'Pop up' Chesterfield prison shows young people what life is like behind bars

Young people in Chesterfield have been learning about the harsh realities of prison life as part of a crime and safety event last week.
By The Newsroom
Published 7th Aug 2018, 12:15 BST
Updated 7th Aug 2018, 13:23 BST
The Chesterfield Youth Engagement Team brought Prison Me! No Way! to the Proact StadiumThe Chesterfield Youth Engagement Team brought Prison Me! No Way! to the Proact Stadium
The Chesterfield Youth Engagement Team brought Prison Me! No Way! to the Proact Stadium

The Chesterfield Youth Engagement Team brought ‘Prison Me! No Way!’ to the Proact Stadium for an event which included talks from an ex-prisoner about his experiences and a chance to look around a replica cell.

Around 50 local young people came along, and were also offered the opportunity for tours of the stadium by Chesterfield FC Community Trust and free food and drinks from Chesterfield Rapid Relief Team.

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PC Rebecca Jones of the Chesterfield Youth Engagement Team said: “The scheme was set up by former prison officers and aims to show young people what can happen if they follow a life of crime and to raise awareness of what it is like to stay in a prison cell.

The fake prison which was shown to the children.The fake prison which was shown to the children.
The fake prison which was shown to the children.

“We invited young people along to help them realise what the consequences could be around bad decisions and how incidents that they may be involved in could easily escalate. Our aim was to challenge some of their perceptions of anti-social and criminal behaviour, and in turn encourage them to make the right choices.”

‘Prison Me! No-Way!’ is a national educational charity with a core aim of raising awareness among young people about the causes, consequences and penalties of crime.

In excess of 5 million young people have already attended sessions put on by the charity.

Related topics:Chesterfield