Young adult offender had 'no-one to turn to'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/8376948.stm

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Young adult offenders need to be treated differently from older prisoners if the "cycle of re-offending" is to end, says a report from leading crime experts.

Organisations involved in the criminal justice system argue in the newly-published "Young Adult Manifesto" that criminals aged 18-24 need a tailored approach because support programmes often stop once they turn 18.

T2A - Transition to Adulthood Alliance wants short jail sentences replaced by community sentences and mentoring projects in and outside prison.

One charity St Giles Trust, which helps resettle offenders, offers mentoring projects like the ones the alliance would like to see adopted more widely.

Two young adult offenders told Radio 4's PM programme how a project run by this charity is helping them turn their lives around.

OMAR, AGED 20. SERVED 21 MONTHS FOR ROBBERY

When I was 16, I didn't have a lot of money.

Older friends of mine had quite a bit and I looked at them and thought 'yeah, I want some of that!'

I got sucked into selling drugs but got caught when I was 17 and got a 12 month detention order.

When I first came out, I was still a young person but a few weeks later I turned 18, so they moved me to probation.

I lost most of the support I was meant to be getting - I only saw a probation officer once a week.

With no-one else to turn to, I went back to what I knew - not selling drugs but robberies this time. I got caught again and went back to prison.

When you're 18, they say you're an adult and you get treated like one if you get arrested.

Even in prison itself you get a lot less help, a lot less people helping you for when you get outside. I felt the system just left me when I turned into an adult.

But the second time, when I was inside, I got involved with St Giles, and a case-worker told me they'd be able to do this-and-that for me when I came out.

Since meeting them, they've helped with things I wouldn't have known otherwise what to do, like housing benefit and job seeker's allowance.

I got job references because of St Giles.

Help should start when you're inside, instead of sitting in your cell all day watching TV and playing on your Playstation.

They should equip you with the tools you need for when you come out, instead of just saying 'right, do your time, your release date is this, see you in three weeks.'

When the help came, I thought 'yeah, I do want help, I do want a change' - because I can't do this again.

Now my life's going well, I'm climbing up slowly but hopefully I'll get there soon.

T, AGED 20. SERVED 9 MONTHS FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

I left school at 16, went to work for River Island earning £600 a month.

Then a boy came to me, asking if I could sell a bit of cannabis.

I made half of my pay-cheque in one day. That's what sucked me in, the money.

It was work and get slow money or be on the streets and get fast money.

I went to prison for domestic violence, I had a madness with my baby's mum…and then...an altercation…got arrested. But when I got arrested I had cannabis on me, so that's what made me getting bail a lot worse, so I got remanded, went to court, got found guilty, stayed in prison and that was it.

Prison was hard.

But I came out to nothing, I had to fend for myself.

All I was thinking was 'I've got a criminal record, I'm known by the police - I ain't gonna get nothing!'

But something hit me - I've got kids, I've been to prison, but I don't want to be part of the system.

I'm the only person who can take myself out. If I carry on the way I was, then it's just gonna be a vicious cycle over and over again.

My son's gonna watch me and think it can only go one of two ways - either 'I don't want to know my dad' or 'I want to be like my dad'.

If I go on the way I was, either of those decisions would be bad.

Him not knowing me would be bad, but him turning out how I used to be would be even worse as I was at one point uncontrollable.

I got referred to St Giles, but it was my choice. If I didn't want to change, I didn't have to go. If you want the help and support, it is there.

I've been out of prison 11 months. My head's in the right place now.

I've realised slow money is better than no money. I'd rather work five hours and get 40 pounds than be on the street for five hours and get £400.

Because I know that at the end of the day that I'm going home, I'm putting my son to bed, that I'm going to sleep no problem - the police aren't coming knocking on my door.