Pupils given a taste of life behind bars

9th April 2008

MORE than 150 youngsters from Pill were arrested, tried in a mock magistrates’ court and sent to prison.

The year 10 pupils from St Katherine’s School had to eat and exercise when they were told, keep quiet and adhere to instructions shouted at them by prison guards in a day-long project designed to give them a taste of life behind bars.

Staff from the prison, police, fire, and court services cordoned off the classrooms into five different prison wings and treated the pupils like criminals for the day.

The students spoke to former arsonists, heard about the heartache of living with drug addicts from Parents R Us and saw the inside of a prison cell.

PCSO Laura Wheeler, who is based at Nailsea police station, organised the event to show youngsters what life is like in prison and to encourage them to make positive choices.

She said: “The whole idea is to try to educate the students by giving them the opportunity to experience prison life first hand.

“By doing this, we hope it will discourage them from pursuing a life of crime and help them to appreciate what punishments they could face if they do take that path.

“If they take home anything, we hope it’s that they won’t want to end up in prison for anything. If we can save one person, it will be worth it.”
Prison officers stood guard in each wing to make sure pupils behaved.

The officers took a mobile prison cell along to the event which comprised a bunk bed, a toilet and basin, bare walls and minimal bedding.

Wardens talked the children through the indignity of living in a cell, before ushering them off to look around a Reliance custody vehicle, used to escort prisoners.

Assistant headteacher, Vanessa Walsh, said: “It was a fantastic day. We’re using it to help year 10 pupils make positive choices.”
Pupil Emma Sykes, aged 14, added: “I couldn’t believe how strict the officers were, I thought they’d be more lenient. It really made me think about how bad life is in prison.”

The initiative cost £2,500 to put on and was funded by the police and Easton-in-Gordano and Abbots Leigh parish councils.
The police are hoping to hold the event at secondary schools across North Somerset.