§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what programmes her Department has set up to encourage the reform of repeat offenders. [153824]
§ Estelle MorrisThere are a number of ways in which the Department seeks to prevent offending, including repeat offending, through engagement by young people in arts and sports activities, for example:
Positive Futures:
We are key partners in this national sports—based social inclusion programme targeted at marginalised 10 to19-year-olds in the most deprived areas. It aims to build relationships between responsible adults and young people based on mutual trust and respect in order to create new opportunities for alternative lifestyles.
Unit for Arts and Offenders:
Funded through the Arts Council of England, the Unit for Arts and Offenders is a national umbrella organisation that supports the development of the arts within criminal justice settings.
Positive Activities for Young People:
We are one of a number of Government Departments and agencies that work together to deliver Positive Activities for Young People (PAYP). PAYP is a three year cross Government and Lottery funded school holiday activity programme that aims to reduce street crime, build community cohesion and encourage children and young people to return to education or training by engaging them in high quality sport and art 1465W activities. It is targeted at young people most at risk of truancy or offending and areas with high levels of street crime or community cohesion problems.