"It’s all about perspective and the value of life. You could make fifty grand on a one-time crime of some sort. The thing is though, that fifty grand could get you locked away for ten years. So you’ve got to lie on your back for ten years waiting. That’s a wage of five grand a year.
On the other side of the coin, you could earn a legal fifty grand every year if you put your mind to it. Even a legal fifteen grand a year works out three times better than fifty grand over ten years.
We need more people who have been through the system explaining this to people. The grass is not greener on this side of the fence. It’s actually really terrible to be honest. It’s not somewhere you want to be."
Jimmy, youth worker.