0:00:03 > 0:00:07In London alone, there are 250 recognised gangs...
0:00:07 > 0:00:11and an estimated 4,500 young people caught up in gang culture.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13It's the streets.
0:00:13 > 0:00:14The violence...
0:00:14 > 0:00:16it's just part of the life, innit?
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Crime and territorial disputes
0:00:20 > 0:00:24underpin the violence of gang lifestyles.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26It's postcode war, you get me?
0:00:26 > 0:00:28When I go to Tottenham, I HAVE to pull out my shank.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32But for many, injury, even death,
0:00:32 > 0:00:36or a life spent in the penal system are the real outcomes.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38The best part of their life is spent in a prison,
0:00:38 > 0:00:40and people say that it's a holiday camp.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42It's not a holiday camp.
0:00:42 > 0:00:47For families caught up in the violence, the pain is never-ending.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50It's every, every day, every moment, every minute.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53We miss him. We really miss him.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57Just hundreds of people, you know, instantly affected by one murder.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59# And I'm a new me And I'm a new me
0:00:59 > 0:01:03# And I'm a new me Full front, that's me. #
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Gang members carry out half of all shootings in the capital,
0:01:17 > 0:01:2122% of all serious violence and 14% of rapes.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26It's the streets. You've got to be violent.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30Out here, yeah, the violence is just like...
0:01:30 > 0:01:32It's just part of the life, innit?
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Like, you're on the road, you're mixing with certain people,
0:01:35 > 0:01:37you're selling drugs, whatever.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39Maybe you're holding a gun for this guy, whatever.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41So it's going to come with it, innit?
0:01:44 > 0:01:47In recent times, gang shootings, stabbings and murders
0:01:47 > 0:01:50have propelled gang culture into the mainstream.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54Here, gangs and those caught up in and affected by the lifestyle
0:01:54 > 0:01:58reveal the impact and the consequences of gang life.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01When you're young, you start doing small crimes,
0:02:01 > 0:02:04then you get minor crimes, then it starts getting bigger and bigger.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06You don't, all of a sudden, wake up and say,
0:02:06 > 0:02:08"Today, I'm going to join a gang."
0:02:08 > 0:02:10It gradually happens.
0:02:10 > 0:02:11You don't, all of a sudden, say,
0:02:11 > 0:02:14"Yeah, now I'm in a gang. They recruited me,
0:02:14 > 0:02:16"They're came to my school and recruited me."
0:02:16 > 0:02:18You just... These are your friends.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20These are your friends, and then it evolves into like,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23"Oh, yeah, now we're a gang, cos we've been labelled a gang."
0:02:24 > 0:02:28The friction between rival gangs protecting their areas
0:02:28 > 0:02:29often boils over into violence.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35It's postcode war, you get me? So it's not really...
0:02:35 > 0:02:39It's a community war, innit? You get me? N18, N9, you get me?
0:02:39 > 0:02:43If you're from N9, you've got a beef with N18. Tottenham against Edmonton.
0:02:43 > 0:02:49Weapons such as guns or knives - known as shanks - are often used.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52Like, I can't lie, I used to move with older people.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Like, I had to walk with my shank, cos I had no choice. You get me?
0:02:55 > 0:02:57Cos if I didn't, I'd get rushed.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00I know people, they can't even go and sit down in a restaurant.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Cos they sit down in a restaurant, their head gets licked off.
0:03:03 > 0:03:04Know what I'm saying?
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Government figures show that knifings
0:03:10 > 0:03:13and other violent crimes are actually on the decrease,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16thanks to concerted efforts by the police
0:03:16 > 0:03:19and other agencies to target gangs.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21We, as police, are going to come and look for you
0:03:21 > 0:03:23if you're into that criminality.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26You know, we are one of the most effective
0:03:26 > 0:03:31when it comes to surveillance and, you know, covert operations.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33You will be found out,
0:03:33 > 0:03:38and then when you're inside and doing whatever time,
0:03:38 > 0:03:41you've got a lot of opportunities to think,
0:03:41 > 0:03:43"I should have done it differently."
0:03:47 > 0:03:49Away from the streets and in jail,
0:03:49 > 0:03:51former gang members can find prison
0:03:51 > 0:03:54a tougher place to be than on the road.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59I got involved in a gang when I was about 14, 15.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03A first it was just fights, hand fights and punching and that.
