The country's first secure school, Oasis Restore, has received royal assent and is set to open in November next year, marking a radical shift in the treatment of young offenders. The institution, run by the charity Oasis, will replace traditional youth jails and house the most violent child prisoners, focusing on education and rehabilitation rather than punishment.
Steve Chalke, founder of Oasis, criticised the Victorian approach of locking up and punishing offenders, stating that it leads to reoffending. Instead, Oasis Restore will house young people aged 12 to 18 in 'bedrooms' and 'houses' rather than cells and wings, with activities such as chess and film screenings in the evenings, and a recording studio on site. Prison bars will be replaced by toughened glass, and therapists will be available.
The secure school is based on the site of the former Medway secure unit in Kent, which closed after a documentary exposed staff using physical force on children. The new model aims to ask 'What's happened to you?' rather than 'What's wrong with you?', and is already successful in Scandinavian countries, where there are too few prisoners to fill prisons.
Chalke emphasised that many young offenders have experienced neglect or abuse, and that punishment alone does not work. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said the secure school will put education, healthcare, and rehabilitation at the heart of efforts to cut crime and keep the public safe.
