HARSHER LAWS will not solve Britain’s spiralling gun and knife crime problem, the Archbishop of York has warned.Dr John Sentamu said the government instead needs to invest in the transformative work of faith groups proven to help young people prone to violence.
His comments add to the Church of England’s accusation that Labour has ‘side-lined’ the Church’s contribution to society in the UK.
This was espoused by the ‘Moral, but no Compass’ report published by the Von Hugel Institute last week.
Speaking at St Georges’ Hall, Liverpool, as part of a series of William Roscoe lectures, the Archbishop said: “Passing harsher laws will not lead to changes in behaviour. My work with ex-gang leaders has taught me this vital lesson.” The problem rather lies with young people’s impoverished self image, he argued.
“It is one of motive. I have been told that those who use guns or knives have no respect for themselves and their victims and are not afraid to use guns or knives,” he said. “We have to change the motives and the feelings that violent young people have about themselves and their community.”
He added, “They are rootless.”
Criticising the Government’s approach to the problem he said: “The government, police and others who want to challenge the culture of guns, knives and gangs need to recognise the power of the Gospel and how the Christian faith has brought people out of gun crime, drugs and violence and into a place of hope, transformed by faith in Jesus Christ. There is a need to look beyond the traditional, reactive, punitive and retributive policies and to look instead at those lives that have been transformed.”
He spoke of the Birmingham-based ‘Bringing Hope’ initiative – billed as the Church’s response to ‘Guns, drugs, knives and gangs’. Such organisations had effectively helped restore countless lives, even those in prison for violent crimes, he argued.
Sentamu’s comments echo those of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who on Monday night questioned the efficacy of custodial sentences.
Speaking to BBC 2’s Newsnight audience Dr Rowan Williams said: “I think compared to the rest of Europe we are in an obviously punitive frame of mind, and sometimes the public rhetoric about children and young people does suggest that sometimes we don’t really like them very much.”
He added: “If you look at the number of children who have custodial sentences in this country, it’s an alarming statistic. You’ve got - I think- 25,000 children given custodial sentences in a three-year period quite recently. You’ve got 30 deaths of children in custody in an 18- year period. That has to be something to worry about.”
Explaining possible alternatives the Archbishop said: “There are lots of ways of getting tough that don’t involve custodial sentences.”
He continued: “There is this whole business of restorative justice which the youth justice system is invested in dealing with in recent years - how do you actually bring young people face-to-face with the results of their crimes in ways that could make a difference.”
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