Scottish Fire & Rescue Service, Community Action Team
“The offending behaviour stopped, almost overnight. The boys who had been truanting, started attended school and not one of the boys have received a behaviour referral since this initial meeting. They have not been in any trouble with the police or involved in any offending behaviour in the community.”
“In my 17 years of teaching, I have not experienced such an overwhelming turn around or success story.”
The Scottish Fire & Rescue Services are working in partnership with Scottish prisons Services (SPS) HMP Barlinnie and Police Scotland’s Campus Police Officers throughout the Glasgow Area to reduce Anti-Social Behaviour and prevent reoffending.
A pilot was carried out with Govan High School and supported by the Campus Police Officer, it was called “Early Intervention Programme”.
The Campus Police Officer identified young people who were involved in anti-social behaviour in and around the school who would benefit from some intervention before it led them down the path of criminal charges. Once they had identified young people the Campus Police Officer contacted Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s Community Action Team (CAT).
The aim was to divert young people from criminality and anti-social behaviour using the Lifeskills group from SPS Barlinnie and their Peer Mentors.
This article sets out the positive outcomes, from this early intervention which then contributes to reducing anti-social behaviour within the community, reduce offending and the likelihood of re-offending.
Many young people can find it difficult to engage in conversations with any adult or persons in authority. However, the engagement with Scottish Prison Service’s HMP Barlinnie Peer Mentor and using their life experiences, we built up relationships and trust with the young people.
These activities were delivered to S2/S3 pupils to help educate them and understand the consequences of their actions within the community and how this affects others. This model has allowed Scottish Fire & Rescue Service to work in partnership with Community Justice Glasgow and in contributing to achieving some of their key objectives in targeting and reducing anti-social behaviour and reoffending.
As a result of this pilot, Scottish Fire & Rescue Service’s Community Action Team (CAT) have forged a strong relationship with important partners which will build and become stronger year on year. This will help promote interagency working, with the creation of learning resources which can be utilised by future individuals and developed research published based on the findings of the initiatives and activities carried out.
Scottish Fire & Rescue Service and our partners have received feedback that as a direct result of our collective actions have improved the confidence of the individuals and provided them important life experience.
This has allowed us to enhance the level of public engagement for our staff and Scottish Fire & Rescue Service as a whole, that we offer our communities.
The Experience
The Prison Mentor worked with two groups of 11 young men who are at risk of entering the criminal justice system due to their anti-social and risk-taking behaviour. The mentor was open, honest, and transparent when speaking with the young men. This allowed them to hear about the path they may be taking in life.
The mentor carried himself well and was professional within these settings whilst remaining personable. His input into the Early Intervention Programme was invaluable, he offered lived experience advice and a first-hand account of how decisions impact your future.
Some of the key finds and feedback from the evaluation of the sessions detailed by the young men themselves.
”I’ve stopped carrying a knife and smashing windows since we spoke with that prisoner.”
“I liked speaking with the Prison Mentor because he was just a wee guy like us so it showed me what can happen if I don’t change.”
“I learned how my actions don’t just impact me but impact my family from hearing Prison Mentor talk about his Mum.”
It is hoped that partners and the Prison Mentors can continue to provide this service in the future to help other young people at risk within the communities of Glasgow.
To the SPS Barlinnie Staff/ Governor,
Some of our S2 boys from Eastbank Academy attend intervention sessions with the Fire Service, SPS Barlinnie Prison Officers and two sentenced people from the prison. I wanted to pass my thanks and gratitude for the time devoted by both the Prison Service and Fire Service to this and to fill you in on the profound impact the sessions have had.
At the time of the first session in June 2022, five S2 boys in attendance were causing significant harm to the community; for example, fire raising, drinking, and carrying weapons. Furthermore, their behaviour in school was very disruptive, with all boys gaining multiple behaviour referrals, being removed from classes, being verbally abusive and the most serious being caught bringing a knife to school. The group of boys had been in trouble with the police in the community and had reached crisis point when they broke into a local primary school and began raising a fire on school grounds.