0:04:03 > 0:04:04It went to knives and guns,
0:04:04 > 0:04:07and that's it, isn't it? It escalates from there.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10I weren't thinking about the consequences, you know?
0:04:10 > 0:04:14It was just there - the adrenaline, the good life, the money was there.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Chains, the attention from the females, you know?
0:04:17 > 0:04:18Everything was going good.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22I wouldn't think, "Nah, this can't happen. You can't get arrested."
0:04:22 > 0:04:23You know what I'm saying?
0:04:24 > 0:04:28I've been in jail twice now - this is my second time in jail.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31It's not really a place where I want to be.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34It's no holiday camp - you have no freedom, you're banged up all day.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38Your freedom's stripped down, and it's totally different.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41Oh, at first it was tough.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44But the experience in jail's not good, you know?
0:04:44 > 0:04:46Away from family and that.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48People think it's cool, but it's not.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51When my family come to see me, it's real hard at times.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54I'm happy to see them, cos I don't get to see them that often.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57But when they leave, actually leave from here and go home,
0:04:57 > 0:04:59I feel very saddened by that fact
0:04:59 > 0:05:01that I'm not able to go back with them.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05It made me realise who my real friends are, you know?
0:05:05 > 0:05:06I don't talk to them no more.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09When I came to jail, they said, "We've got your back," and all this.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11"We'll be there to the end."
0:05:11 > 0:05:13Couple of months down the line, they're all gone.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17When you're in jail, you're more or less a ghost
0:05:17 > 0:05:20and you're forgotten, basically.
0:05:20 > 0:05:25My friends used to write to me, but the contact has died out.
0:05:26 > 0:05:31Prison is only one price that active gang members might have to pay.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35The rate of people involved in gangs
0:05:35 > 0:05:38and negative peer groups ending up in prison...
0:05:38 > 0:05:42or a mental asylum or the morgue
0:05:42 > 0:05:47is extremely highly increased because of that activity.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50So, you know, you might be cutting short your life expectancy.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55For some, an early and violent death
0:05:55 > 0:05:58is another aspect of the lifestyle they have to consider.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03A current and active North London gang, Dem Africans,
0:06:03 > 0:06:07reflect on the pain of losing friends.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09This is the life everyone lives.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11No-one chose to live this life. As a baby, I never said,
0:06:11 > 0:06:14"Yeah, when I get older, I want to be involved in a gang." No way.
0:06:14 > 0:06:20It's more than it looks like. It's not a happy times every time, innit?
0:06:20 > 0:06:23You could lose your loved ones. You know what I'm saying?
0:06:23 > 0:06:26I've lost my loved one. But you've got to carry on living, innit?
0:06:26 > 0:06:27Get me?
0:06:27 > 0:06:31My friends died because they were involved, to be honest with you.
0:06:31 > 0:06:32And...
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Ugh, it's not good, man.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39They were too young to die for that. They were way too young.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Losing friends to gang violence is tough,
0:06:44 > 0:06:46even for gang members.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49To be honest with you, when I heard Negus died,
0:06:49 > 0:06:53I was so angry I just wanted to go there and do it myself.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57But then if I went there, then I would be next,
0:06:57 > 0:06:58to be honest with you.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Ugh, it's too much, man.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12Gang-related deaths have decreased in recent years.
0:07:12 > 0:07:13But despite the reduction,
0:07:13 > 0:07:16communities and families who lose children
0:07:16 > 0:07:21continue to be affected by the murders of their loved ones.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26What we've got here, we've got a graffiti monument...
0:07:26 > 0:07:29to local people who've died to from gun and knife crime.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32In the top-left, we've got Venn Dogg, that's Venomous,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35who died just there from gun crime.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39Jonathan Matondo, a.k.a. Venomous, was in a gang.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44In October 2007, he was shot in the head and murdered
0:07:44 > 0:07:46as he attempted to escape from a rival gang
0:07:46 > 0:07:48that had come to his house to kill him.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52His childhood friend, Viper, recounts what happened.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55On the night, there was a group of people here.
0:07:55 > 0:08:00And somebody came and fired shots
0:08:00 > 0:08:02and they tried to run.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07A number of shots were fired, and one got Jonathan in the head.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09And that's where it hit him, and he died there.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12Although the friends had gone their separate ways
0:08:12 > 0:08:16since Jonathan had become involved in gang life,
0:08:16 > 0:08:18his death was still a huge shock.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21I wasn't as closed to him as I would've liked at the time he died.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24And for the local area, it was sad, because he was 16 -
0:08:24 > 0:08:28another young kid shot over nothing, really, and a life wasted.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31So it was just sad for everybody, really.
