Government ‘criminalising young’
The government is too quick to criminalise young people for petty offences where informal punishment could be more effective, says a report.
Ex-Youth Justice Board chairman Prof Rod Morgan criticised an “extensive net widening” of the use of summary powers such as cautions and on-the-spot fines.
His report for King’s College, London, urged assessment of the development.
The Ministry of Justice said there was a reluctance to bring young people to court unless necessary.
The report for the college’s Centre for Crime and Justice Studies said: “There is a good deal of anecdotal evidence, for example, that behaviour, particularly that of children and young people, is being criminalised which arguably would be better dealt with informally (school-related misbehaviour, for example) and in previous times was.”
St Giles Trust – people positive
“I know of few more practical contributions to the solution of the ongoing problem and could not commend their work more highly.”
Lord Ramsbotham, former HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, on the work of St Giles Trust.
Our aim is to reduce crime and social exclusion. We believe that the people we help can be part of the solution to crime and offending.
Website – St Giles Trust
HMP Stocken – look inside
BBC Leicester’s Victoria Hicks has been behind the scenes of Stocken Prison in Rutland. She spent days filming for a series on BBC East Midlands Today. Victoria shares her experiences with you…
What was it like filming inside HMP Stocken?
I found it quite difficult because I never knew what I was going to get. I also had to abide by prison routines and rules i.e. no filming whilst the corridors were full of prisoners in case it sparked a reaction.
No filming of locks and keys for security reasons. No filming of any prisoner unless they had been checked and deemed suitable to appear on television.
I filmed most of it myself. I must have walked miles with my tripod and camera around the prison corridors but it paid off. I gained a fascinating insight into what it’s like to live and work in a prison.
* Watch: A Prisoner’s Story
* Watch: Work Inside Stocken Prison
* Watch: Preparing For Life Outside
* Watch: Prison Fight Against Drugs