Staff at Middlesbrough custody suite making positive impact
We've been meeting a dog and a speech and language therapist
We are hearing how staff at Middlesbrough custody suite are trying to make a positive impact towards children and adults there.
Many who are brought in may have had negative past experiences, like in their childhood, and have been caught in a cycle.
It is hoped a dog can make a difference by helping young people calm down if they are anxious.
Angela is an independent custody visitor and she brings her big Labrador called Kelly: "Kelly's my dog but we bring her into the suite because she helps the children if we bring them in and they've got juveniles, she'll just go up and fuss them and it's amazing the difference if you have a dog and you go to a juvenile that's fraught, it's amazing what a dog will do. They just bring them down."
"We've just been to see some detainees now. One of them had just woken up and and was like 'oh, there's a dog'. Everybody likes a dog.
"It's very rare that we get anybody that says 'oh, I don't like dogs.' That's why all the staff have yellow trousers because Kelly leaves her fur everywhere."
Corrine Simpson is a speech and language therapist, she is hoping to help break the chain too: "If they need to go to interviews are they able to provide a reliable narrative about the offence? Can they understand the questions that they're being asked? If they need to go to court but also if any other referrals need to be made can they access that?
"Basically to find out and support about somebody's communication needs. If someone's in custody and if they have any difficulties with expressing themselves, understanding information, remembering information, paying attention, concentrating, understanding time, reading and writing then that can affect them with any other services that they're referred to.
"It's identifying people who otherwise would've been missed and it's that opportunity to have a positive impact for these people. They've had very negative past experiences and their upbringing childhood and they've kind of got caught in a bit of cycle or a loop, so it's breaking that chain.
"If they're referred to talking therapies, once they've been assessed in custody are they able to engage with that? Do they have the emotional vocabularly to talk about their emotions? And if not, it's putting recommendations and strategies in place to support with not just the criminal justice system."