Knife offenders learn too late
The offenders I spoke to for Jailed for a Knife are serving a long time for knife offences, including murder. But none of them had believed they would use the knife they carried and they all claimed they had carried it for protection.
"Basically if I'd been attacked by people and they come at me with a knife as well if I've got a knife and just say alright, they're obviously gonna think twice about attacking me," one of the young men told me.
"If I didn't have a knife they'd think 'oh there's three of us, one of him, we can take him'. If they think 'oh there's three of us and he's got a knife', they're gonna think about it more; they're not gonna wanna get themselves hurt, even though I probably wouldn't even have used it on them," he added.
When asked why he carried a knife if he didn't intend to use it, the offender said:
"For protection, obviously I'd get it out if I was attacked and say 'alright come on then', that kind of thing, but I wouldn't wanna use it on someone intentionally, like intentionally go up to someone and use it."
The young man he stabbed and killed did not have a knife.In fact none of the knife offenders I interviewed were being threatened with a knife or any other weapon at the time they killed or wounded their victim. The offenders found it difficult to accept that the knife they carried was an offensive weapon rather than defensive.
This belief that brandishing a knife would deter attack is just one of the contradictions the young offenders expressed. Whilst they knew it was illegal to carry a knife, they told me they did not take the threat of the law seriously. Some said they were more concerned about the threat from other teenagers than the police.
It's not often that the prison service allows a journalist into a young offenders' institution to film interviews with teenagers that have committed such violent offences, but such is the concern about the numbers of teenagers carrying and using knives that every effort is being made to break the cycle of one teenager picking up a knife to defend himself from others carrying them.
In the cases of those interviewed for the programme it is too late to change things, but when asked what is the one thing that may have stopped them picking up a knife, they all said hearing firsthand experiences from someone who had been to prison for knife crime.
Although what Panorama did in going to speak to these young men may seem controversial to some - 90% of the questioned for on tackling knife crime said that hearing from young men like the ones I spoke to is useful in the fight against knife crime.
Comment number 1.
At 12th Jan 2009, AWEDIS wrote:As always, these programmes seem to portray criminals as people who have had no guidance, unable to read or write, have never had any relationship with anyone who can tell them right from wrong and so on. In fact, they come across as they though have just landed from outer space and don't know what's what.
How can you say in one breath "I had a knife for protection" and then kill someone who wasn't carrying a knife and who was not killed as a result of a fight, whereby the knife slipped and accidentally killed the person? A friend of mine lost his life because he just happened to be in the right place at the wrong time - carrying no knife! The person who took his life was there, on the screen and in front of the world, telling us he was 'sorry' but knew the 'family' would not accept it! He will be out in about 2yrs time (if not sooner) and yet my friend's life will never be replaced! A whole family destroyed and for what? Moving as they do, in the circle of violence and crime, are we to believe they didn't have the presence of mind to consider the implications of carrying a knife or know that if you stab someone with there is a good chance they might die? They then ask us to believe that, if someone from the 'inside' had told them what it would be like, they would not have done what they did?
The truth is, that these young men (and they are men) knew what they were doing but thought they would not get caught! So long as this belief exist, they will, I am afraid, continue to take chances with people's children. They rule by fear and intimidation and so long as 'society' give them the ground, they will grow in strength and infect our community.
Bullies only bully those they know will not shout back or challenge them - without fear.
'Tan good and walk safe.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 1)
Comment number 2.
At 13th Jan 2009, londonerr wrote:I lost a good friend in 2007 to knife crime.Martin Dinnegan,despite being three years younger than me was both a friend and like a younger brother to me,he was beaten and stabbed by a gang when he was just 14 years old,by older boys who are part of a known gang.
4 boys were tried
2 of them were aquitted
Kevron williams (17) - was convicted of 'gbh' and received just 4 years,despite stabbing my friend twice with a screwdriver.
his '4 years' will probably be less than 2.
Joseph Chin(16) was convicted of murder and received a poxy minimum 12 years sentence.
His killer could be out by the time hes 28,how does this constitute 'life sentence'?
Martin Dinnegans family are the ones who have been given a life sentence,a life sentence of knowing they will never see their teenage son and brother grow up and start a family of his own,they will still have the unbearable pain in 12 years time when his killer will be free.
A life sentence should start at a minimum of 25 years in ALL cases and increase depending on the factors involved.
12 years for taken somebodys life is pathetic,it doesnt send out a message at all.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 2)
Comment number 3.
At 15th Jan 2009, U13783358 wrote:As i have been running my own mc sessions for just under three months in atherton-leigh for teenagers ranging from 14 to 16 that come from a diverse background my basis is to encourage the members of my project to learn and understand about life, awareness and also expression.
My main ambition is to help open their minds regarding different issues that affect us all in our daily lives and to write about things that affect us in the form of lyrics
As crime is the biggest destroyer of communities and i strongly beleive that being subjected to violence and threatening behaviour causes a breakdown in communication in relation to the youth and the community and leads to stereotyping of character which as you have just shown in your remarkably insightful documentary allow me to say it has definately helped me gain a deeper understanding and i will without a doubt be showing it to the young members of my project as i feel that it will without a doubt make the impact you intended.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 3)
Comment number 4.
At 16th Jan 2009, redkitten73 wrote:Fear of the unknown attacker is something people have become very aware of.
Every day statictics are bandied about regarding stabbings, child abuse and more recently finacial ruin. People are fed negative information constantly, which in turn makes people scared to leave their house without "protection".
Teenagers (and some adults)don't have enough life awareness to realise this information has to be taken in context, and so think the hidden attacker is just around the corner. Then it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy as then they all do it.
I thought your program many stepping stones in the right direction.
The thing most likely to put teenagers off prison was the comment "no man should have to wear another mans briefs"
A friend told me once that he had to check for cockroaches in his shoes before putting them on, that would put more fear into me than a one in 2000 chance of being stabbed next year.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 4)