not because they think it's easier on the inside. Some people do change their life and choose not to re-offend but it seems a general rule that once you have committed an offence you will always have a life of crime, whether it is minor or not.”The question is then, why aren't the teenagers of our generation aiming higher than a young offenders institution? David admits he has been in trouble since the age of 10, “Young kids today commit minor crimes because they're bored and they're bought up in troublesome council-estate areas. I think if the Government stopped taking things away from young kids they might have a chance at tackling crime, if they put money in to projects like youth clubs it would keep kids off the streets instead they put money in to expensive buildings which people don't even use.” For kids growing up in a high-crime area it's a lot easier to fit in if they join the gangs, getting an education won't land you a place in the in-crowd. And as for the kids that don't get involved, they can be so scared of gangs with knives they'll end up carrying one themselves – for protection. Almost every teenager that Brooke met told her they believed knives were carried for two reasons: fear and fashion. They're either reading about about the horror of knife crime and are completely petrified or they simply see it as a fashion accessory.

Whilst knife crime statistics have reduced, youth crime in general has increased and the number of fatalities has remained the same. This has lead Theresa May to pledge to spend £18m on cutting crime in the next 2 years. To get the statistics down Brooke recommends targeting young children, between primary and secondary school to educate them on knife crime before the thought of carrying weapons even enters their mind, because for some environments targeting kids at 15 is too late.Her report also addressed the issue of young girls being drawn into gang culture. More and more teenage girls are getting involved with gangs; some are treated as trophies by the men and can wind up the victims of sexual and violent abuse whilst some are just as violent and abusive as the males. Brooke made clear the urgency of not dismissing the girls and called for kids as young as 10 to be given lessons on the effects of knife culture. Projects like the Big Sistahs can be of a big help to girls living on council-estates, sometimes you need advice that doesn't come from home, advice from people who have been through it all before. Jummy Ogunyemi and Shakira Gardener, both 20, set up the 'Big Sistahs' a year ago with Hayley Robinson-Allen and Nicole Reid with the intention of helping girls on the Stockwell Garden Estate. Talking to the London Evening Standard Jummy says, “I've seen people get stabbed, robbed, know people who have been raped, and have seen people die. I can tell them there's nothing out there for them late on the streets, and change their minds.” Having turned her life around, other girls on the estate can see Jummy is getting somewhere with her life. The girls also support and educate younger girls, known as the 'Little Sistahs' they take the girls to the cinema and learn dance routines, showing them there is more to life than the streets. The project has been a huge success over the past year and they have big plans for the future.

Goodies in hoodies a youth project within the Cardiff community has recently celebrated its second birthday, the project has seen various

Re-offending rates are amongst teenagers are as high as 74%, children as young as 10 are committing crimes and a rising number of teens are being held in prison on remand. Seemingly the vast injection of funds and resources into the youth justice system has failed, but is the so-called easy life in prison to blame?

When actress Brooke Kinsella presented her review on knife crime last month, she accused youngsters of treating prison as a holiday camp. Brooke, whose 16-year-old brother Ben, was stabbed and died in 2008 had just concluded her six-month report spent investigating and talking to youths on the street. In her report for the Home Secretary Theresa May, Brooke warned that young offenders admitted they had become accustomed to life in a young offenders institution and some even compared the cells to a holiday resort.

David Deegan is from Kent; he is 29 and is in prison for robbing a bank armed with a gun. David is in prison for 12 years; he has served 6 so far.