In short, their offending behaviour was out of control. Myself, as Head of Year, and Campus Police officer PC McQueen received the opportunity, through Louise Dalton at the Fire service, to arrange a session with the Fire Service and SPS Barlinnie. We were delighted to receive some intervention support but had no idea the huge impact this session would have on the boys.
The person from Barlinnie, the prison mentor, gave a talk to the boys about the impacts gang fighting, violence, knife crime and alcohol has had on his life. He outlined the huge and devastating impact his crime has had on his victim and family, his own life and that of his own family. He outlined the consequences of knife crime and alcohol abuse and that there is always an alternative path open to young people. He advised the boys to seek the opportunities on their doorstep, such as in sports and clubs in their area.
The prison mentor delivered an in-depth session then took questions from the group of boys such as what is prison like? and how has prison affected him? The profound message coming across to the boys that the loss of freedom is devastating all round. He encouraged the boys to put their efforts into sports and engage in activities that will better them. He offered advice that school is actually a place to seek and receive support.
The prison mentor got across the message of overwhelming regret he had for the poor choices he made in the past. This message, delivered in an honest and compassionate way, has changed the boys view on life significantly.
On returning to school, PC McQueen and I met with the group of boys regularly and we put prison mentor’s advice into action. Four of the boys joined a local martial arts club and the other in football. The offending behaviour stopped, almost overnight. The boys who had been truanting, started attended school and not one of the boys have received a behaviour referral since this initial meeting. They have not been in any trouble with the police or involved in any offending behaviour in the community.
3 of the boys have all gone on to do belt grading in kickboxing and Taekwondo. 2 have been particularly successful gaining gold and silver medals in their category at competition. Another 2 have significantly improved their attendance and the latest tracking and monitoring report shows a huge increase in effort and academic achievement in all the boys involved.
In my 17 years of teaching, I have not experienced such an overwhelming turn around or success story. The boys had a follow up session with prison mentor joined by a second person from prison, in October 2022. This allowed the boys to hear a second offenders story and the profound and devastating impact violent crime has on victims and their families. He spoke about the loss he had caused others and made the boys reflect on the fact that every crime has a victim. Once again, this message was hard hitting for the boys and encouraged them to stay on the right path.
The Fire Service turned the experience into a positive, providing CPR training, dark room training and giving a fire safety talk. Both prison mentors spoke about the importance of education to the boys.
Thank you to the Fire Service and SPS Barlinnie staff for their time devoted to supporting young people to make better choices. Thank you to the senior Prison staff/Governor for allowing Prison Officers to accompany the Mentors and for backfilling their absence to allow this opportunity to go ahead. Thank you to the prison mentors for being honest, for sharing their experiences and allowing young people to learn from their past mistakes. This opportunity had been life changing for the boys involved and has undoubtably changed them for the better and set them on a positive course in life. This intervention has saved lives. I sincerely hope the prison mentors are afforded the opportunity to continue to speak to potential young offenders and help divert them from a path of criminality.
Many thanks,
Gemma McGrattan
Acting Depute Head Teacher,
S2 Year Head,
Eastbank Academy
Participant 1: “I want to say thanks to the prisoners. Hearing their story changed my life, it actually changed my core principles. The stuff he told us about Prison showed me how bad it really is. I am glad he decided to work with youths, it’s motivated me to do something different with my life. I am sorry he committed that crime but I think he is trying to make things right in a way.”
Participant 2: “I was pure shocked to hear their story. It was like the choices they made took their own life away too. I joined the kickboxing after listening to them. I didn’t want to be hanging about the streets anymore. I love it, I am glad I have that now.”
Participant 3: “It was really good, everything just changed after that meeting. We just decided to stop acting stupid. Me and Max go to kickboxing but I like the Taekwondo too. I think about it a lot, how his life just changed. I want my life to change for the better, he did that.”
Participant 4: “I don’t think I could handle prison after hearing that.”
Participant 5: “It’s made me think about the fires we started, I am glad I don’t do it anymore. What if I had hurt someone. It’s just so stupid. I am glad I went and listened, it must have been hard for them to talk about.”
