Funding Project funded by the No Way Trust Ltd
Aim To show young people the consequences of crime
A new initiative being run in Waltham Forest is enlisting prisoners to try to dissuade schoolchildren from breaking the law.
Prison! Me! No-Way!, run by the No Way Trust Charity, launched in the London borough in February and aims to show young people the consequences of committing crimes.
The brainchild of three serving prison officers and supported by Waltham Forest Council, the initiative is running in secondary schools across the borough. It is hoped it will eventually reduce the number of young people committing crimes and ending up in prison.
As part of the process, young people are treated as "prisoners" for a day while taking part in a series of interactive workshops designed to tackle issues relevant to them.
Paul Wilkinson, chief executive of the No Way Trust, says: "In the vast majority of cases crime wrecks the lives of both the victim and the person committing the crime.
"We want to discourage young people from committing crime and reduce the number of young people sent to youth custody by making them think of the consequences of their actions and encouraging them to behave the right way.
"We don't preach or shout orders at young people, we show them the impact crime can have upon them and their communities and what can happen if they end up in prison. They realise they don't want their lives to go that way, it is a very effective technique."
A launch event at Frederick Bremer School in Waltham Forest involved prisoners talking about their experiences in prison. There was also the chance for young people to try out a life-sized cell and a mock-up street has been constructed where pupils can recreate antisocial behaviour.