0:08:31 > 0:08:32Growing up in this area,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35I've had lots of people who went down the other way to me,
0:08:35 > 0:08:37and if all the friends that are around you
0:08:37 > 0:08:41are doing that kind of stuff, it's quite easy to get dragged into it.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46But many parents of young people caught up in gang culture
0:08:46 > 0:08:50are unaware that their children are involved.
0:08:50 > 0:08:57We did find out that Jonathan was in a gang when he was dying.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59When he died,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03we were told by the police that he was living a double life.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05But when he was alive,
0:09:05 > 0:09:09why did he not tell us, so that we could do more?
0:09:10 > 0:09:13What happened to Jonathan...
0:09:13 > 0:09:16Us as a family, that was a big loss.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19It was a very, very big loss.
0:09:19 > 0:09:25Every, every day, every moment, every minute, we think about him.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28We lost a really, really...
0:09:28 > 0:09:31We miss him. We really miss him.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35There he is with you on his knee, big, lanky legs.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39For mothers and families left to pick up the pieces,
0:09:39 > 0:09:42it can take years to come to terms with the loss of a child.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46Theresa Cave's son, Christopher,
0:09:46 > 0:09:49was beaten and stabbed 19 times by a gang
0:09:49 > 0:09:53as he defended a friend who was being intimidated by gang members.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58He was stabbed in both legs. He was stabbed through the back first.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00He was stabbed through the palms of the hands in defence,
0:10:00 > 0:10:01the soles of his feet.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03He was bottled in the back,
0:10:03 > 0:10:07he was kicked to the groin, he was punched to the brain.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10And he'd been left to die in a pool of blood on a stairwell.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14And, um, the shock...
0:10:14 > 0:10:18because I didn't expect that to greet me at the hospital.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22And...I took him into my arms...
0:10:25 > 0:10:27And they closed his eyes for me.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30And there was a bandage on here.
0:10:30 > 0:10:35And I examined his body. And he had 19 wounds on his body.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38And...
0:10:38 > 0:10:43he was still warm. I could feel him. He was still warm.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46I'm sorry.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49See, it never goes away. It never, ever leaves you.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53But...that's how you find them.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56That's how...that's life. That's reality.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00And that's how we found him.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04He did nothing wrong. He had a good job. He had a lot of friends.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07He'd never been in trouble with the police in his life.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10He despised drugs and violence in every shape or form.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13And yet still he was the victim of a knife crime.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17The pain goes on forever. I mean, it's nine years, Christopher.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20To me, it's yesterday, because I still wake up in yesterday.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23And I can't wake up in tomorrow. I never, ever can.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27OK then, guys, so welcome to today's session.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31The thing we're going to be looking at today is goals in your offending.
0:11:31 > 0:11:36Whether it is a gang-related death, violent attack or robbery,
0:11:36 > 0:11:41a spell in jail gives those caught time to reflect on the damage they have caused.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Would you be happy for your goal to be money?
0:11:43 > 0:11:47- That's the reason why it happened? - Yeah.- OK. You can move to goal, please.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50'When you come to prison, you have a lot of time to think.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53'I think you kind of put yourself in the shoes of your victim.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56'And just think, what would I have done?
0:11:56 > 0:12:00'How would I have felt if I was that guy's mother or father or whatever?'
0:12:00 > 0:12:03It doesn't feel good.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07I can kind of see like why people...
0:12:07 > 0:12:11really want prisoners to suffer. I can understand it.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14The realisation that it weren't really the best thing like was, erm,
0:12:14 > 0:12:19was like sitting down in jail getting knocked back on parole,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22cos I was involved in gang fights
0:12:22 > 0:12:26and I still associate with old gang peers and whatnot.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29And sitting down for years, my family just out there
0:12:29 > 0:12:32and I'm in here. So the penny just dropped, if you like.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35I realise it's not really where I want to be -
0:12:35 > 0:12:37I don't really want to be sitting in jail for the rest of my life.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39We've put a few questions up here.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43And these are, what do you want to achieve? What was your reason behind it?
