Project planned

Former prisoners as mentors for children

From prison to children and young people - they should learn from the experiences of the prisoners and avoid their mistakes

(Bild: thinkstockphotos.de (Symbolbild))

Drastic crimes, also committed by children under the age of criminal responsibility. There have been headlines like this time and again in recent days, and such "careers" usually end up behind bars. To avoid this and keep young people on the right path, a new project with real "jailbirds" is to be launched.

Ten-year-old vandals, 13-year-old car thieves, a 14-year-old boy who beats a lifeguard until he is ready for hospital: There has been no shortage of shocking examples of juvenile delinquency in Upper Austria recently. While the ÖVP and FPÖ - contrary to the opinion of many experts - are calling for tougher penalties for young people, the responsible provincial councillor Michael Lindner (SPÖ) is trying a different approach: child and youth welfare services will cover the costs of an innovative prevention project called "Mentors4youth" and thus enable it to start soon, he announced to the "Krone" newspaper.

"Cautionary tales"
Specifically, the idea is for former prisoners to be deployed as mentors for at-risk young people - "to serve as cautionary examples and teach them about the consequences of violence and crime", says the SP provincial councillor. The "Prisoners help young people" initiative, which has already proved its worth in Germany in the recent past, is a model for this.

Reasons for exclusion
Turning former offenders loose on children - a good idea? "To ensure the best possible protection, it is crucial that all people who work with children and young people are highly trained," reassures Michael Lindner. In addition, people with certain criminal records - such as offenders who have committed crimes against children and young people - should be excluded from the project. The mentors are trained by Mopäd GmbH and the "Prisoners help young people" association.

"We want to reach as many young people as possible with effective violence prevention in Upper Austria," says Mopäd Managing Director Günther König.