Politicians and media encourage youth crime 'fear factory'
Charlotte Goddard
Monday, January 4, 2010
A coalition of organisations including Nacro, Catch 22 and Addaction, is calling for an end to the youth justice political "arms race", which it says results in policies driven by short-term political gain and "tough talk".
The coalition wants a cross-party commitment to creating and implementing an effective, long-term criminal justice strategy based on evidence.
It has been put together by Spirit Level Film, which has created a documentary The Fear Factory, highlighting a disparity between public perception and actual rates of youth crime, and the role of the media in encouraging tough youth justice policies.
Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, who features in the documentary, said: "I think we have constructed a fear factory. We've confused things; we've reduced crime, but ridiculously not reduced the fear of crime. We haven't capitalised on our success and instead we're fuelling the fear. We're just paying more, building more, keeping it all going, keeping it all rolling... and most politicians know that."
To sign up for the coalition or see a trailer for the film visit www.thefearfactory.co.uk.
