[Music]
[Applause]
when I arrived in Hall field prison I
thought I’d finally gone to the place
where my aimless life would end because
from the outset I thought life in prison
was similar to how it was portrayed in
the movies where somewhere the prisoners
got raped and killed two weeks later I
went to the prison’s library and
borrowed a book and that night while I
was reading that book I suddenly
realized I could identify my own life
with a live story of the main character
in the book later I started to reflect
on my own life how I lived it without
much fundamental direction
the things I did to survive and the
physical and emotional pain that I
endured throughout my youthful days I
also thought about my son who was 2
years old at the time and at that point
I decided to document my life story
hoping that it might get into his hands
if the worst should occur and I got
killed first he would at least get to
know how his dad had lived his life and
made me forgive me for not being there
for him I also had hoped that unlike me
he may choose a different path on his
own journey through life before I got
introduced to education I was angry I
was angry with the world I was angry
with the police for arresting me hours
anger as my parents were not affording
me a better life and I was angry with
myself for being such a fool I realized
that I’d been living in a very dark
place for a long time my anger was only
a form of self-defense and to shield
myself I would often wear my Street face
whenever I was around the other
prisoners but once I found education
everything changed and I wasn’t angry
anymore
I used to go to the library borrowed one
book now I was boring
five the maximum each prisoners were
allowed to borrow for the week as time
went by I realized that Her Majesty’s
Prison was not a bad place for me in
fact I must admit that going to prison
was one of the best things that could
ever have happened to me during the
months and years that followed I
continued to write the story of my life
it had become my daily routine it was
something that I would always look
forward to do in fact it was my secret
cleansing therapy writing about my
previous life helped me to recognize who
I was I was able to examine myself in
ways that I never thought was possible
and I must admit that I was very
embarrassed with my findings
I was also ashamed I was ashamed of some
of the things I had done in the past to
survive and I was even more ashamed of
the crime that I committed of which I
was doing the time for and when I
thought about whom I could and wanted to
be for my son I knew I had to change I
knew I had to be clean because I was
dirty my whole life was messed up from
when I first started to steal and take
drugs and I didn’t want my son to grow
up thinking it was trendy and cool to
take drugs steal and ultimately go to
prison like his dad and the only way I
could guide my boy in a different
direction than the one I had taken was
to change my life I committed my first
crime between the tender ages of 8 and 9
I was home alone and hungry as I haven’t
eaten since the previous afternoon
without having a second thought I
entered my neighbor’s house the heart
was beating rapidly against the wall of
my chest as I hurriedly searched the
cupboards for food but I only found half
of a loaf of bread I saw a black Bible
on top of a table and like a magnet to
steal the Bible gives me closer curious
I opened the Bible and to my surprise a
small stock of banknotes smiled at me
from between the pages
so I pocketed the money jumped out the
window and I ran inside my house in July
1997 I got arrested for an attempted
armed robbery and subsequently rewarded
with an 8-year sentence it was the first
and last time I have been to prison most
importantly it was a crime that changed
the whole context of my life today I’m a
published author of the first part of a
trilogy entitled Victor of circumstances
I decided to share my life story with
the world hoping that it might encourage
others to examine themselves and change
their lives for the better the girlís
of where they are from or how messed up
their lives have been as for my son he
didn’t only turn out to be an incredible
law-abiding young man but the only
person that I know of in my whole family
but to graduate from a comprehensive
high school my friends I can proudly
tell you that my life had changed for
the better because I put in the hard
work and I can smile every day because
my son and my 13 year old daughter I
like fresh water to my soul they are my
role models
one love one heart respect
[Music]
you
[Applause]
when I arrived in Hall field prison I
thought I’d finally gone to the place
where my aimless life would end because
from the outset I thought life in prison
was similar to how it was portrayed in
the movies where somewhere the prisoners
got raped and killed two weeks later I
went to the prison’s library and
borrowed a book and that night while I
was reading that book I suddenly
realized I could identify my own life
with a live story of the main character
in the book later I started to reflect
on my own life how I lived it without
much fundamental direction
the things I did to survive and the
physical and emotional pain that I
endured throughout my youthful days I
also thought about my son who was 2
years old at the time and at that point
I decided to document my life story
hoping that it might get into his hands
if the worst should occur and I got
killed first he would at least get to
know how his dad had lived his life and
made me forgive me for not being there
for him I also had hoped that unlike me
he may choose a different path on his
own journey through life before I got
introduced to education I was angry I
was angry with the world I was angry
with the police for arresting me hours
anger as my parents were not affording
me a better life and I was angry with
myself for being such a fool I realized
that I’d been living in a very dark
place for a long time my anger was only
a form of self-defense and to shield
myself I would often wear my Street face
whenever I was around the other
prisoners but once I found education
everything changed and I wasn’t angry
anymore
I used to go to the library borrowed one
book now I was boring
five the maximum each prisoners were
allowed to borrow for the week as time
went by I realized that Her Majesty’s
Prison was not a bad place for me in
fact I must admit that going to prison
was one of the best things that could
ever have happened to me during the
months and years that followed I
continued to write the story of my life
it had become my daily routine it was
something that I would always look
forward to do in fact it was my secret
cleansing therapy writing about my
previous life helped me to recognize who
I was I was able to examine myself in
ways that I never thought was possible
and I must admit that I was very
embarrassed with my findings
I was also ashamed I was ashamed of some
of the things I had done in the past to
survive and I was even more ashamed of
the crime that I committed of which I
was doing the time for and when I
thought about whom I could and wanted to
be for my son I knew I had to change I
knew I had to be clean because I was
dirty my whole life was messed up from
when I first started to steal and take
drugs and I didn’t want my son to grow
up thinking it was trendy and cool to
take drugs steal and ultimately go to
prison like his dad and the only way I
could guide my boy in a different
direction than the one I had taken was
to change my life I committed my first
crime between the tender ages of 8 and 9
I was home alone and hungry as I haven’t
eaten since the previous afternoon
without having a second thought I
entered my neighbor’s house the heart
was beating rapidly against the wall of
my chest as I hurriedly searched the
cupboards for food but I only found half
of a loaf of bread I saw a black Bible
on top of a table and like a magnet to
steal the Bible gives me closer curious
I opened the Bible and to my surprise a
small stock of banknotes smiled at me
from between the pages
so I pocketed the money jumped out the
window and I ran inside my house in July
1997 I got arrested for an attempted
armed robbery and subsequently rewarded
with an 8-year sentence it was the first
and last time I have been to prison most
importantly it was a crime that changed
the whole context of my life today I’m a
published author of the first part of a
trilogy entitled Victor of circumstances
I decided to share my life story with
the world hoping that it might encourage
others to examine themselves and change
their lives for the better the girlís
of where they are from or how messed up
their lives have been as for my son he
didn’t only turn out to be an incredible
law-abiding young man but the only
person that I know of in my whole family
but to graduate from a comprehensive
high school my friends I can proudly
tell you that my life had changed for
the better because I put in the hard
work and I can smile every day because
my son and my 13 year old daughter I
like fresh water to my soul they are my
role models
one love one heart respect
[Music]
you
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