The realities of life after crime provide attractive deterrent

A PIONEERING charity which has helped 4.5m young people stay out of trouble since its launch in Hull has taken its first step to becoming global.

No Way Trust, known as Prison! Me! No-Way!, based at The Deep Business Centre, is already the hub of crime prevention work involving 2,500 secondary schools in the UK and Channel Islands.

Now its ideas are set be transported across the world under a partnership with business leaders and government Ministers in the Cayman Islands.

The No Way Trust was founded 16 years ago by Paul Wilkinson, David Jones, and Stewart Hall when all three were working as prison officers – Mr Wilkinson on attachment to The Moorlands in Doncaster.

He said: “For the first time I came across these young people. Call me a saddo if you like, but it was just so tragic to hear their stories.

“We realised we needed to do something to stop more young people ending up in the prison system because once they are in it, it is very difficult to get out of it. Prevention has got to better, particularly since crime affects us all as taxpayers.”

From the start, the project set out to engage young people rather than talk at them. It came up with the idea of making mobile mock prison cells which were taken to schools.

The organisation also started staging crime and safety awareness days which now involve more than 50,000 people in the UK a year – showing what happens to those who get involved in crime and the consequences.

Organisers built fully furnished street sets for role plays with young people about anti-social behaviour and crime.

They have mock magistrates courts with young people playing the parts, prison searches involving drug dogs, and how jail affects prisoners and their families.They work with the fire service, St John Ambulance, and elite squadds such as Metropolitan Police’s SO19 and with local charities such as SCARD – Support and Care After Road Death and injury – run by the families of road and car crime tragedies.

Chief executive Mr Wilkinson, who is also still a prison officer, added: “We don't use shock tactics or set out to threaten young people.

“But what we do want to do is give young people honest and factual information to help prevent them getting involved in crime.”

The success of the approach has been underlined by independent research showing that 79 per cent of those who learn with the trust are less likely to get involved in crime in the future, including 61 per cent of those in the “hard to reach” groups.

The scheme opened in Jersey and this week Mr Wilkinson will be explaining their success to business leaders, young people, Government members, prison staff and police in the Caymans.

Mr Wilkinson explained. “We had a call from an ex-Scottish prison service governor who is head of corrections service in the Cayman Islands and knew about our work.

“There is concern in the islands about youth crime and Ministers who see the service as an exciting model.

“The issues are drugs are becoming more prevalent, leading to an increase in robberies theft and violence.

“It does appear the fear of crime is increasing there. There is only a population of 45, 000 across the three islands,” he explained.

“Regrettably there were eight murders in 2009 and six of them were young person related.

“Crime is not out of control there. The idea of inviting us across is to nip it in the bud before it does escalate any further.”

This week’s programme includes a presentation at the Cayman Islands High School – after visiting the local prison..

Mr Wilkinson added: “In Hull, the crime rate over the last few years has fallen quite dramatically.

“Whilst I can’t say that is down to us, the trust works in many secondary schools and 42 primary schools.

“The Jersey model shows youth crime on Jersey has dropped since 2001 and not one young person in the programme has ended up in custody.”