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| Scottish Inmates Taught to Rock Jailhouse |
| By The Sunday Times (Scotland) |
| Published: 01/30/2006 |
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A scheme aimed at turning some of Scotland's most hardened young criminals into pop stars is being funded by Scottish executive money. Inmates at Polmont Young Offenders Institution are to be given professional coaching to help them become pop singers, songwriters and producers. The cash will be used to help them stage a concert in the jail for other inmates and to produce their own demo discs to promote themselves with record companies. They will also earn a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ). Those behind the Music Boost scheme believe it will allow inmates to end their cycle of offending and break into the music industry. However it has been criticized by some opposition politicians, who say that turning convicts into pop idols is a misuse of taxpayers' money, which would be better spent teaching them basic skills like literacy. “How many employers in Scotland are crying out for young people who can rap or put together a CD? The answer is not very many,” said Margaret Mitchell, the justice spokeswoman for the Scottish Conservatives. “If we want to be serious about giving young offenders practical skills that will help them when they are out in the community, I would have thought literacy would be much more worthwhile than music lessons.” The program, to be launched next month, is being funded by grants from the executive's Youth Music Initiative. “A lot of young people who end up in Polmont have a real shortage of confidence and skills,” said Lisa Hogg, a senior youth worker at Polmont. “Many of them are extremely talented, but were unable to get on at school for a number of reasons. We feel music is one very strong tool we can use to engage these young people into learning. “On release many young men find it really difficult to get a job because of their criminal records. We want to turn this around by building up their self-esteem and furnishing them with real skills that will make them employable when they do get out.” The project will involve 40 prisoners aged 16-21, who will be coached by Ken McCluskey, a professional songwriter; Sean Kerwin, a digital music producer; Paul Traynor, a DJ; and Ross McFarlane, a percussionist. Motherwell College will supervise offenders taking part in the course. The initiative is being supported by the executive-funded Scottish Arts Council, the Scottish Prison Service, YouthLink Scotland and Impact Arts, a community body. When it ends in February next year, a full-time youth worker will be trained as a music tutor to supervise similar training programs in the longer term. |
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