Stories from the Inside

Young, poor and in the cycle of drugs and crime; how do you get out?

As a kid Connor's home life was turbulent, his parents were drug dealers and the police were constantly raiding his home.

Getting involved with the justice system young, Connor has spent his life battling the system, and the forces at play that bring him back in.

This is his Story from the Inside.

To join the campaign for a better Western Australian youth justice system head to www.socialreinvestmentwa.org.au.

Gaby was an angry kid and her needs weren't being met. She was homeless at 15 and fell into drugs and then crime.

Gaby slipped through our system's cracks.

This is her Story from the Inside.

To join the campaign for a better Western Australian youth justice system head to www.socialreinvestmentwa.org.au.

Stuck on the outskirts of town, with a history of institutionalised racism, incarceration, and inter-generational trauma. Verna has 8 brothers and sisters, she's one of four of them who are out of jail.

Now, at age 27, Verna is bringing up her nieces and nephews and fighting to catch a break from the cycle.

This is his Story from the Inside.

To join the campaign for a better Western Australian youth justice system head to www.socialreinvestmentwa.org.au.

Desi grew up with older cousins who were involved in crime, in a neighbourhood where gangs were cool. He was taken away at a young age from his parents who struggled with alcoholism, and like many Aboriginal families, separated from his sisters.

Desi got into petty crime at a young age, and was on track to join the vast majority of young incarcerated Aboriginal boys at WA's juvenile detention centre, who come from a background of inter-generational trauma and institutionalised racism.

But something happened to Desi that changed his life's trajectory.

This is his story.

To join the campaign for a better Western Australian youth justice system head to www.socialreinvestmentwa.org.au.

Robert's parents dealt drugs, stability and safety were not pillars of his upbringing.

After his first armed robbery with his uncle, Robert's crimes became more violent, and his interactions with youth justice more frequent and destructive.

This is his Story from the Inside.

To join the campaign for a better Western Australian youth justice system head to www.socialreinvestmentwa.org.au.

What happens when you report sexual abuse and are ignored?

As a kid Tyronne* had to deal with his mother's drug and alcohol abuse.

He was taken from her and sent to foster care.There he was abused, but the authorities did not believe him.

This is his Story from the Inside.

To join the campaign for a better Western Australian justice system head to www.socialreinvestmentwa.org.au

*Tyronne is a pseudonym.

It's late at night your son calls you and says mum I'm in trouble, there is a warrant our for my arrest. How would you react?

This wasn't the call Jennifer expected to get from her son. A bookish kid who had never been in serious trouble with the law.

The cause? Unpaid fines - A problem that puts almost a thousands Western Australians in jail each year.

This is their Story from the Inside.

To join the campaign for a better Western Australian justice system head to www.socialreinvestmentwa.org.au

Kids in WA's justice system are nine times as likely to have been under the care of child protection.

Josh was a DCP kid.

He suffered abuse, struggled with addiction, and ended up in jail.

This is his Story from the Inside.

To join the campaign for a better Western Australian justice system head to www.socialreinvestmentwa.org.au

Your mum, dad, brothers, sisters, nan, pop, nieces and nephews have all spent time in prison - What chance do you have of avoiding the justice system?

Theresa is a young Indigenous woman who managed to beat drug addiction and help raise nine siblings while her parents served time in jail.

This is her Story from the inside.

To join the campaign for a better Western Australian justice system head to www.socialreinvestmentwa.org.au

Your partner has died, you've lost your house, and in the depths of despair your children are removed - How would you react?

Renna is an Aboriginal mother who was sent to prison for traffic related offences and resisting arrest.

This is her Story from the Inside.