THE LIFE BEHIND THE WORDS
Every life has
its chapters.
The past explains the road.
It does not have to decide the destination.
Learning to survive.
A childhood marked by poverty, fear and instability. The first volume begins with the experiences that shaped the boy before the world knew the man.
Growing up around domestic violence meant learning to read danger and search for safety. John reflects on what those early experiences meant for trust, identity and belonging, and how their effects could continue long after childhood.
Explore Volume OneThe wrong road.
The search for belonging led into crime and imprisonment. These chapters confront the consequences of choices without romanticising the harm.
Looking back as a criminology graduate, John holds two ideas together: people are responsible for harmful choices, and understanding how a young person reaches that point matters if future harm is to be prevented.
Read about the bookA reason to build.
Fatherhood, relationships and responsibility became central to the road towards change. Bobkins is the affectionate name for John’s daughter, Rita.
Change was not a single moment that erased the past. It involved love, grief, setbacks and repeated decisions about the kind of father and person John wanted to be. That experience now sits alongside professional work supporting safe, meaningful family time.
Explore Volume TwoA new way to understand.
John graduated from the University of Portsmouth with a BSc (Hons), awarded at 2:1, in Criminal Justice and Criminology in 2020. Education gave him a way to question and examine lived experience.
His route also included Media and Journalism and a Diploma in Teaching and Education at Highbury College. Study brought research, theory and ethics into the story, helping him ask more searching questions about justice, rehabilitation and professional practice.
Explore criminal justice and criminologyTurning experience into purpose.
Through community work, Climb Nova Consultancy and Walk the Island, the journey continues in service to others.
More than twenty years of work with Portsmouth residents includes youth and play work, family support, mentoring, street-art projects and partnerships. John has helped create opportunities for students and volunteers, supported grassroots organisations and contributed to resident-led planning through the Landport Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board.
Meet the community
