Slough ex-prisoner's life story told in short film with BAFTA star

A Slough man who managed to heal his traumatic past and turn his life of crime around has teamed up with two acting stars to tell his story.

Zoë Wanamaker and Royce Pierreson (Line of Duty, The Witcher) will be giving their voices to an animation to raise awareness of the link between childhood trauma and criminality.

Also involved in the animation, called ‘Breaking Cycles: Building Lives’, is national crime reduction charity Causeway.

It supports marginalised and vulnerable people to recover from trauma and develop safe and fulfilling futures.

Dwayne Jack, from Slough, grew up seeing drug deals and witnessing domestic violence in his family home after his father left. When he was eight, he saw his mother being sent to prison.

At six-years-old, Dwayne began committing crime. He helped with thefts, burglaries and drug runs, in exchange for a sense of belonging with older boys in his estate.

By age 13, he was doing crack cocaine to numb his childhood trauma. In time, he was convicted of robbery, theft and drug dealing. Seventeen years in-and-out of prison followed.

“I’ve been shot, stabbed, and chopped in the head with a machete,” Dwayne said.

“I could have been killed so many times, but I didn’t care about my own life let alone anyone else’s,” he said.

“Going in and out of prison didn’t scare me either, it was my second home as a teenager.”

Things started to turn around for Dwayne in his late 20s. The final time he went to prison, he hit rock bottom' and started on the path to healing.

Dwayne left prison for the last time when he was 29. That was in 2014, 10 years ago.

He and his wife Mel went on to set up Roadlight and 7RoadLight CIC, two social enterprises which support vulnerable families and young people deal with trauma, make decisions, and avoid substance misuse and crime.

They work with the Ministry of Justice, local authorities, councils, schools, social services, and other charities.

Now, Dwayne’s story is being brought to life in an animated short film featuring BAFTA-nominee Zoë Wanamaker and The Witcher star Royce Pierreson.

Zoë Wanamaker said: “The words you hear spoken in the animation are the real words of Dwayne, the man whose bravely and generously shared his own story that is told in the film.

“I am extremely proud of this project, and it’s been a pleasure collaborating with Causeway, and the wonderful Royce Pierreson whose work I have long-admired.”

Royce Pierreson said: “Dwayne's story was hard to hear, but seeing him turn his life around and help others is a testament to him and the amazing work organisations such as Causeway continue to do.”

Amy Bond, Causeway’s COO, said: “We are extremely grateful that Dwayne has decided to team up with Causeway, to generously share his own story for this animation.

“Causeway’s crime reduction service support and advise over 4,500 individuals each year, both in police custody and in the community.

“These are often individuals who are in similar situations to what Dwayne was previously in. 

“We hope this animation helps show the complexities of the link between trauma and criminality, and also inspires others that there is a future away from crime.”

View the animated video at www.wearecauseway.org.uk/news-campaigns/breaking-cycles-building-lives