A young east Belfast woman has opened up on how she managed to turn her life around after becoming involved with criminal gangs and drug dealing at the age of 17.
Rebecca Marlow first started to abuse drugs in her teenage years in order to deal with a series of mental health issues and post traumatic stress disorder.
Running away from home and getting married at the age of 17, Rebecca said she got involved in a life of crime which ultimately saw her convicted of a number of offences, including possession of drugs with intent to supply and possession of offensive weapons.
Rebecca, now 26, is now about to graduate with a degree in Pyschology from the Open University and wants to help people like her who have turned to crime after suffering from serious mental health issues.
“When I came into contact with Probation I was suffering with quite a few mental health issues, I had complex PTSD from things that had happened in childhood,” Rebecca said.
“I found that the best way for me to cope with that was substances, mostly drugs and being a teenager in that environment led me to get involved with the wrong kind of people.
“My home life wasn’t the best either, so I was looking for a way to escape.
“I ran away from home and got married at the age of 17 and fell head first into a lifestyle of taking drugs and getting involved with the selling of drugs.
“I have convictions for possession of drugs with intent to supply, possession of weapons, possession of counterfeit currency.
“I was involved in circles where there was quite a bit of gang violence involved.”
After being convicted of multiple offences, Rebecca engaged with the Probation Board in order to turn her life around, cutting ties with the relationships and gangs which had groomed her for a life of crime.
“When I first engaged with probation the officer who helped me was really the first person I had in my life who gave me any confidence,” she said.
“I learned how to say no to people and take control of my own life, beforehand that wasn’t something I was ever able to do.
“Through NIACRO (Northern Ireland Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders) I was able to enrol in the Open University in a psychology degree, which I’m about to graduate from next year.
“Struggling with mental health difficulties myself and going through every type of therapy you could think of, that really interested me and I really wanted to make a difference.
“My dream job would be something where I can help people with the worst mental health difficulties and trying to understand and help them get through it.
“You can use your lived experience to be empathetic towards the person and that can give me a unique perspective in order to try to help people.”
