Prisoners tell children 'think before you act'

Former prisoner, Jumoke Brewster, volunteers for the Getting Court charity

A project designed to deter children from being drawn into gangs, drugs and knife crime is aiming to expand across the Thames Valley and Hampshire. 

Getting Court was launched in Oxfordshire in 2015 to give young people first-hand experience of the criminal justice system. 

The charity facilitates visits to court hearings and HMP Huntercombe, and organises for serving prisoners on day release to give talks in schools.

It is now expanding its services to its neighbouring counties - Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Hampshire.

County lines

Mario, 34, from Hampshire, is serving an eight-year sentence for drugs offences at Huntercombe prison, near Henley-on-Thames.

He was 14 when he was first sent to prison. By the age of 16, he was caught up in gangs and county lines drug dealing.

"All my friends - that's all they knew, crime," he said.

"I had no purpose to my life... so I was in and out of prison from a very young age.

"I remember crying on the phone to my mother when I was 16, wishing I wasn't in prison - at that point there's nothing your parents can do for you."

Mario agreed to work with Getting Court 10 months ago as part of his rehabilitation.

He gives talks in schools and speaks to children during organised visits to the prison.

"I was mind-blown when I heard that kids can come into prison, see the cells, see how the prison works, what we eat, what we go through.

"I think if I had that... it could maybe [have] had a different impact on my life."

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Imansa, 17, said attending court with school was an eye-opening experience

Judge Ian Pringle KC is the head criminal judge at Oxford Crown Court.

He said courts were increasingly seeing cases involving large gangs, exploiting children - some as young as 11 - to sell drugs in towns and rural areas.

"When they come here and often they're about the age of 14, I think it's invaluable to educate them not to go down the routes that will lead them sometimes to a career of crime," he said.

Imansa, 17, was invited to attend Oxford Crown Court with her school in November and then returned for work experience in March.

"You can watch all these shows on TV about crime and things but seeing it in person, and seeing the people affected, and seeing the barristers and the judge - it's quite different because you're able to empathise with them a little better I think," she said.

'Consequences'

Jumoke Brewster, 46, from Oxfordshire, was released from HMP Huntercombe six weeks ago.

As part of the project, he attends school assemblies.

He said: "When someone has self-esteem, self-confidence, makes right choices rather than the wrong ones, it would completely steer their life away from the county lines, exploitation.

"When you show them making a choice, especially split second choices, the consequences of it, it helps them to think before they act."

The charity would like to see more central government funding to tackle youth crime and better collaboration between departments.

The Home Office said it was investing up to £5m, over three years, on its county lines programme to support exploited victims and their families.

A government spokesperson said: “We are tackling youth knife crime through early intervention and prevention with tough measures, in addition to smashing county lines and providing support for victims exploited through them.”