Prison Me No Way discontinued in Jersey

The charity worked within schools and the community to deliver awareness of the consequences of crime

A crime awareness project working with schools and youth groups has been discontinued.

The Jersey Prison Me No Way (PMNW) Programme worked to educate young adults about the consequences of crime and spending time in prison.

The charity said future plans could not be agreed with the States so it turned down £60,000 of public money.

The government said it would be putting forward its own scheme.

Earlier this month, Deputy Mary Le Hegarat put forward a question in the States about the current status of the programme.

She said: "Young people have had a difficult time in the last 21 months and I feel that we should be providing as much support as we can to them.

"It was also not really clarified as to what the government intend to bring forward and who will be involved."

'Build on work'

The Minister for Home Affairs Deputy Gregory Guida confirmed in his response the programme was not currently operating and was "paused pending review".

He said: "The departments are working together to design a modern, evidence-based programme which reflects the situation in Jersey."

Lesley Harrison, the chairwoman of PMNW in Jersey, said details for a new service level agreement outlining how the programme would work could not be agreed.

"Sadly, the PMNW Board were unable to overcome this impasse and as a result the future and closure was proposed and agreed."

In response to questions about the scheme, the Government of Jersey did not comment on the discussions.

However, the minister said he was "grateful to PMNW for its work over the years, and any new service will build on the work already done by PMNW".

'Positive outcomes'

The charity was set up as a social enterprise as a result of concerns about high levels of youth offending in Jersey in 2005.

Programmes were designed and delivered by volunteers including qualified professionals from the States of Jersey Police, Prison, Fire and Ambulance services.

PMNW used these contacts to ensure the schemes were age appropriate, relevant and consistent.

When looking back on the impact the scheme had, the outgoing chairwoman of PMNW Jersey said she was happy with the legacy it would leave behind.

"PMNW Jersey certainly contributed to positive outcomes in the reduction (of crime) over the years," Ms Harrison said.

"The challenge for government will be to find a cost effective, cost efficient and sustainable alternative to provide positive outcomes to help prevent young people entering the criminal justice system."

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