Getting Court charity an 'exceptional success', says judge

Getting Court, which was founded by former Oxfordshire High Sheriff Tom Birch Reynardson in 2015, has been commended by a judge, former and serving prisoners, teenagers, and more.

The social initiative, which has recently achieved charity status, operates in several ways: accompanying children from schools across the county on court and prison trips to teach youths about the justice system.

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Groups frequently visit Oxford Crown Court as well as HMP Huntercombe, near Nuffield, as well as having serving and former prisoners from the Category C male prison visit schools for talks.

A presentation about the initiative was held at the higher court on Thursday evening (April 25) where several key figures praised the charity for its work.

Judge Ian Pringle, the resident judge at Oxford and trustee of the charity, said Getting Court has been an ‘exceptional success’.

Speaking at the event, he said: “It was about 10 years ago that I got a message from Tom wanting to take me for lunch. He set me down and explained to me that in April 2015 he wanted to start this project called Getting Court.

“I was not sure it was going to work very much and it would die out in six months but how wrong was I? Getting Court has been an exceptional success here, even during the pandemic.

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“We get emails from schools telling us the effect it has a number of children when they see people two, three years older than them getting sent down that door in the dock down to the calls, it had a dramatic effect.”

As well as visiting the courts, students are also taken to HMP Huntercombe for tours and talks from prisoners - who often visit schools to give talks in turn.

HMP Huntercombe

Jay, who is former prisoner who was incarcerated for four and a half years, has been working with the charity since October 2022 and intends to carry on.

Speaking at the event, Jay said visiting schools and speaking to the children is something he feels proud to do.

“I find fulfilment through the Getting Court programme,” he said. “It’s a new opportunity to build my life. It also helped me reintegrate into society.

“It was incredibly rewarding to work with Getting Court and to prevent children getting involved in crime and avoiding the challenges I’ve faced.”

He added that he believes speaking to children in schools does have an impact and he can see the changes made.

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“Sometimes we’re able to see them on more than one occasion,” he said. “So you can see them improve and see that difference which is rewarding. I prefer speaking to them one-to-one so you can listen to them and hear them talking.

“It might be an issue at home or issues with peers, everyone has individual problems so need different solutions - I definitely feel proud of the work I’ve been doing.”

Mario, 35, who is a serving prisoner of two years, said he first got involved in criminal activity at the age of 14 and wasn’t given the same opportunities that Getting Court offers youths.

He said: “Talking to these kids now is very, very important. I talk to the kids about county lines as kids know about it but they don’t know the slang, the words, etc.

“Parents think you can be bribed with just money but it’s more than that, there are other ways you can be dragged into it and before you know it you have a criminal record.

“I’m doing it because I believe in it. I never had the opportunity. We never feel like it’s a wasted journey.

“Prisons shown on television are not prisons. When you’re inside, you know what it’s about. We’re helping them.”

Both Jay and Mario were imprisoned at HMP Huntercombe, governed by David Redhouse who was also present at the event.

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He praised the initiative as it gives prisoners the opportunity to get involved in work experience which is 'beneficial for rehabilitation and reintegration into society'.

Speaking at the event, he said: “What type of prisoner governor is letting prisoners out, surely you’re supposed to be keeping them in?

“Getting a prisoner to prevent a future prisoner…breaking the intergenerational offending is integral. There is a lot of pain in imprisonment, to be able to recycle those experiences of brokenness into positive experiences of learning feels like positive rehabilitation.”

As well as deterring youths from a life of criminality, it also has also encouraged teens to seek a career in law.

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Didcot Girls’ School student, Imansa, 17, said after her trip to court with Getting Court, she then returned to complete work experience with them.

She said: “Seeing people sentenced, we could see how easy it was for them to fall into that cycle but also for others how they managed to break out of it.

“I think it’s quite easy to watch TV shows but seeing it actually in action, how it affects real life and people – it helps humanise it a bit more and how serious it all is.”

Her fellow student, Evonne, 17, added that she is also considering a career in law as a result.

She said: “We spoke to Judge Ian Pringle and we were able to ask him questions about his career, what he enjoys the most and what is the most challenging about it.

“It just opened my eyes to how law works because I never knew how court cases happened and you got to see behind the scenes - it gave me a grasp of what a day-to-day life in law would be like.”

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Getting Court also operates in Gloucestershire and more recently Devon and Cornwall but it is hoped the charity can begin to expand across the country.

Founder Mr Birch Reynardson concluded that with youth crime increasing, the focus should be on ‘preventing rather than punishing them afterwards’.

For more information, or to donate to charity, visit gettingcourt.com