“It is far from a holiday camp in here, all people know is what they see on the news. I don't blame people for being angry that their taxes pay for people like me to be in here. But it's not easy, we are locked up from 20 to 22 hours a day, the hardest thing is being away from the people you love and not having the freedom to do as you please. I miss my privacy, Christmas, birthdays and holidays and spending time with my friends but most of all I miss the little things we take for granted, like a comfortable bed with sheets and a duvet.” David explains how his typical day is far from lounging by the pool with a cocktail, “The lights go on at 6am, we must get up, make our beds then attend a roll call which checks no-one has gone missing overnight. Breakfast is at 7am, which consists of eating average food with plastic plates, cups and cutlery. After breakfast we go to work, your job can be anything from cleaning the toilets to working in the kitchen, after that we can either use the gym, library or go to classes. I chose to take Art and English classes here as I wasn't great at English in school and I wanted to improve. Lunch is at midday then we can go outside for an hour, after which we're locked up for the rest of the day, until dinner at 6pm followed by a shower, then locked up for the night at 7.30pm.” The prisoners can spend their wages either topping up their phone-card or in the tuck shop on Tuesdays and Fridays. “We get paid just £10 a week and during the day we're allowed outside for just one hour and can use the phone for 10 minutes if we have enough money on our card. In general though, the days are long and boring, I spend a lot of time reading or writing home. It gets hard in here but I have to get on with it or I'd end up killing myself, and some people do.”

Homelessness has been labelled a factor affecting youngsters re-offending. A Bernardo's study revealed children as young as 13 are being released from custody without a safe home to go to, forcing them into a vicious cycle of homelessness and re-offending. David believes people re-offend because it is simply the life they are used to. “It is the life they have chosen, people re-offend because it's what they're used to, because it is harder to get a job or an education

award nominations, celebrity endorsements and made a real change on the streets. Set up by Maisey Andrews, then 16, as a result of the negative perception that all youngsters are troublemakers the scheme began with teenagers serving tea and coffee and chatting to pensioners. The scheme works by rewarding kids for their work, for example litter picking or helping elderly people will be rewarded with credits, which can be used toward a driving lesson or training opportunities. The project gives teenagers something to work towards and helps them build qualifications as well as improving relationships between youngsters and older people. Two years on, the police in Fairwater, Cardiff now receives 60% fewer calls regarding anti-social behaviour.

Another person who can speak from experience is ex-offender Charles Young. Charles has been in prison for a total of around 15 years between the ages of 19 and 40, for over 40 convictions of fraud, robbery and burglary. Now it has been 17 years since Charles' last stint inside, he is using his past experiences of prison life and has been giving speeches to youngsters since 1995. His efforts are paying off and he has been awarded £30,000 of Home Office funding for his Laces (London Anti-Crime Education System) project. Laces helps educate and inform youngsters about the realities of prison and the consequences of crime as well as advising them on how to avoid choosing the wrong path. Charles' speeches aren't just empty words, he has many success stories, the biggest perhaps, Jason, a 19-year-old drug dealer. A judge referred Jason to Laces and he hasn't committed a crime since, he has a steady job, is in a healthy relationship and has a baby, called Lacey, a tribute to the project that changed his life. Charles wants to give youngsters the help and the choices that he never had and he wants more job opportunities for ex-prisoners, for someone to give them a chance at a career so they see more to life than re-offending.

Though there are many success stories of youth community projects, crime could be set to rise if funding is cut for youth offending prevention projects in England and Wales. There has been an increase in more serious offences being committed by youngsters, young unemployment rates are rocketing and with Education Maintenance Allowances being slashed and university fees having trebled many youngsters cannot even consider higher-education any more. London is likely to see cuts of up to £175,000 a year from the Youth Justice Board, an amount that could be vital in helping ex-offenders re-build their lives.

Brooke believes it's possible to change young people's attitudes, her speech told of how powerful some schemes can be and how moved she was after speaking to teenagers for as little as an hour. Some of the people she met initially couldn't be bothered and would swear and fidget but by the end of the discussion they were different, sitting up straight acting interested and asking questions.

Does David think he will change when he is released? “I don't know, there is always the temptation to re-offend as it's easier than re-building your life from scratch. I deserved to be put in here and of course if I could have my life over again I would do it differently.” Though he admits to only being sorry for committing most of his crimes, he insists “I will change my life when I get out.”

Strategies fail as knife and gun crime fatalities remain the same. But despite campaigner Brooke Kinsella claiming prisons are treated like holiday camps, prisoner David Deegan argues it’s not an easy life...

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