PCC Donna Jones: RESET project aims to reduce reoffending for 18-25 year olds

The £350,000 Project RESET supports young people in the four custody centres at Portsmouth, Basingstoke, Southampton and on the Isle of Wight, diverting them away from reoffending and ultimately into education, training or employment.PCC Jones visited the Basingstoke custody centre this week see the RESET intervention in action.Those aged 18-25 who have been arrested and taken into police custody will be asked if they would like to see a RESET navigator, who will then meet with them privately and conduct a trauma-informed assessment.The service is tailored to each individual and ranges from helping with benefits, housing, intervention courses such as CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) training, and steps to find secure work. They will also be offered ongoing support in the community.RESET is designed to help young people at risk of being drawn into the criminal justice system, or who are already involved.PCC Jones said: “We all make decisions about the direction our lives are going in, and young adulthood can be a particularly challenging period.

"Often, young people involved in the criminal justice system have suffered traumatic experiences in their childhood.“RESET gives young people in police custody the vital support and continuity they need to step away from criminality and reset, rebuild and redirect their lives.

“It’s a bespoke platform for young people in custody to make a different choice with the help of others. It provides consistent support at the right time and in the right place, building trust in a safe space.“It’s simply not enough to signpost a young person towards help; reaching out at a key moment is what’s needed.“Not only will the scheme tackle reoffending rates, but it will also reduce the demand on policing, probation and other public services, as well as helping young people get the right support to be able to live happier and crime-free lives.”RESET is being funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Violence Reduction Unit with £50,000 per custody centre per year for two years for Portsmouth, Basingstoke and Southampton and £25,000 per year for two years for the Isle of Wight.The project runs until next March with an extension to March 2025 if deemed successful.The VRU is a multi-agency partnership approach that brings together police, local authorities, health, education, prisons, probation, and many other organisations from across the local communities.The provider for RESET is the Southampton-based charity Society of St James.

Paul Mitchell, the Society’s Service Manager, explained: “Engaging young offenders at such a pivotal juncture is something we’re incredibly passionate about. As more often than not, their future depends on the choices they make today.“We’re confident we can make a positive impact by diverting those individuals away from the path they’re on, creating a new journey full of optimism and opportunity.“We would like to say a huge thank you to the Commissioner for putting the funding in place for RESET, and we’re looking forward to making a difference.”Inspector Sean Hopkinson, from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, said: “Our custody teams take responsibility for ensuring that people who are detained are treated lawfully, with dignity and respect.“Along with facilitating investigations and supporting the Chief Constable’s priorities, custody is also an opportunity for intervention and RESET provides a meaningful opportunity with young people to divert them away from future involvement in the criminal justice system.”RESET supports other schemes already embedded in custody including a new Drug Testing on Arrest initiative that was rolled out Force wide across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in April after PCC Jones approved £600,000 to fund the programme.“This scheme places engagement and empowerment at its core so that young people in police custody are able to find meaningful pathways and reset their lives,” PCC Jones added.