One of those people is Terry.
"The police locked me up in Richmond and got two confessions out of me. I was 18.
The years went by, and I got over it, but it always came back to haunt me.
When I wanted to go overseas, when I applied for a liquor licence, when I wanted to start my own business, there was that dreaded question:
"Have you ever been convicted of a criminal offence?"
It took me years of part time study to become a chartered accountant, and when I was almost finished, I got that question again.
"Have you ever been convicted of a criminal offence?"
I lied, of course. I wasn't going to let all those years of study go to waste.
The phone rang a few years later.
"It's a call for you – it's personal."
It was an inspector from the St Kilda Police Station. He'd found me out.
With that question always lurking over our heads, we always had to ask ourselves – just how far can I go today?"
Reviewed 26 June 2020