Case Study : David Banks
2 Community Orders, Single Requirements, Cornwall
It took a couple of run-ins with the law and two separate electronically monitored curfews before David Banks realised that he had to get his life together. 2006 went from bad to worse for 28 year old David Banks. He had split up with a long term partner and with no job he found himself homeless. He moved in with his sister in Cornwall. Every night David would drown his sorrows in the local pub. The group of ‘friends’ he was associating with were regular cocaine users and it didn’t take long for him to become hooked on the drug too.
David often drank to excess and became very violent. On one particular night after a very heavy drinking session things got out of hand and David ended up assaulting another man in the pub.
David pleaded guilty to the offence and was given a community order by East Cornwall Magistrates on the 4th September 2006. The order was to run for 83 days and kept David under curfew at his sister’s address from seven in the evening until seven in the morning.
Being on tag was a time for reflection and David started to think about the direction his life was heading in. With the help of his sister he managed to successfully complete his curfew without any breaches.
However once the tag was removed David soon fell back into his old habits, meeting the same friends back in the local pub and drinking.
It wasn’t long before David found himself in trouble again. Under the influence of drugs and alcohol David became violent and caused several hundred pounds worth of damage in a pub.
In front of the Magistrate again he once again pleaded guilty to the offence and was given another Community Order and put on tag. With the tag on his ankle, again, David knew that the time for reflection was over and what he needed was action. He knew he had to quit drinking and drug taking.
Having the tag stopped him from going down to the pub in the evenings and kept him from socialising with his ‘friends’.
“You realise how many friends you have when you’re on a tag. Second time round I quickly realised who my true friends were and it wasn’t the people in the pub!”
The evenings were most difficult as in the past his evenings had been filled by drugs and alcohol. His sister helped him by refusing to have alcohol in the house and encouraged him to fill his time by playing his guitar again. He decided he was going to fulfil his boyhood dream and join a band.
“I’d been playing the guitar on and off for 15 years. When I was on the tag I rekindled my passion for music and took the opportunity to practice.”
He finished his second curfew requirement in January 2007 and instead of heading back to the pub and his old ways David spent his evenings attending band auditions. With new focus and determination it wasn’t long before he was signed to a local band. His life became filled with practicing and gigs in the pubs and clubs around town.
“I haven’t had a drink now for 5 months and it’s down to me and my tag. I will miss it as in all honesty it saved my bacon and helped me turn my life around. I’m glad I went on it when I did.”
David has been in the band for almost six months and recently told us that they have just been signed to a record label.
* None of the images used are actual subjects. The subject’s real name and some personal details have been changed
