As the ‘Penned Up 2019’ festival is just on the horizon I thought I’d upload an article about one of last years speakers. Mark Johnston is an author, journalist and business owner. Awarded an MBE in 2016, Mark works within the criminal justice system to help
ex offenders better their lives on release. Click below to read about this truly inspirational man who showed that you can come back from even rock bottom.
An Audience with Mark Johnston
An audience with Mark Johnston – Text only version
Mark Johnson is an author, journalist and business owner. Awarded an MBE in 2016, Mark works within the criminal justice system to help ex offenders better their lives on release. He came to our prison to encourage everybody to beat our addictions, to show us that we can still enjoy success – even after drug habits or prison sentences.
We had an interview style presentation where David Kendall asked Mark questions about his life and the arduous journey he has gone through to get to where he is today.
He talks about being homeless in the West End. He had removed everything from his life, family, friends and relationships. Only the drugs mattered to him. His drug of choice was a mixture of crack cocaine and heroine, a lethal cocktail more commonly known as ‘snowballing’. He told us that his addiction was all he knew. Towards the end of a 13 year habit he was spending £300 a day just to get a fix. He talks about the mental anguish of addiction, the physical pain, scabs and marks left from injecting. He didn’t know how to change because he didn’t know any other way of life, towards the end he was very close to suicide.
He managed to get into a rehab clinic in 2000. He had had enough of the drug lifestyle and wanted to change. His first stint didn’t go to plan though, he was chucked out for being violent due to psychosis. While he initially laughed as he told us about getting hold of £10k worth of heroine and falling off the wagon, the laughter soon fades as he recalls how that fix very nearly cost him his life. He forced himself to get back into a detox clinic, but still carried on feeding his addiction. One day he had a revelation that the only way that he was going to get himself clean was to go to a rehab clinic in the middle of nowhere. As he put it, ‘You can’t get drugs when you’re miles from anyone’. He managed to get to a rehab centre in Bognor–Regis and successfully kicked his habit. Mark mentioned how he developed PTSD due to the experiences that he endured during his down days. He revealed that it took many years for him to combat all of the mental health problems that resulted from his excessive life style.
He started writing his book in his first year of recovery which took him around 18 months to complete. But the success of the book didn’t do anything for his mental health. Although he was offered the highest advance for a book at that time, he always felt driven to do more with his new life. He started a tree surgery business that quickly became very successful. It allowed him to employ ex-offenders, to give them skills and a trade. He started to feel more fulfilled.
Mark encouraged ex-prisoners to work alongside professionals. Aside from learning how to act in the work place, around each other and towards customers, it also gave them a good work ethic. Looking for even more fulfilment, Mark started working with the Criminal Justice System setting up Peer Representative Groups. These groups employ ex-offenders and help them to change from being behind bars to being key-holders. They talk to the prisoners and the governors, voicing their opinions on what is happening and how to change regimes for the better. Prisoners feel encouraged to be more open due to the fact that the ex-offenders have been in their position and have made a life for themselves afterwards. It also has the benefit of developing ex-prisoners into future mentors and integrating them into the system in order to help prisoners that may have otherwise missed out.
Mark described the charity that he has created, ‘User Voice’. He explained the various services on offer that include supporting drug users and helping ex-prisoners to find their place in society. Finally he mentioned how he dealt with mental health, he talked about getting help wherever you can find it. Quite often that help comes from a church or religious organisation. He acknowledged that there isn’t a lot of help in prisons and suggested that prisoners need to stick together and help each other. Mark has come from the bottom of society to being a very successful and influential person. He is an inspiration to prisoners around the world showing that a prison sentence isn’t the end of life, that life is still what we make it.
