Fast paced and readable as any novel, the book describes how the author overcame ‘locked-in’ thinking and a violent lifestyle to become not just law-abiding but an acknowledged expert on street crime, gangs, drugs and youth culture.
It will be of interest to a wide range of people working with disadvantaged young people and those confronted by mental health issues and/or affected by ‘ghosts’ from the past.
Confronts topical mental health issues. Based on hard won first-hand experience. For general readers and experts alike. Ideal for youth training, development, debate.
Reviews
‘A searing, page-turning, roller coaster ride through one of the darkest jungles in the Criminal Justice System’– Jonathan Aitken
‘Hits you right in the gut with the power of a knock-out punch from a heavyweight boxer … should be required reading for those who run our criminal justice system … A great, but quite harrowing, read … not to be missed.’– Noel ‘Razor’ Smith (from the Foreword)
As featured in Inside Time.
Following publication of his acclaimed The Lost Boyz (Waterside Press, 2011) the author became well-known in university and media circles making him a ‘go to’ expert on youth, gang and knife crime. He has for many years worked to divert young people from the criminal process. His struggle to overcome his own mental health challenges (resulting from abuse as a child and imprisonment) is the central theme of this captivating and informative new book.
Noel ‘Razor’ Smith’s best-selling books include A Few Kind Words and a Loaded Gun: The Autobiography of a Career Criminal (Penguin, 2005). As a journalist he has contributed to the national press and works for the highly respected prison newspaper Inside Time.