Former Home Secretary David Blunkett (pictured) presents this hard-hitting new documentary series in which ten youths spend ten days in prison. Each of the teenagers has convictions ranging from theft to assault, but none of them have ever served time behind bars. In a unique experiment, they will find out what life in prison is truly like for the first time - but will it be enough to change their ways?
In the opening instalment, the ten youths arrive at Scarborough Prison and face a tough time settling in to their new routine. Closed for over a century, Scarborough Prison has now reopened to accept a new batch of prisoners - ten young delinquents who are at the crossroads between a life of honest toil and a life of crime. For the next ten days, the imposing Victorian jail is to play a part in a pioneering social experiment. These ten young men, each of whom has been in regular trouble with the police, will find out what life inside is actually like. For these repeat offenders, it is a final chance to rethink their choices in life before it is too late.
The scheme is championed by David Blunkett MP, who will monitor the inmates' progress and sit on the prison's parole board. Mr Blunkett regards the project as a "second chance" for the teenagers involved - and admits that it offers him an opportunity to conduct an experiment that he was never able to complete when he was Home Secretary. "Warning young people off a life of crime and giving them an alternative path in life surely has to make good common sense," he says.
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