Contemplating Suicide In Prison To Setting Up London’s Largest Gang Exit Groups - Junior Smart

In this episode I’m speaking with Junior Smart who was arrested in his mid twenties for possession of several kilograms of crack cocaine. Junior was left homeless after his mother died of a stroke, causing him to go into depression and become suicidal, planning to kill himself. On that day, an officer slid an envelope under the door of his cell containing photos of past family get-togethers. Junior said the photos snapped him back to reality and saved his life. He then seeked help from the Listeners and decided to train to become a Listener himself but soon discovered areas that lacked in support. He wanted to do something about it and make a change. He became a mentor for young offenders in the YOI, leading him to meet with St Giles Trust and setting up his successful SOS project which became London’s largest gang exit project.For more information on Juniors work:https://www.smarttc.co.uk/about-the-individual.htmlhttps://www.the-sse.org/stories/junior-smart-sos-gangs/Support the show Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Om Podcasten

Award Winning Second Chance is a podcast series that explores the theme of second chance. It raises the questions who deserves a second chance, who decides who gets a second chance and what a second chance actually means. On this podcast we speak to people from all walks of life about their experiences, some who have been given a second chance in life, some who might be considered to be beyond deserving a second chance. The host of the podcast series is Raphael Rowe, host of the critically acclaimed series ‘Inside the World's Toughest Prisons’ on Netflix. He is also a former correspondent for the world's longest running BBC TV current affairs show Panorama the BBC Radio 4 Today programme as well as a regular contributor on The One Show and Sunday Morning Live on BBC One. In 1988, aged 20, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for a murder and robbery he did not commit. In July 2000, after 12 years in prison, the Court of Appeal quashed his wrongful convictions and he was freed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.