On Monday 11th March, we were delighted to have Erwin James come in to talk to our Sixth Form students.
Erwin James is a convicted murderer and has been a contributor and columnist for The Guardian since 1998. He was released in August 2004 having served 20 years of a life sentence. Since 2000 he has written a regular column about prison life titled ‘A Life Inside’.
Erwin shared with us stories from his childhood; a happy, normal childhood until his mother was killed in an accident and his father became an alcoholic. He gained his first criminal conviction for the burglary of a sweet shop at the age of ten which resulted in him being taken into care. His directionless way of life, which included a period as a fugitive in the French Foreign Legion, continued until August 1984 when he began his life sentence for murder.
Erwin gave our students some food for thought. He questioned whether he was born bad, or simply made the wrong decisions. He shared the depressing reality of serving a life sentence and he explained the importance of the psychological support he received in jail, the sense of worth and purpose he was made to feel and the power of free will in regaining control over his life.
An emotional and heart-felt talk that captivated all of us for its brutal and yet empowering honesty!
