Born and raised in the Bronx and Brooklyn, New York, Larry spent seven years in the United States Coast Guard before being medically retired due to an injury. After leaving the Coast Guard, Larry made a series of bad choices that led to associations with organized crime. He was convicted of racketeering in connection with jewelry robberies and sentenced to twelve years in prison.
While incarcerated, Larry witnessed extreme violence — inmates being stabbed, friends dying, and young men being sexually assaulted and forced into prostitution by other inmates. During this time, Larry studied to become a paralegal, became a gang mediator, and worked on legal cases for over ten years. Helping others is what allowed Larry to maintain his sanity and survive prison.
Since his release from prison in 2007, Larry founded the Reality Check Program to help prevent young people from going down the same path he did. In 2008, Larry began working with law enforcement agencies, providing them with insight and knowledge from the perspective of a professional criminal.
Today, Larry speaks candidly with young people about how he lost time, family, friends, and his freedom — and why it simply wasn’t worth it. Lawton changes the way young people think, and it is his credibility that resonates with audiences across the country. It’s all about choices. Larry’s passion has made him a leader in helping young people understand that a life of crime is no life at all.
A stocky, muscular man with a shaved head, tattoos covering his body, and a goatee, Larry is not their father, mother, teacher, or counselor. He is an ex-convict and honorary police officer with a passion for helping teens, young adults, and police agencies.
Lawton challenges the way teens, young adults, and law enforcement officers think. He shares his story of bad choices that led to serious consequences — how he lost time, family, friends, and freedom — and why it was never worth it. Larry’s story proves that people can change and that anyone can get back up and succeed.
Larry delivers some of the most informative, inspirational, motivational, and educational presentations to audiences throughout the United States and abroad. Law enforcement agencies, schools, churches, corporations, and families bring Larry in because of his unique ability to connect with audiences.
Police agencies, adults, and young people listen because Larry speaks their language — with facts, truth, and no sugarcoating.
The nationally recognized Reality Check Program consists of four core components: Larry Lawton’s Life, What Prison Is Really Like, What You Will Lose, and Avoiding and Dissolving Bad Associations.
The Reality Check Video Card Program helps law enforcement break down the “us versus them” mentality that exists in some communities toward police.
Larry also developed the nationally recognized Reality Check Parenting Program (RCPP). The RCPP helps parents identify emerging issues such as new drugs, bullying, teen sexuality, and police-related concerns, and teaches parents what to look for so problems can be addressed before they escalate.
In addition to developing the Reality Check Program, Larry co-authored Gangster Redemption with eight-time New York Times bestselling author Peter Golenbock.
The book tells the true story of Larry’s journey from a life of crime to personal transformation, and how he went on to develop the Reality Check Program to help save young people from incarceration and a criminal lifestyle.
In August 2013, Larry became the first ex-convict in the United States to be sworn in as an honorary police officer in the city of Lake Saint Louis, Missouri.
In November 2013, Larry was recognized on the floor of the United States Congress for his work helping young people.
Larry continues to appear on national television and radio as an expert on crime, prisons, drugs, teen issues, and law enforcement community policing. His media appearances include ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, MSNBC, and national radio programs such as The Mancow Show, as well as radio shows across the country.
Larry served as a subject-matter expert for FOX Orlando’s coverage of Casey Anthony’s release from confinement and has provided analysis on numerous high-profile crime and punishment cases, including the Kim Kardashian robbery and, most recently, the historic Louvre heist. He also hosted a television program on Brighthouse Networks in Central Florida titled Lawton’s Law on Brevard Notes.
Larry Lawton launched his YouTube channel in 2019 with a clear and unconventional mission: to tell the unfiltered truth about crime, prison, and consequences—straight from someone who lived it. Drawing on his past as one of the most notorious jewel thieves in U.S. history and his 12 years in federal prison, Larry began breaking down real criminal behavior, prison life, and flawed media narratives with firsthand credibility. What immediately set the channel apart was authenticity—no glamorizing, no excuses, just real-life lessons aimed at steering young people away from the same mistakes.
As the channel grew, so did its scope. Larry expanded beyond prison stories into crime analysis, current events, personal accountability, and justice-system reform. His ability to explain complex criminal cases, street logic, and inmate mentality in plain language resonated with viewers who were tired of sensationalized headlines and armchair commentary. Within a few years, the channel grew to well over a million subscribers, establishing Larry as a trusted voice in true crime commentary and real-world prevention.
