SmartJustice
NUS is supporting the SmartJustice campaign into community based solutions to crime. Following policy passed at last year’s conference, we have been working with SmartJustice. To find out more and to discover how you can get involved, read on...
What is SmartJustice?
SmartJustice (www.smartjustice.org) campaigns for and promotes community based solutions to crime. It is funded by the Network for Social Change, the group behind the successful Jubilee 2000 Drop the Debt campaign and the National Lottery and is based at the Prison Reform Trust. Part of our work involves campaigning on specific issues. Our SmartJustice for women campaign (www.smartjustice.org/women) has been successful in raising awareness of women in prison, the causes of their offending and what we should be doing instead.
Our current campaign is SmartJustice for Young People: www.smartjustice.org/youngpeople
There are 11,000 young people young people in prison today, 7 out of 10 are locked up for non violent offences and they are much more likely to end up with a prison sentence then they were 10 years ago. Prisons are universities of crime - many young people learn how to commit other crimes, resulting in them being a more prolific offender than when they went in. It costs over £50,000 a year to lock up each young offender and yet 76% are reconvicted within two years of being released.
Many of these young people have been damaged by their backgrounds. Over half of under 18 year olds in prison have been in care and nearly three quarters of young people in prison have been excluded from school. Over half of them are addicted to drugs and two thirds have mental health problems.
Instead of sending non violent young offenders to prison, which just makes them worse, SmartJustice believes we need;
• More constructive activities for young people
• More support to improve parenting
• More mental health, drug and alcohol treatment in the community
• Punishments in which young offenders do compulsory work to pay back to the community for the damage they’ve caused rather than sitting around in a prison cell doing nothing.
What can I do?
SIGN OUR PETITION ON YOUNG PEOPLE AND CRIME: Petition
- Get Scratching Return the SmartJustice Scratch Card (included in this pack) registering your support for the campaign.
- Get Circulating Hand out SmartJustice Scratch Cards and postcards to friends, relatives and colleagues. There are some included in this pack but please contact sinead.hanks@smartjustice.org if you would like any more.
- Get Informed Register for regular SmartJustice updates including news of events, successful projects and new campaigns by emailing sinead.hanks@smartjustice.org Please pass the updates on to anyone who may be interested.
- Get in Print Write a letter to your local newspaper or an article for your student magazine supporting the aims of SmartJustice. You will have more chance of getting your letter published if you link it to a subject in the local news, such as a court case or reports of overcrowding at a local prison. www.smartjustice.org/youngpeople
- Get Political Write to your MP protesting about the rising prison population and demanding more investment in community solutions. Alternatively, write about a local issue that you believe is contributing to more crime and anti-social behaviour such as lack of youth provision in your area. www.smartjustice.org/youngpeople/whatelse.html
- Get Involved From magistrates to mentors – the criminal justice system is in need of volunteers so don’t miss out on your chance to make a difference. Visit www.smartjustice.org/get_involved.shtml
- Get talking Invite SmartJustice to conduct a talk at your community group, school or college. Alternatively you could organise your own talk, debate or discussion group. For more details contact sinead.hanks@smartjustice.org
More information on our website here: www.smartjustice.org/youngpeople
Return to this campaign's homepage or view all articles in this campaign.