STUDENTS from Oakfield Academy and Selwood Academy in Frome have taken part in a prison experience day led by Frome Neighbourhood Policing Team.
Conceived by PCSO Gary Maule, the ‘Prison Project’ was designed to give students a better understanding of what it feels like to be arrested and to spend time in prison.
“The Prison Experience was not a punishment and shouldn’t be seen as such,” said PCSO Gary Maule.
“This was an educational experience designed to give students the knowledge they need to help them to make the right choices as they progress through life.”
The welfare of the students was considered at every stage of the day, with them being given a code word to use if ever they became scared or anxious during the role play. However, this wasn’t needed during the experience.
The day began with the students being taken through the arrest process, having their mug shots taken, fingerprints taken and DNA samples collected before being transferred to HMP Shepton Mallet.
Once at the prison, they were given uniforms to change into before being taken on a guided tour of the prison, learning about life on the inside. “The reality started to sink in that prison life was far from easy,” said PCSO Gary Maule. “Our ‘prisoners’ asked lots questions and were surprised quite often by the answers that they received, reinforcing the fact that this was not a very pleasant place to spend your life.”
The remainder of the experience involved time in a cell where the students were put into teams to solve puzzles to escape the room, followed by time working off the rest of their ‘sentence’ sorting nuts, bolts and screws into groups.
After being ‘released’ from jail, the students returned to their schools to meet their parents and debrief.
Reflecting on the day, PCSO Gary Maule said, “The prison experience was a very successful project where students could visualise first-hand what the process from arrest to prison life looked like in a safe and controlled environment.
“All the students reacted really well and gained some possibly life-changing experiences. During the debrief, students told us that at times the experience was scary and intimidating but at the same time it was also fun, importantly they also told us that they never wanted to go back. Job done!”
