True life stories

My life was OK until I left school at 15 to live with a 19-year-old boy. My mum was not happy about it which helped me to justify what I did – I was rebelling. The young man I moved in with was a heroin addict and eventually I became addicted as well. I hadn’t got a clue what he was doing when he smoked heroin in front of me. I just knew he was a nicer person when he did, so I joined in.  I never really understood what I was doing – I was so naïve.

Initially I had a good job earning £100 a week, but by the time I was 16 years old I was addicted to heroin and in trouble for shoplifting.  I had to go shoplifting for money for the heroin and he used to hit me a lot.  I ended up in prison by the time I was 17, which gave me the shock of my life.  The trouble was he was always at the gate asking me to forgive him.  It was easier to go back to him, because I had nowhere else to go. We ended up homeless and I was sent to prison seven times for shoplifting. Eventually I became a prostitute as a ‘way out.’ I ended up as a prostitute in an effort to break his hold over me.  That way I could sleep over at punter’s homes and have a roof over my head for a while.

Finally I broke the cycle of drugs, shoplifting and prostitution. When I reached 20, a really nice punter told me about a women’s refuge place, so when I was last in court I told my solicitor I wanted a 3 month sentence, so I could get off the [heroin] and sort myself out.  I went on methadone and when I got out, I went straight around to the refuge place and they took me in and fixed me up with my mentor from the New Hope Mentoring Programme, who really understands what I am going through.

With support from my mentor I made huge progress in my life. My mentor has been great, as has everyone else who has helped me, because it is almost impossible to do it on your own. I now have my own place and a new partner. I no longer shoplift. I would like to tell [the Prime Minister] how important it is to have somewhere to go to and someone to support you when you first come out of prison.  Everyone who leaves prison should have access to a mentor like mine. I feel like a real citizen now and we are paying our bills.  By next year, I want to be in college; and when I am over everything that has happened to me, I want to get a job.  One day I would like to be a mentor, so I can help someone like me.