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Crime prevention: diversion tactics
Diversionary schemes are effective at keeping young
people away from crime. Ana Paula Nacif looks at three projects keeping
young people engaged. Keeping a young person in a young offender
institution is an expensive business, costing more than £50,000 a year,
according to the Youth Justice Board. With more than 2,000 juveniles in
such institutions, it is not surprising that there is growing
recognition that prevention is the best cure there is. But it is not
only about the money. By providing community-based activities, some
early intervention schemes have not only been successful in helping
young people to stay away from crime, but also given them new goals in
life.
In Camden north London, the Neighbourhood Youth
Project has recruited volunteers to set up activities on estates to
encourage young people to work with their community. The project works
in partnership with the police, district housing officers, tenants and
residents association and leisure services.
Better environment
While before, residents would complain about young people causing
trouble in the neighbourhood, there are now youth forums that bring the
local community together to talk through the issues and help create a
better and safer environment to live in. The initiative, which was set
up three years ago, has about 50 volunteers working with more than 250
young people. Marina Spence, youth and community involvement officer for
the Antisocial Behaviour Action Group at the London Borough of Camden,
says the project has volunteers working with qualified youth workers
across the borough to set up youth forums. "We found that communication
has widened and barriers have been broken down," she says. "And we know
that young people and older residents talk to each other more as a
result." She believes that prevention is the way forward because "when
you get young people on board and discuss the issues with them, they're
more willing to become engaged in the community".
Crime-reduction charity Nacro is having similar
success with its football inclusion programme. The organisation works
with local authorities, police, social services and youth offending
teams in marginalised areas to promote inclusion among vulnerable young
people aged eight to 25. On average, a project can cost £40,000. Ian
Hands, national football development officer at Nacro, says this is
money well spent. "By working with marginalised young people on issues
such as housing, family, drugs, alcohol and antisocial behaviour, we
help keep them out of the criminal justice system. Sport is a great way
of doing that."
Last year, Nacro helped 11,000 young people via 35
projects in England and Wales. The programmes work with local volunteers
and mentors who serve as a role model for young people and help them
access other services. "These projects helped reduce antisocial
behaviour," says Hands. "We target specific people and put structure in
their lives."
Heart of the community
In Wales, the Youth Works Programme has proved
equally successful. The project was set up by Bridgend County Borough
Council and the charitable organisation Youth Works in the Wildmill
estate two years ago. Its original aim was to reduce the reported
incidence of antisocial behaviour by young people by 30 to 50 per cent
in the first three to five years, but it actually managed to cut the
problem by 64 per cent. While other factors, such as community wardens
and CCTV cameras, which were introduced during the past 12 months, have
contributed to the figures, the project is at the heart of the community
and has spread to two more wards. By getting young people aged eight to
25 years involved in making improvements to the environment, the project
also helps them develop skills that can improve their employment and
educational opportunities.
Mal Gay, manager of Bridgend Youth Offending Team,
believes the project works because it is part of the community. He says:
"We are not looking just at what young people do; we develop projects
that work with them as part of their community." He adds: "We are also
engaging the estate in a more constructive way. Everyone knows about
this project, what it does and what it intends to do - to create
activities to improve the environment and estate where they live." The
debate over whether initiatives that use sport, leisure and social
activities to drive down youth crime may continue, but with more young
people ending up in the criminal justice system, spending time and money
to show them a different path is worth considering. As Gay says: "If you
keep young people occupied, they don't have time to get involved in
crime."
SAY 'NO' TO CRIME CONFERENCE
Representatives from the projects profiled
above will be speaking at Young People Now's Say 'No' to Crime
conference on 25 May at London's Radisson Portman Hotel. The keynote
address will be delivered by Hazel Blears, Home Office minister for
crime, security and communities, and the event will be chaired by
Pauline Batstone, chair of the Association of Youth Offending Team
Managers. Other speakers include Rod Morgan, chair of the Youth Justice
Board, and David Aaronovitch, columnist at The Times.
Discussions will include:
- Tackling the causes of crime and antisocial
behaviour in schools and on the streets
- Providing support for young people at greater risk
of entering the criminal justice system
- Sharing information between youth justice agencies
to help young people at risk of exclusion and criminal activity.
For further details about the conference, call Evelina
Lye on 020 8267 4570, or visit
www.youthjusticeconference.com
Young People Now
26 April 2006
http://www.ypnmagazine.com/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=full_news&ID=10170
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