Intervention shows promising results in reducing youth offending

The innovative intervention, Prison Life and New Achievements (PLAN A), developed by the charity Belong: Making Justice Happen supports young adults aged 18-21 with histories of violent, often gang-related offences.

It offers an individualised programme of restorative justice, mentoring, and creative psychotherapy, and is available in prison, through release, and in the community.

Belong supported an in-depth evaluation of PLAN A carried out in partnership with NTU. This involved an analysis of pre- and post-treatment change in the participants' attitudes to offending and wellbeing. In addition, their perceptions of the strengths of the intervention, along with perceived areas of improvement, were considered.

The key findings highlight how participants were less likely to anticipate committing crimes again in the future following the completion of PLAN A when compared to before they started the intervention.

Positive experiences were also reported by the participants in terms of the intervention content, personal growth and relationships with staff and other service users.

The evaluation findings suggest that PLAN A's approach of providing long-term, individualised support incorporating therapeutic approaches, mentoring and restorative interventions could offer a promising 'solution' to youth imprisonment.

Belong is a nationwide charity, which supports victims of harm and the rehabilitation of perpetrators of crime in prisons and in the community. Its CEO, Esther Wanije-Nyeko, said: "Belong intends to further roll out PLAN A and offer a way out of harmful behaviour for more young adults who face multiple disadvantages and have often faced repeat victimisation before committing crime."

Dr Rosie Kitson-Boyce, senior lecturer in Psychology, and Dr Palwinder Athwal-Kooner, principal lecturer in Psychology at NTU, have said: "This study has provided evidence that PLAN A is related to positive treatment experiences and significant change for anticipation of reoffending, providing optimism for PLAN A's growth as a programme.

"Although further evidence is needed on the wider impact in terms of attitude and wellbeing change, nearly all participants portrayed a positive view of PLAN A, saying they would recommend it to others."

For more information about PLAN A and the evaluation, please contact [email protected]