Story by Campbell Matthews

This is the story of one man’s journey from childhood to his mid-thirties. Growing up in a destabilised environment, he periodically moved from town to town and never felt settled. From his early teens, boredom, alcohol and drug abuse soon developed into petty crime, which evolved through his teenage years into more serious drug abuse and criminal activities. This path of seemingly minor choices soon led him to be convicted and sentenced to serve ten years in prison.

Since his release he has been trying to find himself and make up for lost years, whilst attempting to integrate back into society. The road back has not been an easy one with many challenges to face and many setbacks in the past three years. However with the strong support of family and friends he has slowly put his life back together, piece by piece. He is now concentrating on making the right decisions for himself and his future.

This stereotype attached to this segment of the population is one of the greatest hurdles of rehabilitation, with many ex-prisoners unable to cope with life outside prison, finding themselves falling into their old habits of drug and alcohol abuse and frequently re-offending. The stigma of being a convicted criminal is a hard cross to bear and can take many years to overcome, but through determination and support the good intentions of a lifetime can prevail.

This story is a result of the collaborative work with the ABC Open Project.

Copy Edited by Rebecca Taylor