11:51am Tuesday 9th October 2007
By Caron Kemp
So on Friday officers from Trident (the unit that deals with gun crime in the black community) set up camp outside Seven Sisters Station. Inside a replica prison cell.
The glass-walled box complete with bunk beds, a sink, toilet and drawers is apparently exactly what the real thing would look like. I of course wouldn't know.
Anyway the reason behind it was to desuade the borough's youngsters from involving themselves in criminal activity. You get the idea; kid sees horrible conditions he/she would be living in and he/she
doesn't commit crime. He/she couldn't possibly live in said cell.
Interesting approach to tackling gun crime I say. But the room looked a bit too similar to some youth hostels I've stayed in for me to be scared of it.
In my opinion if you want to show young people what would happen if they commit such crimes stick them in a room with families of the victims. Let them sit there and hear the horrific stories of how
their lives have been torn apart by such senseless acts. Let them hear from remorseful prisoners who can explain first-hand how one bad decision has ruined their life forever. Prevent them from
walking down the wrong path by presenting the consqeuences.
Showing them their bedroom doesn't cut it for me.
No it might not work. I don't pretend to understand the mind of someone capable of such violent indiscriminate behaviour, but life after crime is not about lack of creature comforts, it's about the
damage to many many affected people that will live on forever.
Having said that I've never heard a nice word about prison food. Perhaps when the cell moves on to Wood Green Station on Thursday they can bring a tray or two of the horrible stodge. Now that might
deter people.
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