Beaulieu announced to parents this week that its Crime Day – where children are taught the consequences of crime and given lessons on drugs and alcohol – had been cancelled. It was due to take place on Thursday 13 February.
The school said in a newsletter that the Prison! Me! No Way!!! programme ‘has been halted this term’. It added that chairman Lesley Harrison, who is now the head of reducing reoffending at HMP La Moye, was ‘currently working with the powers that be to keep this wonderful programme running’.
The newsletter continued: ‘Because of this, plus the PMNW team being unable to fulfil the staffing requirements they need to run the day, the Crime Day planned for our Year 8 students on 13 February, has been cancelled.’
A spokesperson for Justice and Home Affairs said in a statement: ‘Justice and Home Affairs is currently working with the States of Jersey Police and States of Jersey Prison Service to review and resource the Prison! Me! No Way!!! programme which will enable the valuable lessons and initiatives to continue to be delivered in the Island’s schools.’
However, Mrs Harrison said Justice and Home Affairs were not ‘in a position to review the Prison! Me! No Way!!! programme’.
She added: ‘JHA are, however, at liberty to review how they provide human resource to enable Prison! Me! No Way!!! to deliver the various programmes and contribute towards the programme content and also the strategic direction, as partners’.
Prison! Me! No Way!!! in Jersey is, according to its website, a self-funded, voluntary scheme ‘which obtains its funding from
a strategic alliance with Justice and Home Affairs and the Education Department.
The website added: ‘This is a rolling three-year partnership, which commenced in January 2007, and includes links to each partners strategic objective within their business plans.’
Funding has also come from Andium, the Lloyds Bank Foundation, One Foundation the Channel Islands’ Co-operative Society’s Helping Hands fund, Jersey Post and Waitrose.
