Press Release

PUPILS HELD CAPTIVE AT SCHOOL

22/03/07

Young people were made prisoners for a day in a bid to warn them of the consequences of choosing a life of crime.

It was the turn of pupils from Haverstock, Acland Burghley and Camden School for Girls to become mini prisoners for a day, being banged up behind bars, privileges taken away, and faced being shouted at if they stepped out of line.

The event, which took place this week (March 19-21), aimed to highlight the price you pay for breaking the law.

The Prison Me No Way project saw pupils put into wings - the name given to an area in a prison. They were told their timetables had been thrown out the window and they had lost the privilege to a break time.

The fake prisoners were allowed a lunch break but otherwise followed a life of a prisoner for the day.

The day, funded by Camden's Community Safety Partnership (1), included watching a DVD about young people involved in crime. It showed the detrimental impact it had on the victim's lives, the family of both the victim and the person committing the crime, and the affect it had on the actual criminal.

Each wing also took part in different workshops that included being locked in a prison van - specially adapted to look and smell like the inside of a prison cell - to experience what it would be like for real.

Cllr Ben Rawlings, Camden Council's Executive Member for Community Safety, said:

"This is an enjoyable event for young people with a very serious message - crime wrecks lives. Helping young people understand the consequences of criminal activity - for themselves, their families, the victims and society at large - will help them make more informed decisions and is an important part of steering them away from a life of crime."

(1) The Community Safety Partnership includes representatives from Camden Council, Camden police, stakeholders and key partners who all work together to reduce crime and disorder, and the fear of crime within the borough. The project Icost £20,000 for the event to take place in all nine secondary schools.