0:12:43 > 0:12:47'Now I've been here in jail three and a half years.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50'A lot of time to think, you know. Like it wasn't worth it at all.'
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Basically, greed got to my head, and that's why I didn't stop, innit?
0:12:53 > 0:12:56If I stopped, I wouldn't have been in jail. You know what I mean?
0:12:56 > 0:13:00I've got family out there that paying for my, my mistakes.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02They're suffering more than me.
0:13:04 > 0:13:09The short-term gains seem all well when you're actually out.
0:13:09 > 0:13:14But the long-term cost of gang life is, it's not worth it at all.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16You get into lots of conflicts.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19People you'd know will either be in jail for the rest of their life
0:13:19 > 0:13:22or some people pass away.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26The drama and everything you go through, it's not worth it at all.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34The government have recently cracked down heavily on gangs.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Anyone present during a gang-related crime
0:13:36 > 0:13:40can be charged with joint enterprise for the offence.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42The police are also making examples of infamous groups,
0:13:42 > 0:13:46so more gang members are being prosecuted and jailed.
0:13:48 > 0:13:53Terry Thomas is leaving jail after serving a five-month sentence for a knife offence.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57The experience was a powerful wake-up call for him.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59Three people committed suicide whilst I was in there.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02I found it was a wake-up call.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05You realise there's more to life than this culture.
0:14:05 > 0:14:10If you're continuing to be in criminal activity
0:14:10 > 0:14:13for the rest of your life, eventually you're going to get caught.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17And to escape that, you've got to be strong, strong-minded.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21It's a way of life for people. That's all people know.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23But you can get away from it, you can.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26You've just got to be strong and focus on yourself,
0:14:26 > 0:14:31stop worrying about what everybody else is thinking about you.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35That's the real challenge.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42But the friends of murdered gang member Jonathan Matondo
0:14:42 > 0:14:45have found a positive way to move beyond the shadow cast by his death
0:14:45 > 0:14:49and the gang culture that has damaged their local community.
0:14:51 > 0:14:57Their music project offers a space for young people to be safe and off the streets.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59# All right, P Jonathan
0:14:59 > 0:15:00# Missed, never forgotten
0:15:00 > 0:15:02# Joe, listen
0:15:02 > 0:15:04# Joe
0:15:04 > 0:15:06# Often the one that talks Screws behind my back
0:15:06 > 0:15:08# I back plenty Your man say, "war"
0:15:08 > 0:15:10# But the favour I never got that back
0:15:10 > 0:15:12# So I don't want to hear no talk from them, man
0:15:12 > 0:15:13# About how they back beef and trap. #
0:15:15 > 0:15:16I want to do that again.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19I definitely feel that somebody needs to do more for these youths
0:15:19 > 0:15:21to keep 'em off the street
0:15:21 > 0:15:24and keep their mind occupied on things that are positive.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26I guess, like, Jonathan's death also is the kind of thing
0:15:26 > 0:15:29that makes me how I am now
0:15:29 > 0:15:32where I will try and do as much as I can for my people around me.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35We can't help everybody, but anybody that does reach out,
0:15:35 > 0:15:37we do like, try and do what we can to help them.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39# And your flow I draw for is cold
0:15:39 > 0:15:43# And your flow you draw for is due, due, due, due, due. #
0:15:43 > 0:15:46For all of us... There's a call to action for all of us to say,
0:15:46 > 0:15:50"Listen, what can we do to mentor, to encourage young people
0:15:50 > 0:15:53"to nurture them in a way where they think,
0:15:53 > 0:15:55" 'OK, there is a way out'?
0:15:55 > 0:15:57"You don't have to go down that road
0:15:57 > 0:16:03"and...you need to know the risks that go with those choices."
0:16:13 > 0:16:15Segun is 13 and from South London.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21For the last two years, his life has been endangered by the local gangs
0:16:21 > 0:16:23that control his area.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26But despite the gang violence that surrounds Segun,
0:16:26 > 0:16:29he still feels the need to mix with those that are in
0:16:29 > 0:16:31and are affiliated to gangs.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35Walking the line's like, to either join a gang or not to join a gang.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39I'm not picking none of them options - I'm...in between.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41I'm not in a gang, but I can still walk around,
0:16:41 > 0:16:43I can still say hi to certain people.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47I get myself out of tricky situations if I have to.
