7 July 2008
Campsmount College hosts Crime and Punishment Days
CRIMINAL Justice staff from the Doncaster area visited Campsmount Technology College last week to deliver three days of themed lessons on Crime and Punishment.
Police officers, staff and drugs dogs from HMP Doncaster, Doncaster Magistrates' Court, the Crown Prosecution Service and the probation service spoke to 13 and 14 year old students from year nine on subjects ranging from drug and alcohol abuse to community sentencing.
Speakers included ex-prisoner Cass who talked about his experiences behind bars and his rehabilitation and re-employment by the prison as a paid employee. Another session was given by a recovering alcoholic who works with Alcoholics Anonymous. Students also conducted a mock trial and used Judge for Yourself, an interactive tool that looks at community sentencing and the work of the probation service.
Petrina Drury, Advanced Skills Teacher, Campsmount Technology College explained the reasons behind the crime and punishment day targeted at year 9's:
"Last year we asked the students what they wanted to study and they advised us that they were keen to learn about crime and punishment. They were keen to learn about both sides of the story by looking at crime and it's consequences for both the offenders and the victims.
"Young people due to their nature can be vulnerable to crime and we are hoping that during these three days we can provide students with the information they need. Should they ever find themselves in a difficult situation they are then aware of how to handle it and aware of the society around them.
"Students need to enjoy their learning, they need to be given space and time to develop and personalise their learning through imaginative and innovative curriculums like this one. By being flexible to the students’ needs we have delivered the first of many successful thematic curriculums which to date no other school in Doncaster has delivered."
Other presentations given to year nine included a demonstration by HMP Doncaster’s passive drugs dogs and a final session delivered by the police Children & Young Persons Officer which concentrated on the effects of crime on young people, their parents and their peers.
Day two was centred around the students investigating a crime by working with South Yorkshire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service to determine whether an offender was guilty. Day three began with a presentation delivered by the police's gun and knife specialists with the day ending in a presentation about anti social behaviour delivered by both the police and South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue.
Elsewhere in the school, year seven focused on space, created an alien language, visited a space centre and learnt about the survival skills needed in space. Year eight looked into British pop culture from the 1950s to the present day and also looked at fashion, dance, food and music, ending the three days with a fashion show.
Suzanne Hutchinson, spokeswoman for South Yorkshire Criminal Justice Board commented:
"Recent research has highlighted that young people and the elderly are the least confident in the criminal justice system, so we are targeting them with awareness events like these. We want them to understand how the system works and to be aware that whether they are a victim or defendant there are services available to them. In addition, events like this offer us the opportunity to talk to young people to help us understand what issues affect them and their community and what, if anything, the CJS can do to help them."
E N D S
Notes for editors
- South Yorkshire Criminal Justice Board includes members from South Yorkshire Police, South Yorkshire Probation Area, Her Majesty's Court Service, the Crown Prosecution Service, SERCO (the private company who run HMP Doncaster), the Prison Service, Victim Support South Yorkshire and the Youth Offending Service;
- People can play Judge for Yourself by following the link at the probation service's website: www.syps.org.uk.