INCREASING numbers of young people are falling into lives of crime.

Almost daily we read about youths involved in gang culture, serious knife attacks or just petty crime.

Prisons and young offenders’ institutes are filling up rapidly.

So just how do you deter young people from ending up behind bars?

I joined a group of pupils at Bishop Perowne CE College in Worcester during a session aimed at doing just that.

The school was visited by officers from HMP Long Lartin at Evesham, as part of the Prison Me No Way!

programme run by the No Way Trust.

The trust is a national educational charity set up in 1995 by prison officers who wanted to make an impact on the lives of young people and turn them away from crime and its consequences using highly innovative educational techniques.

During the session the year seven pupils discovered the reality of what life is really like in prison, taking a look at clothes, a mock cell and getting a taste of how drugs sniffer dogs go about their work.

“Most of the children will get their ideas on prison from the TV from such programmes as Bad Girls,”

said prison officer Steve Cullis.

“We aim to teach them the harsh reality.

“We want to be frank and honest with them, and hopefully it will leave an impact that will ensure they never want to end up in that situation.”

The session started with the question ‘What do you think prison is like?’ The replies from the pupils included ‘dark’, ‘scary’, ‘boring’, and ‘not a nice place to be’.

But most still had an idealised view of prison, where inmates sat around playing on Playstations all day, wearing and eating what ever they wanted, and living a pretty comfortable life.

“When we finish the session the children have a much starker view on prison life,” said Mr Cullis.

“They soon realise that it’s not a nice place at all.”

Mr Cullis explained to the group how prisoners are transferred from the courts to prisons, sometimes enduring several hours locked in a prison van with only a small potty or a bottle to relieve themselves, which they must hold on to for the entire journey. Once at the prison, inmates are strip-searched and then given prison clothing to wear.

“How many of you would wear your brother or sister’s underwear?”

Mr Cullis asked.

“In prison you are given three pairs of underpants, which may have previously been worn by 439 people before you.

They are clean, but they will have been used a lot before.”

After talking to the pupils about the clothing and the size of cells, prison officer Nicola Groves demonstrated officers’ riot gear on one of the pupils.

“It’s about giving children a stark understanding of what goes on inside prison,” she said.

“And to make them realise it is not a place they want to find themselves.

“We don’t want to frighten the kids, just educate them.”

Not surprisingly the pupils were most excited about the attendance of Dillon, a drugs sniffer dog.

Handler Tony O’Leary showed the pupils how he is able to find drugs hidden inside a room, or on an individual.

“Bringing in the dog always gets the kids more excited,” Mr O’Leary said.

“They enjoy seeing him do his thing. But there is a serious side to it as it shows them just how easily we can find drugs and that there is no hiding place.”

The pupils bombarded the officers with questions about prison life, and were clearly shocked by some of the answers.

John Plant, head of personal, social and health education (PSHE) at the school, said it had been a worthwhile session.

“When we were contacted by the trust to ask if we would be interested in hosting one of these sessions we were delighted,” he said.

“I think it is very important for the students to be aware of various social cirumstances such as prison and what goes on in places that they would not normally see.

“This is a brilliant chance for the students to talk to the professionals and find out the realities."