Putting something back

In the autumn of 1994, Inside Time was invited to review the Maidstone Prison Youth
Project – a project involving inmates using music, video screen, personal testimonies
and group discussions with 100 vulnerable youngsters, aged between 14 and 18, designed to help prevent them from turning to crime and demonstrating the reality of prison as opposed to the popular TV perception – also to aid prisoners’ rehabilitation. Mick Hart (pictured), then serving a life sentence, was responsible for the initiative and acted as project co-ordinator.

Twelve years on, Inside Time were invited into Coldingley Prison for their Crime Diversion Scheme – with Mick Hart (since released) and a similar message and underlying theme – to get young people thinking about the consequences of crime and to divert them from treading the same path many of the prisoners involved in the Crime Diversion Scheme have trodden with monotonous regularity over the years.

The team’s interactive drama shows the young audience,
whose ages range from 13-17, that committing crime or
being involved with drugs not only creates many innocent
victims but also ruins their own lives. The sessions are
engrossing and constant interaction with the youngsters
owes much to the efforts of facilitators, both natural
communicators who present an effective message in easily
understandable language that challenges the youngsters’
perceptions when necessary. One such session is the
wearing of masks – a demonstration of how most people,
youngsters and adults, hide occasionally behind them –
depicted here by the actual wearing of different masks.
A remarkable piece of acting that had the youngsters
fascinated but more importantly seemed to get through to
them how they themselves often wear masks to suit.

Download the article. Please note certain names have been redacted for purposes of confidentiality.