Listen
Drive to reduce offending
13/05/2008
An innovative mobile unit was today launched as part of the Scottish Government's wide-ranging drive to improve and strengthen community penalties.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill announced funding of over £400,000 to support registered charity Venture Trust's operation of the unit.
The customised multi-purpose vehicle provides a training resource for use with less serious offenders in the community. It also works as a self contained mobile "base camp" to support the tough and challenging outdoors component of the 'Chance for Change' programme.
The programme consists of day-long training sessions, held over two months, and post-course follow-up. It aims to develop life skills such as communication, planning and problem-solving as well as personal and social skills, enabling offenders to re-enter the community with more confidence.
The funding will initially benefit offenders involved in the Turnaround project in the north Strathclyde and south west of Scotland Community Justice Authority areas.
Speaking at the official launch at Pentland Hills Regional Park in Edinburgh this morning, Mr MacAskill said:
"We must tackle the root causes of offending to cut crime in our communities. We need to show young men that there is more to life than drink, drugs and criminality. This project can help change criminal behaviour by improving training and employment prospects.
"By building self-esteem, and getting them fit for life and work, we can target repeat offending and low level crime which blights too many of our communities. The devil finds time for idle hands and we need to set them on a path to a new life and work.
"Young men who continue along the path of addiction and offending are likely to end up in the revolving door of short prison sentences. The challenge we face is turning their lives around and giving them and the communities in which they live a fresh start.
"Giving less serious offenders who have lost their way another chance is essential if we are to develop a culture of responsibility in this country.
"Organisations such as Venture Trust have a key role to play in delivering on this agenda and the unit is a perfect example of creative and innovative thinking.
"The flexibility that the vehicle provides is reflected in the fact that not only will it be used to support the Turnaround Service, which I launched in January, but it also allows different approaches to be piloted in other areas."
Mr MacAskill also revealed today that the Lothians & Borders Community Justice Authority is to shortly launch a pilot programme involving the mobile unit.
It will provide a service for young people facing the transition from the Children's Hearings System to the adult criminal justice arena who could be at risk of finding themselves in secure accommodation or custody.
He added:
"The pilot will help give disadvantaged young people the confidence and motivation they need to make changes to their life.
"I will be taking a keen interest in learning how this exciting initiative progresses and whether there is opportunity for adoption of a similar approach in other parts of Scotland."
Ministers have approved a three-year revenue funding package of £263,141 for Venture Trust's involvement with the Turnaround project. The majority of the capital cost for the vehicle has been met through a Futurebuilders grant from the Scottish Government for £140,000, bringing the total investment to over £400,000. Venture Trust's involvement with Turnaround through the mobile unit will allow 60 offenders a year from the Turnaround Service to participate in personal development programmes. This is additional to the previously agreed £1 million per annum grant to Turning Point Scotland for this project that was announced in January.
The Community Mobile Training Centre is totally self-sufficient and able to work anywhere. The vehicle carries laptops and multimedia equipment that participants can use for planning expedition routes, course reviews, action planning and research.
Venture Trust is a registered charity that specialises in the provision of personal development courses for disadvantaged young people that are built around a range of outdoor activities. The Scottish Government currently provides £422,000 per annum to the Venture Trust to provide a 20-day residential programme at their Centre in Applecross in Ross-shire for young people aged 16-25 who are subject to a Probation Order.
Work is currently in progress within the Lothian and Borders CJA to pilot a new intensive support and supervision service for persistent young offenders aged 14-18, who are in the transition process between the Children's Hearing system and the adult criminal justice system. The project involves Includem, a registered charity with a track record of intensive work with young offenders and Venture Trust who will provide a personal development programme through their Mobile Unit. The pilot project will run for an initial 12-month period. The aim of the project is to pilot a community based alternative for those young offenders who would otherwise be at risk of being placed in secure accommodation or custody. The project is being overseen by a joint steering group with representation from each local authority area covering both Youth Justice and Adult Criminal Justice, Scottish Prison Service, Scottish Courts, Childrens Hearing, & support from Procurator Fiscal.