Co-written by 8-time New York Times bestselling author Peter Golenbock
, Gangster Redemption truly is the life story of a ‘Goodfella’ turned ‘good guy’ who gets his life back on track to help and inspire others. His riveting story has it all; the millions he made from robberies, prison torture, the New York mafia, and much more. A blockbuster movie waiting to happen, Gangster Redemption takes readers on a white-knuckle, roller-coaster ride to hell and back!Lawton understands first-hand the fine line between making good and bad choices; he spent six years in the Coast Guard before making bad choices that led to associations with organized crime. In prison he saw inmates stabbed and friends die. He saw young men raped and pimped out as prostitutes for other inmates. He studied to become a paralegal while in prison and acted as a gang mediator. Larry fought prison abuses and for doing so, spent three years in the “hole” being tortured by guards - and somehow kept his sanity by helping other inmates.
After his release in 2007, Larry developed the Reality Check Program as a way to instill hope and inspire kids to stay out of prison – a program so successful it’s being used by the courts, law enforcement, the federal government, and parents all over the country. A leader in the field, Larry’s program reinforces that when people make good choices their life can change. An independent quantitative analysis was done showing the Reality Check Program to have one of the highest success rates in the nation. 90% of the teens did not get re-arrested, 70% had better attitudes, 43% had better school grades and 31% had better school attendance.
Currently working on a new TV show called Lawton’s Law to advance this program, Larry is realizing major triumphs in turning kids’ lives around. They recognize that Larry ‘walks the talk’ and when he shares how prison cost him lost time, family, friends and his freedom - they listen and they learn that a life of crime is no life at all.
Larry Lawton has appeared on TV and radio, and been featured in numerous newspaper articles. His recent TV appearances include The Trisha Show on NBC, The Daily Buzz, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Huckabee on FOX, and many others. Larry’s inimitable style connects easily with people and he unquestionably brings the most entertaining, motivating and inspirational stories to audiences around the country.