0:16:47 > 0:16:48Why you talkin'?
0:16:48 > 0:16:52But Segun's family is worried that his proximity to gangs
0:16:52 > 0:16:54could result in him being killed or going to jail.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58They get together to discuss what they can do to help keep him safe.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02But if you're walking fine line, you're not in a gang.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04But you know a gang.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07If you move into that area, if you find your local gang,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10you're like, "Yeah, all right. Hello."
0:17:10 > 0:17:12- Yeah.- That's the best thing to do.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15- That's the best thing to do. - Go say hello and you get robbed.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19Get robbed? No! But if you're walking a fine line, you don't...no.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22I remember one time I was going through my brother's BB,
0:17:22 > 0:17:24obviously when he wasn't looking, yeah...
0:17:24 > 0:17:26Are you...?
0:17:26 > 0:17:28And then there was like...
0:17:28 > 0:17:30I think it was one of Seg's school friends is like,
0:17:30 > 0:17:32"Do you want to be in my gang?"
0:17:32 > 0:17:35What made me so proud, Seg's like, "No, I don't want to do that."
0:17:35 > 0:17:37I didn't even have to, like, think twice about it.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41I'm not saying, well, you shouldn't be in a gang
0:17:41 > 0:17:43or you should be in a gang,
0:17:43 > 0:17:46I'm saying, like, be...
0:17:46 > 0:17:48be on that fine line.
0:17:48 > 0:17:53Just be on the line. I'm not in a gang, but I can say hi to them.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56As soon as you do that, they're going to want you to join the gang.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58If you say no, they'll think you are against them,
0:17:58 > 0:18:01and if you say yes, you're into the gang.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03If you don't want to be in this gang life,
0:18:03 > 0:18:05don't associate with no-one.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08When you don't associate with no-one, that's when you become a victim.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15It's half term, and Segun and the family have decided
0:18:15 > 0:18:18that he should attend an anti-gang crime conference
0:18:18 > 0:18:22to help him understand the consequences of gang life.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27Former leading gang members share experiences with the audience
0:18:27 > 0:18:30in a bid to get them to understand why gang life
0:18:30 > 0:18:32is definitely not cool.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35When I was on the streets, I was brainwashed,
0:18:35 > 0:18:37I had nothing going for me.
0:18:37 > 0:18:38I got stabbed when I was a kid.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40After I got stabbed, I said,
0:18:40 > 0:18:42"Hold on a minute, this can't happen again."
0:18:42 > 0:18:45Specialist youth workers and experts in the field
0:18:45 > 0:18:50are on hand to assist and provide direction and intervention.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53Segun meets one of them, David Mullins,
0:18:53 > 0:18:57whose organisation helps young people without fathers in the home
0:18:57 > 0:18:59to seek out positive male role models.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02Tell me a little bit about where you come from,
0:19:02 > 0:19:06what are some of the dilemmas that you're finding yourself in?
0:19:06 > 0:19:09I'm not in a gang, I'm not involved in a gang.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12The gang's not my crowd, but I know certain individuals
0:19:12 > 0:19:14where I could, like... "I'm cool with him."
0:19:14 > 0:19:16You've grown up with them.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19You've gone to school with them or you've seen them around your way,
0:19:19 > 0:19:21so it's inevitable.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23I think a lot of the time parents will say,
0:19:23 > 0:19:24- "Don't even talk to them..."- Yeah.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27..and probably don't understand the logistics of that
0:19:27 > 0:19:30and how sometimes unrealistic that is.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33So, inevitably, they are associates,
0:19:33 > 0:19:35and what's important is
0:19:35 > 0:19:39what you do with that... association.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Segun then meets with reformed gang member Jamal
0:19:42 > 0:19:45who also thought it was possible to walk the line between
0:19:45 > 0:19:49being in a gang and not getting involved in the lifestyle.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52I didn't come from a bad background, my home life was all right.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54My house was nice,
0:19:54 > 0:19:57my mum raised me well.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00I had gangs around me, but I sort of rebelled from being in a gang,
0:20:00 > 0:20:04but I still got involved in selling drugs
0:20:04 > 0:20:06and walking around with weapons.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10How have you turned your life around from going into prison?
0:20:10 > 0:20:12- I had examples around me.- Oh, yeah.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15I had my brother who is in jail now for murder.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18I've got another cousin who just came out of jail recently.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21I've looked at their life and I've said...
