A general view of a Prison
A YOUNG bakers’ union member told of his experience growing up in care and the criminal justice system as he argued against backing tougher sentences for those who manipulate minors into crime for financial gain at its annual conference today.
West Yorkshire delegate Zeal Machin said that he spent part of his childhood in the care system “surrounded by children who were generally exploited.
“Some of these people doing the exploiting have also been exploited themselves.”
Arguing that “broken families” were behind the statistics that show that children in care are many times more likely to experience the criminal justice system than the general public, he said: “Rather than focusing on tougher sentences we should be focusing on community support and improving people's lives, we should be trying to lift people out of poverty and treating generational trauma.”
The motion was however carried after general secretary Sarah Woolley argued that it holds those with a “power imbalance” to account.
The announcement of a Women’s Justice Board should be cautiously welcomed, writes SABINA PRICE, but we need to see a recognition that our prison system is in crisis and disproportionately punishes some of the most vulnerable people in society
