Our Partners

Prison! Me! No Way!

Is a Jersey registered charity which works in partnership with States of Jersey Police to spread the anti crime message amongst youngsters in Jersey and show them that crime doesn’t pay.

Police Constable Karen Houston who is the full time Prison! Me! No Way!!! Jersey co ordinator, can be contacted at the Prison! Me! No Way!!! Office on 01534 612342 or on the Prison! Me! No Way!!! Mobile 07700 712342 or via the Community Safety Branch at States of Jersey Police by calling 01534 612612.
Or write to:

Prison! Me! No Way!!! Jersey
       PO Box 746
       St. Helier
       Jersey – JE4 OQU

For more information click on: www.pmnwjersey.com

Three prison officers who wanted to discourage young people from a life of crime started the Prison! Me! No Way! (PMNW) scheme in Hull in 1993. After reading about the initiative, officers from the States of Jersey Police and HMP La Moye travelled to the UK on a fact-finding mission to see how Jersey could benefit from the scheme. As a result, PMNW Jersey was created as a joint police and prison initiative, with programmes designed and delivered by volunteer officers to reflect the needs of the community.

Since its inception, PMNW Jersey has evolved tremendously, an Executive Committee was formed in July 2005 and since June 2006 PMNW Jersey appointed a full-time dedicated co-ordinator, Police Constable Karen Houston who is seconded from the Community Safety Branch at the States of Jersey Police.

Pc Houston, supported by volunteer officers, designs and delivers programmes on choices and the consequences of crime to schools in Jersey and also co ordinates Community Days at various times of the year in local Housing Estates.

The key programme co-ordinators supporting Police Constable Houston are; Police Constables Simon Cross and Peter Whitehouse from the States of Jersey Police and Senior Officer Barry Sleddon from HMP La Moye. All four officers are qualified as teachers in adult education and have completed relevant training on the PMNW programme and child protection.
PMNW Jersey is a self-funded voluntary scheme which obtains its funding from a strategic alliance between the States of Jersey Housing Department, Home Affairs and Education Sport and Culture and the Lloyds TSB Foundation Channel Islands.

Prison! Me! No Way!!! Jersey Mission Statement is:
“The aim of ‘Prison! Me! No Way! Jersey’ is to raise the awareness of young people in the Island about the causes, consequences and penalties of crime, by using a non threatening and non lecturing style of education. We hope to dissuade young people away from a life of crime, by using a multi agency approach, which will give young people information enabling them to make informed life choices to help them grow into responsible citizens and hopefully reduce the devastating effects of criminal behaviour on society.”

We live in a rapidly changing and challenging world, where young people of today face far more difficult choices than those of previous generations; the continued success of the PMNW scheme is in recognising young people as our community’s greatest asset and its hope for the future. Finding out what the needs of our young people are and to fill those needs are the challenges PMNW Jersey face.

For many of our children and young people, alcohol, tobacco, anti-social behaviour and illegal drugs use is their reality. At a young and impressionable age many are exposed to a variety of substances, which can blight their lives forever. It is therefore increasingly important that they receive accurate information that enables them to recognise the benefits and values of adopting positive lifestyles. An integral feature of the work of PMNW Jersey is the need to investigate the causes and consequences of crime, its effects upon the local community and the impact upon its victims.

PMNW Jersey work in partnership with other key related agencies and pro-actively with the Islands’ Secondary Schools to deliver a series of ‘Crime and Safety Awareness’ Days and also with the Islands’ Primary Schools to deliver ‘Your Choice’ Days. Through workshops PMNW address subjects such as prison life, drug and alcohol use, bullying, safe use of the internet, fire safety, water safety, first aid and road safety as well as making choices and the consequences of making the wrong ones to achieve PMNW ultimate objective, which is to help and encourage our youth to recognise the benefits of learning and developing a sense of the true values that make them responsible citizens in the community.

The dedicated PMNW Jersey mobile resource vehicle is now a well recognised tool in the armoury of PMNW Jersey and is driven to each location for either a school day or community event.