Spill was one of the projects from Jailbrake, a competition to develop ideas to help break the cycle of youth offending. It uses the power and ubiquity of mobile phones to safely connect young people entering the criminal justice system with the people best able to answer their questions - other young people with experience of custody.
Over the course of the weekend, our technical team (Ben Nickolls and Glyn Roberts) developed a working version of the Spill phone system which is able to connect callers to a distributed ‘advice centre’ of advisors who can use their own mobile phones. Advisors can register with the website and log the times when they will be available. They specify a phone number where they will be reachable at those times. They can also use keywords to describe areas of expertise. Callers can request a call either via the website or by sending a text. The service will check which advisors are available and then place a call to both the advisor and the caller, before linking them together – without letting either party see the other’s number. The service can also prioritise an advisor that the caller has spoken to before or one whose expertise match key words included in the text. If an advisor does not pick up calls, they will be de-prioritised.
As a caller, Heather’s interaction with the service is simple. She becomes aware of the service via publicity material such as a posters seen in school. She visits the website and requests a call. She is able to ask questions about court procedures and get advice on how to behave. She calls the service twice more in the run up to her court date and is able to voice her fears and get useful feedback. She enters court knowing what to expect.
As an advisor, Darren’s Spill experience is more complex. He becomes aware of the scheme through his probation officer. He volunteers for the service and receives training in counseling techniques, basic legal issues and referrals. He volunteers to do three, four hour evening shifts per week. On each shift he is at home with his phone with him and receives around 5-10 calls. He helps people with basic information, referrals and things he’s learned from his own experience. He meets regularly with the other advisors to share experiences and his calls are monitored by the project co-ordinator who offers feedback and support. Over time, his skills and confidence grow. After a six month stint of volunteering, he receives a certificate which recognises his work in helping others and his commitment to the project. His confidence and experience help him in his search for a job.