Mobile Prison Used to Educate Children about Crime
At Crigglestone St. James Academy in Wakefield, kids went through a mock arrest and got 'locked in' for a bit. A Year 6 student, Ava, said she thought it was "disgusting" and felt really claustrophobic and anxious just being inside.
"It was really sad to see all the cards and pictures on the walls and think about not being able to see your friends and family," she shared.
They even wore prison jumpers and went through the motions of being processed: getting fingerprinted and photographed.
Mr. Amos, who's also a police officer on Coronation Street, emphasized that this isn't about scaring kids. He said it's crucial to reach primary school kids because "children can be arrested at 10, so they need to know their responsibilities."
The Mayor's Safer Communities Fund supports the Portable Prison project. This fund uses money taken from criminals in West Yorkshire to help local groups and organizations.
"When I was a cop for 11 years," Mr. Amos said, "I saw a lot of good folks getting led down the wrong path. Everyone messes up sometimes, and it can have a huge impact on them and their families. Early intervention is crucial, so I aim to show them what losing freedom feels like, and it really hits home."
Then the portable prison moves around, setting up at youth clubs, sports clubs, and places like that.
During these sessions, young folks get advice on drugs and alcohol, sharing sexual images online, and violence against women and girls.
"There's nothing off-limits. It's really about engaging them, and the kids have a lot of fun with it. But there's a serious underlying message about social boundaries and the law. Social media adds a lot of peer pressure, and we talk about how our choices affect us."
