A member of our staff recently stood in front of his colleagues and showed us a photograph of himself at 15. He was with three other boys. One is now in prison for murder. One has been murdered. Two found a way through. All four should have.
In the photograph, he was carrying a knife. Not because he wanted to, he told us, but because he genuinely believed he needed it. That distinction matters. What looks from the outside like a reckless decision can feel entirely rational inside an environment that has become dangerous.
