Using PB to allocate the proceeds of crime - by Andrea Jones
One of the difficulties facing those working with those young people tempted to join the gun and gang culture that exists in some of our cities is to show that crime doesn’t pay.
A journalist friend of mine who group up in inner city Manchester describes waiting at a bus stop when he was in his late teens on a wet cold night. A flash car drew up and when the window was wound down he saw the driver was someone who he used to go to school with. A conversation ensued the gist of which was “aren’t you a mug, carrying on with your studies? Where is it getting you?”. Individuals and communities have to see that justice is done and that people do not benefit from ill gotten gains.
Legislation allows for the assets of crime to be seized. Last year, in an effort to ensure that the public benefited from this money, members of the public were able to suggest suitable projects for funding to their Local Criminal Justice Board. These were sifted by the Board and the people could have a say on their preferred project via a website. Then a panel approved funding of what it judged to be the best projects.
This is laudable but it could now be taken a step further. If the money was devolved to areas which people define as their communities, if individuals were able to vote themselves and if what they voted for was where the money went. If people were able to get together, perhaps on line through a blog or even better had the opportunity to meet face to face to discuss projects and have time to deliberate. An opportunity for old and young, and people from different backgrounds to come together. Divided up this way the individual amounts of money might not be large but the benefits in terms of people understanding where the money had come from and seeing the results in their own community would be great. It might be that this money could be added to other pots of money – from the police, the fire service and the local council. Small amounts added together which can make a real difference to people’s ownership of what is happening in their own community.
