Case Summary • “Nero”, a 21-year-old inmate, shares his story of how he ended up in the criminal world, from a normal upbringing to becoming a drug dealer.• He started with pot before he started selling weed for a living more money, and ended up selling large quantities.• “Nero” expresses concern about the increasing violence among young criminals, especially the use of weapons.• Researcher Monika Grønli Rosten points to several factors that can contribute to young people ending up in crime, including parents’ unemployment, unstable living situation, substance abuse, violence or neglect, as well as poor school performance.• “Nero” believes that more police is not the solution to youth crime, and instead proposes preventive measures such as more sports facilities and meeting points for young people.• After the release, wants ” Nero” to get a proper job and start higher education, but is worried that it will be easy to fall back into the old life. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. We meet “Nero” in the visiting room at Eidsberg prison. He stands up, smiles broadly and extends a hand in greeting. – I am in prison for 25 kilos of hashish, and I got just over two years. For over a year, he has been an inmate in the high-security section of the prison. Those who are here are between 18 and 25 years old. “Nero” is not his real name, but news knows his identity. He has agreed to talk to us about youth crime to talk about how young people end up on the wrong side of the law. Growing up in Oslo East The room we are sitting in is small. Two chairs, a small sofa, and some board games are spread out on a table. “Nero” leans back on the small sofa. – I had a more or less normal upbringing. Played football and hung out with friends. The family in Oslo East was resourceful and had what they needed. Even so, he started nabbing, often with his gang of friends. It started with simple foods. Such expensive clothes. – That was exciting. It “kicked” not to be caught. But in middle school, things changed. On the small sofa in the visiting room in the prison, “Nero” narrates how he ended up in the criminal life. Photo: Nadir Alam / news – When I look back now, was it worth it? No. That’s how I got into child protection, and how I got to know the police. From snacking to tens of kilos of hash At secondary school, “Nero” sees how the older guys had money, and the girls were with them. He wanted to be like them. But there wasn’t that much money to be made in the nasking. That’s why he started selling hashish. – I went from earning NOK 500 a week to earning NOK 5,000. Suddenly he could afford to buy whatever he wanted. He was given freedom. – I could buy the clothes and watches I wanted and every time I earned, I just wanted more. Nor was he the only one to start selling. Some did it to be part of the gang. Others did it to earn money for the family, he says. – They helped their single mother pay the rent, the car and food. The peak has been reached Back in the visiting room at Eidsberg prison, “Nero” tells about his everyday life during the corona pandemic. Due to the entry restrictions, the price of hashish is pushed up. This way he earns good money and grams have turned into kilos of hashish. – Suddenly I had hashish worth NOK 3.5 million. But then he gets caught. He is arrested and the police find 25 kilos of hashish in the apartment. It is inside the high-security ward in Eidsberg prison where “Nero” is incarcerated. Photo: Nadir Alam / news – They searched the apartment. We were three suspects in the case, but two of us were convicted. Do you regret selling weed? – I regret that I was caught. I don’t regret doing it. I would have done it again with that money there. He justifies it by saying that he only sold hashish. Never any harder narcotics. – I had never sold heroin. It goes beyond the lives of others. Not afraid to use weapons Recently, young people have been caught with weapons. Mainly knives, but also with firearms. The perpetrators are getting younger, and there is a lower threshold for using violence, the police believe. Like in June when a 16-year-old was stabbed to death by his peers in Oslo S after a fight. “Nero” says that he also used to carry weapons. He will not say what kind of weapon it is, but it was there as protection. What he sees in the young worries him. They don’t have guns just for the extra security. – They don’t try to “slice” with the knife, they try to put it in the person. He believes it could get even worse in the future. – If you just look at a person incorrectly, you can be stabbed or shot. Several reasons why young people end up in criminal environments There can be several reasons why young people end up in crime, says Monika Grønli Rosten. For several years, she has researched, among other things, youth crime and growing up in vulnerable neighbourhoods. She says that you are more vulnerable if your parents are out of work, for example, you have an unstable living situation, if your parents struggle with drugs or are exposed to violence or neglect. – And young people who struggle at school and who do not have the opportunity to get help at home are more likely to end up in criminal environments. For several years, Monika Rosten has researched, among other things, youth crime and growing up in vulnerable neighbourhoods. Photo: Privat Rosten also says that a strong sense of belonging to the neighborhood can also have an impact. Something “Nero” himself has experienced. Especially if it is a neighborhood that has gained a reputation for being a bad place to live. – There is often a very strong loyalty in the youth circles in such neighbourhoods. That loyalty can lead to young people defending their neighborhood in both positive and more destructive ways, says Rosten. And for people who are caught and have served time, the road to crime can be short when they get out. – It is extremely difficult to get a job when you have been incarcerated. And the jobs you get are often low-status jobs and you earn little. If you are going back to the same local environment, it can be extra difficult. – You are in a vulnerable position. When you have been involved in crime, you have some skills that certain people want, so you get lots of offers. It’s tempting. More police is not the whole answer In the past year, the government and the police have had a greater focus on youth and gang crime in Oslo. Several areas in Oslo-East are to be prioritized by the police. At the same time, NOK 300 million is earmarked to fight gang crime. But more police is not the answer to stopping development, believes “Nero”. He is afraid that more police could lead to more violence. – The young people will see it as an abuse of power, if even more police cars come after you. Then distrust and dissatisfaction also increase. The new police station at Mortensrud is one of the government’s measures to combat youth and gang crime in Oslo. Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / news He believes that prevention is becoming even more important. Such as, for example, more sports facilities and meeting points. It must also be cheap enough for all young people. – I grew up in a place where there was one youth club and one football team, it’s far too small. When we turned 17 there was nowhere for us to go. – It will not make crime disappear, but it can prevent more people from choosing this life, he adds. Rosten also says that prevention is important to reduce crime among young people. She says that prevention work has improved much in recent years, and there is a special reason for that. Namely people with a local background in the neighborhoods who are role models. – These are people who work in schools, who are coaches or in the police, and who grew up in the same place and who look like them. Life on the outside Inside the small visiting room, the interview has lasted over an hour and we are nearing the end. When asked what he will do when he is released towards the end of the year, there is silence. He does not yet know what “Nero” will do when he is released, but is afraid of falling back into his old life. Photo: Nadir Alam / news – I have no help from the outside, only my guys, he says at the end. What will you do when you are released? – I want to get a proper job, but only God knows if I can do it, he replies. “Nero” has completed upper secondary school and wants to start higher education. But also says that it is easy to end up in the old life again. Especially when he needs money to start over again after he’s done serving time. – I want to get out of it, but I have nothing else to go to. I have to make money. Published 06.08.2024, at 09.35
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this is how “Nero” ended up in the criminal life – Greater Oslo