0:20:23 > 0:20:25..that's exactly where I was headed.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27But a lot of people glamorise that lifestyle.
0:20:27 > 0:20:32People just pretend that it's a good life. It's not a good life.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35Then former gang member Robyn Travis
0:20:35 > 0:20:40separates the fact from fiction on how dangerous it is being in a gang.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45I've got scars... stab wounds, been shot at.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48Mental wounds that can't really heal.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51It's not something that I'm bragging about or I'm proud of.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54When asked, "Have I been to prison?" I bow my head and say,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57"Yeah, I've been to prison." I'm not proud of it.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00Today, I've met people that's been through stuff
0:21:00 > 0:21:03and turned their life around.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05So if I decide not to fall into these traps,
0:21:05 > 0:21:08then life could be a lot better for myself.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14Segun is beginning to realise that the apparent glamour of gangs
0:21:14 > 0:21:16and road economics
0:21:16 > 0:21:19is less important than having a role model in his life -
0:21:19 > 0:21:22someone who can show him how to believe in a future
0:21:22 > 0:21:28that does not include jail or a premature and violent death.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31- Segun?- Yeah.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35He meets multi-millionaire property magnate Charles Gordon,
0:21:35 > 0:21:39who faced a similar dilemma to Segun 20 years ago.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42- This is sick.- Yeah, I've got a PlayStation in here, as well.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46- For real?!- Yeah, yeah. - That's how we do, cuz.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48Shit!
0:21:48 > 0:21:51That's sick, that's sick.
0:21:51 > 0:21:52From my perspective,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55I know a lot of guys that have been involved in gangs
0:21:55 > 0:21:57and even when I was younger, I dabbled.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00What I learnt early, is that there's no positive position
0:22:00 > 0:22:01that comes out of it.
0:22:01 > 0:22:02None whatsoever.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05The first thing to do is make a plan of where you see your life going
0:22:05 > 0:22:07and what you see yourself doing.
0:22:07 > 0:22:08As a young black person,
0:22:08 > 0:22:11where do you see other black, successful people?
0:22:13 > 0:22:16- Music or football guys!- Yeah? - Yeah, yeah.- You seeing it?
0:22:16 > 0:22:17Yeah.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19A lot of the programming,
0:22:19 > 0:22:21a lot of the things that you think you think
0:22:21 > 0:22:24are kind of messages that are implanted in your head.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28You've got to almost break that mould, if you see what I mean,
0:22:28 > 0:22:29because, for me...
0:22:29 > 0:22:31it does come down to role models,
0:22:31 > 0:22:33it does come down to all of those aspects,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36because if you see certain things and you think,
0:22:36 > 0:22:38"I can achieve that," then you strive to achieve it.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42The only thing stopping you from achieving anything in this world
0:22:42 > 0:22:45is your belief in yourself to achieve it, do you understand, yeah?
0:22:45 > 0:22:48I believed there was nothing I couldn't do
0:22:48 > 0:22:50and then I went out there and I did it.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53There was always a way to do it, and it's a similar concept for yourself.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57Just decide what you want to do and know that you can do it,
0:22:57 > 0:22:58cos the only limitations we have
0:22:58 > 0:23:00are the limitations we place on ourselves.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04- Yeah.- Just think big. Aim big and don't stop until you get there.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06- Yeah?- Yeah.- All right.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12'Meeting someone like Charles has inspired me,
0:23:12 > 0:23:14'cos he's obviously living the life right now
0:23:14 > 0:23:18'and he's obviously come from a place that I've come from.'
0:23:18 > 0:23:23So seeing that it's possible to live a life like that,
0:23:23 > 0:23:27coming from where I'm coming from, it's great news.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29It's just a little bit more hope.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32Segun has now seen the light.
0:23:32 > 0:23:33He now understands
0:23:33 > 0:23:36that walking the line between gangs and street life
0:23:36 > 0:23:38will not guarantee him success in life.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41All of the knowledge I've gained,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44it's so difficult to refuse the positivity that I can grab from it.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48Being in a gang's not going to help you forever,
0:23:48 > 0:23:50you're not going to be in a gang forever.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54But a job, a good job that you want...
0:23:54 > 0:23:57that's bringing in money,
0:23:57 > 0:23:59putting food on the table...
0:23:59 > 0:24:01that's the best option to go for.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd