Of course, that may depend on your point of view. It could be asked if I had been rehabilitated and changed my ways? I have to be truthful and say, no, I had not. That is not to say that it did not register with me in any way, because it did, but only to remind me that this was the price that sometimes has to be paid if you choose to live your life outside the law. For me the rewards outweighed the risks. I was not at the stage yet when I would give any thought yet to the wider implications of my criminality in terms of victim empathy, moral implications and so forth. It was simply a case of staying one step ahead of the law. Yet I did not jump in straight away and continue where I had left off. For one thing, I was on licence and had to report on a weekly basis to my parole officer. It was also a condition of my release back into the community that I had to be gainfully employed. It was great to be back home with Ma, my brothers and my wee sister, and they were all so happy to have me back.
