Memorandum submitted SmartJustice
SmartJustice was launched in 2002 and is run
under the auspices of the Prison Reform Trust. It is funded by
the Network for Social Change, the group behind the successful
Jubilee 2000, Drop the Debt Campaign and the Big Lottery Fund.
Our head office is in London and we have a regional office in
Durham, funded by The Millfield House Foundation and the Northern
Rock Foundation which covers the North East of England. We campaign
for and promote community solutions to crime. Our target audience
is the general public via the populist media.
Our work includes public events and regional
work, extensive media coverage, talks to a wide variety of groups
and regular briefings on criminal justice. Our alliance of supporters
include the National Union of Students, Business in the Community,
the Prison Officers Association, The National Council of Women
and Barnado's. Current activities include SmartJustice for Women
which is campaigning for more alternatives to prison and projects
that tackle the causes of women's offending, SmartJustice for
Young People which is focusing on why young people commit crime
and what are the solutions and SmartJustice on drink, drugs and
mental health, examining the links between addiction, mental health
and crime.
INTRODUCTION
SmartJustice is pleased to have the opportunity
to input into this timely and much needed inquiry. This submission
will be focusing on "causes of knife carrying" and "Solutions-education,
parents and community projects".
CAUSES
As many people are aware the causes of knife
carrying are various and complex. Key issues for SmartJustice
are the link between the manufacture of social failure in society
(a combination of poverty, poor parenting, substandard education,
housing ghetto's and poor employment prospects) and young people
from these backgrounds becoming much more likely to carry knives.
There is also a lack of responsibility being taken by fathers
in many communities, leaving boys without positive, male role
models, and an all pervading, often negative youth culture with
an emphasis on status symbols, glorification of violence and the
central role of "respect". This final aspect of respect
is so persistent and invasive that it can sometimes override the
other factors already stated. A recent radio 4 programme, the
Investigation, focused on knife crime and included an interview
with one of the country's leading black Barristers, Courtney Griffiths
who said he had recently defended a group of black youths, all
of whom came from stable homes and were at university or college
but had stabbed another young boy to death in a row caused by
perceived disrespect.
Other factors are the lack of constructive activities
for young people generally, the lack of positive role models who
have careers that are achievable for young people (not just rappers
and footballers) and not enough investment in projects which work
with young people at risk of knife carrying. The attitude of the
media, who focus very negatively on young people also contributes
to the problem. Screaming headlines about a "war on young
thugs" contributes to the concept that for some young people
there is a war being waged against them and they should be fighting
back.
SOLUTIONS
In focusing on solutions to the issue of knife
carrying and knife crime it is important to focus on effective
sanctions as part of this. Although there are some young people
who have to be imprisoned as they are a threat to public safety,
We do not believe that locking everyone up for carrying a knife
is a viable or effective solution. This is a cultural phenomenon
that purely punitive responses will not change. Prison for many
young people likely to carry knives is not a deterrent, it is
an occupational hazard, often a familiar place where many of their
friends and associates end up going. It's a place to obtain improved
criminal skills and for many it's a badge of honour.
We believe we need to create and resource a
range of tough community punishments where communities decide
what compulsory work is done to payback for the hurt and damage
caused. We also believe the full implementation of restorative
justice processes as part of the youth justice system should be
implemented (in Northern Ireland RJ is embedded in the system
for young people, with dramatic results) resulting in young knife
carriers having to face up to the consequences of their behaviour
by meeting victims and their families face to face facilitated
by professional RJ practitioners. We also need to invest in grassroots
projects that provide an early intervention and prevention approach.
As well as programmes that work with parents providing training
and support. Many of these projects are staffed by people who
come from the problem and thus really understand what interventions
are needed.
These projects need to be supported as many
limp from one funding crisis to another, grappling with highly
complicated fundraising bids and funding led performance targets.
The projects should be provided with experts who can assist them
in applying for monies so that can get on with the all encompassing
work of providing much needed support and intervention programmes
to challenging young people.
BEST PRACTICE
DATABASE
SmartJustice has a database of best practice
of projects that work with young people at risk of crime and with
challenging behaviour often involving carrying weapons. Some of
the most effective are detailed below with evidence where provided.
These projects are blueprints and should be replicated in all
areas where there is a need, with investment by charitable trusts,
corporates and statutory sources. More details can be found at
www.smartjustice.org/youngpeople.
Castlehaven Community Centre, Camden, London-Community
resource with a wide variety of programmes for young people, many
of whom are at risk of offending.
Chance for Change, Southwick, North East England—Building
relationships with young people through sport. Police at Southwick
have reported a reduction in youth disorder of 59% as a result
of Chance for Change sessions taking place.
Droop Street Boys, Wesminister, London—Sports
vocational programme with young people, many of whom are subject
to civil and court orders. Of the first 12 participants on the
scheme six got jobs with the local council and the other six got
jobs in the building trade and with the Post Office.
