"I want to share my story with people who have given up believing they can turn their lives around. I've led a life I'm not particularly proud of, but I now see that without my past, this awesome journey would not have been my future. No matter who you are, change is achievable. I stand as evidence that this can be done." A daughter of the Windrush generation, Janice grew up in a family struggling to bridge thousands of miles of separation. Her parents worked hard to build a new life in cold, unwelcoming Britain. Then, aged just 15, angry and alienated Janice ran away.Groomed to work as a shoplifter in London's West End, Janice entered a glamorous underworld of champagne, beautiful possessions - and drugs. Dressed in designer clothes, with two enormous mobiles ('the money phones') in her Gucci handbag, on the street she became known as 'the Empress'. Setting aside her father's words: "I came to this country to make a better life - and you turn out to be a blasted thief and drug dealer" - she felt like someone at last.But after years of this life, Janice was caught and sent to prison. She lost everything - her possessions, her partner, her daughter. When she'd served her time, south London had changed. Her former contacts were dead or inside. In one last roll of the dice, she staked everything on a million pound drug deal which would make her the Empress once again....From stealing furs in Harrods to a helicopter chase on the M1 to the bleak despair of her last jail sentence, Janice had seen it all - and she wanted to make a change. Once she'd served her time, Janice astonished everyone by applying for a job in the probation service. And she was accepted.Now, Janice devotes her life to making sure these girls don't repeat her mistakes.
