A New Weapon for Prison Me No Way
2006-11-16
A NEW weapon in the fight against crime is being unveiled by the charity Prison! Me! No Way! in the Royal Square on Thursday 16 November 2006.
The organisation now has a resource vehicle, a Fiat Ducato van, to enable the anti-crime message to be spread more widely around the Island and in Jersey’s schools. This has been funded by the Rotary Club of Jersey and Rabeys Commercial Vehicles of Guernsey.
The dedicated van can be easily driven around the Island to wherever it is needed and is a valuable tool in the work in which the Prison! Me! No Way! programme is trying to achieve.
The Prison! Me! No Way! scheme was launched in Hull in 1993, and in 2001, it was introduced to Jersey and registered as a Jersey charity in July 2005. The scheme is a joint initiative led by volunteer Police and Prison officers who use a multi agency approach with many other organisations to show young people about the consequences of their actions and what could happen to them if they decide on a life of crime, such as ending up in prison. The message behind the scheme is that everyone has a choice which can affect the direction their life takes.
The Jersey scheme was founded by Senior Officer John Fosse from HMP La Moye with Police Sergeant Andy Bisson and Police Constable Simon Cross from the States of Jersey Police. The Scheme now employs Police Constable Karen Houston who is seconded to the charity as a dedicated co-ordinator, funded by the charity. The scheme is also heavily supported by volunteers from both the prison and police service.
The Prison! Me! No Way! scheme is fully self funded. The scheme, which is volunteer based, relies on local firms taking an interest in the project and providing sponsorship. The charity also has a partnership with the States of Jersey Home Affairs, Housing and Education Sport and Culture Departments.
The Scheme has developed over the past 5 years and has various projects in place. The main project to date is the crime and safety awareness days during which officers go into all eight Island secondary schools and deliver a multi agency all day programme.
During 2005 the scheme introduced a programme entitled ‘Your Choice Day’ into the primary schools, again using a multi approach delivering an all day programme, now reaching thirty two of the Island primary Schools. These are the main areas that the resource vehicle will be used in. During the workshops at local schools, students learn to challenge the images they may have about prisons. They also investigate subjects such as drug and alcohol use, bullying, anti-social behaviour, fire safety, water safety, first aid and road safety and learn about making choices and the consequences of making the wrong ones.
The Charity also runs other community based projects. Pc Karen Houston said: ‘It costs around £37,000 a year to maintain one prisoner inside Jersey’s prison. We hope that the workshops we give help youngsters think differently about a life of crime. Prison is not only expensive to fund, it can be a lonely, frightening and isolating experience with harsh rules to follow. We hope that the students who complete our workshops think about the choices they have. If they choose not to offend, then that has a positive impact on the whole of our society.’
Bill Dempsey of the Rotary Club of Jersey said: ‘The Rotary Club of Jersey are committed to supporting the youth of the Island and believe that the Prison! Me! No Way! Scheme reflects our own aims and objectives to provide young people in our community with opportunities to develop their potential as life long learners and active and responsible members of society. We are very proud to be associated with such a wonderful initiative.’
Gerry Le Vannais, General Manager of Rabeys Commercial Vehicles, based at Five Oaks, St Saviour said: ‘We are delighted to have been involved in this meaningful project. It’s especially nice to have managed a van conversion which will yield such positive results.’
