drugs and that was why I ended up in prison.
In a way prison is the least of it. Prison wasn’t going to make any difference to me. It was easier inside because I could talk to people who understood what I felt. There was nothing in there though that was going to help me once I came out. When I came out I took up with a boy who used heroin and my habit became much worse. I’m not with him now and I’m on methadone at the moment.
