MORE than half (65 per cent) of the students who took part in the Bishop of Gloucester’s “Voice of Youth” survey said that when someone was released from prison, it was important that they could get a job.
The survey, completed by 277 13- 18-year-olds, examined how they felt about the UK’s criminal justice system.
Other responses to the statement “When someone is released from prison it is important [that they] . . .” included “have a friend or a family member to support them” (52 per cent) and “have somewhere to live” (48 per cent).
The Bishop of Gloucester, the Rt Revd Rachel Treweek, who is the Church’s lead bishop for prisons, launched the findings of the survey at the House of Lords last week.
Over the past year, she had been “listening to young people” through the survey, visiting schools and creating online forums, she said.
The majority of the respondents (77 per cent) attend school or college in Gloucester. Of the young people surveyed, 15 per cent had been “victims of crime”.
When asked what the most important uses for prisons were, 46 per cent of students said “to keep the public safe”. The next most popular answer was “to rehabilitate the offender” (33 per cent). The least popular answer was “to punish the offender” (19 per cent).
Fifty-seven per cent of those surveyed said that tackling drug and alcohol addiction would “help reduce crime and make communities safer”; 49 per cent agreed that there should be more employment opportunities for ex-offenders; and 24 per cent referred to ending homelessness.
Those who opted for a more enforcement-driven approach favoured making prison sentences longer (20 per cent). Eighteen per cent suggested employing more police officers, while 13 per cent favoured building more prisons.
Just under half of the students (45 per cent) expressed a belief that a different prison system was needed for women and men. Twenty-seven per cent disagreed, and 26 per cent said that they were not sure.
At the event, Bishop Treweek said that she was “resigned” to the reality that adults rarely changed their long-established views. “There is hope in the openness that young people show to learning and changing their minds. In just a few short years, the young people that we see before us may well be the policy-makers and the people holding the influence needed to change culture.”
Rufus Clawson, who is studying for his GCSEs at Sir Thomas Rich’s School, Gloucester, said: “At the moment, we are falling short on rehabilitation . . . and need a more holistic approach.” He called for better relations between the police and young people, and for investment in schools and young people’s services, including more mentoring schemes and activities.
Bishop Treweek continued: “What is very clear is that [young people] don’t feel that more prisons should be built, but that investment should be made in creating employment opportunities, tackling drug and alcohol addiction, and preventing crime by investing in support and facilities for young people in their communities.”