Eastside Young Leaders Academy, Newham, London—Helps
young Afro-Caribbean males in Newham to develop leadership skills
for self improvement and good citizenship.
Foundation4Life, Croydon, London—Deploys
professionally trained reformed ex-offenders and ex gang leaders
to deliver Behaviour Modification Workshops & Programmes to
young people offending or at risk of offending.
Fitzrovia Youth in Action, London—FYA's
work takes place in an area with high levels of deprivation, crime
and territorial conflict among young people. It addresses tensions
between young people from different ethnic groups and between
young people and residents living around the local area. Local
residents believe the FYA's activities have improved the area,
and the police have credited the project with a reduction in local
youth disorder.
From Boyhood To Manhood Foundation, Peckham,
London—FBMF works with schools to reduce exclusions as well
as working with excluded pupils who are most risk of being drawn
into criminal or anti-social behaviour through a series of educational,
cultural and sporting activities. Through the use of one on one
mentoring—the group empowers young black men to confront
their lives as individuals and deal with their issues. 90% of
boys who have attended the project, who were in danger of permanent
exclusion, have remained in school.
Interschools Rivalry Project, Barnet, London—Project
that aims to end violence between rival schools by young people
collaborating on projects and gaining mutual respect for each
other.
Karrot Project and Point Blank, Southwark, London—A
partnership between the Metropolitan police and Point Blank, an
urban arts outfit. The project is open to all young people living
or educated in the borough and was set up to increase school attendance
and reduce youth crime The scheme has not only proved successful
in getting young people back into the learning environment, it
has also affected a 27% drop in crime in the area.
Leap Confronting Conflict, Finsbury Park, London—Leap
Confronting Conflict provides opportunities, regionally and nationally,
for young people and adults to explore creative approaches to
conflicts in their lives. Each year about 2,400 young people and
500 adults participate directly in Leap's programmes. Around 3,000
more young people are reached through network organisations and
the professionals Leap has trained.
The Mens Room, Birmingham—Develops initiatives
such as mentoring and leadership development that help men achieve
their potential and enables them to take responsibility and discover
their role in society.
National Black Boys Can Association, Nationwide—provides
young black boys with extra educational support, providing them
with the life skills, self-esteem, confidence and determination
to succeed. The group works closely with parents and schools—educating
them on how to realise the potential of black boys. Black Boys
Can Projects operate in several different areas of the country
including Birmingham, Luton, Coventry, Oxford, Staffordshire,
Wolverhampton and London.
Rainer Rapid Action Project, Essex—An
early intervention scheme targeting five to 13 year olds at risk
of offending who are not supported by social services. In evaluations
70% of parents/carers noted significant improvements in behaviour
and anger management; 90% noted improvements at school; 80% noted
significant improvements in self-esteem, self-confidence and self-presentation;
and 100 % noted increased levels of happiness. Rainer estimates
that only 6% of the children relapsed into old ways.
Right Track Project, Bristol—helps young
people to identify the issues that are contributing towards their
behaviour such as drugs, problems at school, bullying and racism.
Through one on one mentoring, group and activity based work workers
challenge unacceptable behaviour as well as supporting young people
with their problems and helping them combat racism.
Rap Mentors, London—Mentoring, life skills
and conflict resolution with young people in gangs and carrying
weapons.
Urban Concepts, Brixton—A project that
aims to curb knife and gun violence on London's streets through
the recording of music and music videos.
X-It Programme, Lambeth, London—run by
young people who have successfully left gangs and who are then
encouraged to become peer mentors for others who are at risk of
being influenced by gang culture and peer pressure. An evaluation
of the programme showed that 72% of participants had desisted
from offending during their involvement with the project.
Young Disciples, Birmingham—The Young
Disciples Project works with mainly African Caribbean young people
and addresses gang culture and social exclusion through group
work. 70% of the young people who have attended the project have
gone back to education, started a training course or set up their
own business.
PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS
AND MEDIA
RESPONSES
For prevention and early intervention strategies
to be supported it is crucial that the public understand that
investing in and supporting these projects is vital to improving
public safety as opposed to just building more prison places for
young knife carriers. We need a really creative communications
strategy that illustrates how early intervention and working with
young people at risk of offending is vital to crime reduction.
This strategy should also show how providing young knife carriers
with exit strategies is not about rewarding bad behaviour but
providing the tools that will decrease the likelihood of young
knife carriers' behaviour escalating. Above all we need to emphasize
that the welfare of young people is everyone's responsibility
and decreasing knife carrying and knife crime is not solely the
responsibility of the criminal justice system. It must involve
holistic responses, including parents, schools, communities, the
police and the range of support agencies for it to really succeed,
thus saving lives and giving all young people positive futures.
October 2008
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