The Parkhurst Years

At 16, Bobby Cummines became one of the youngest people in Britain to be convicted of carrying a sawn-off shotgun. He quickly became a gangland leader and was convicted of a number of serious offences including manslaughter and bank robbery. After serving 12 years in many of the UK's maximum security prisons, he went on to become a founder member and chief executive of UNLOCK, a charity which helps people with criminal convictions reintegrate into society. He is also a co-founder of Midas which helps young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.Bobby is one of the UK's leading penal reformers and has advised Ministers and Judges as well as public and private sector agencies on prison and rehabilitation. His passion is talking to young people in schools and colleges, deterring them from what they might perceive as a glamorous lifestyle by highlighting the harsh realities of crime and prison.