Mark has an article in the Guardian this week on the UK government’s response to knife crime:
“The government’s response to knife-crime hysteria, the youth crime action plan, is an expensive package of measures, almost exclusively punitive in nature. No surprises there. And let’s not be surprised when it all ends in failure.”
Watch the television coverage of Mark receiving his Prince’s Trust Award at the Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards.
Carol Vorderman hosts the show, while the award is presented to Mark by Victoria Beckham. There is also a tribute to Mark’s achievements by the Prince of Wales.
Mark is currently in South Africa working with Khulisa, a crime intervention charity working in Prisons and in Townships with vulnerable people.
We’ll bring you some photographs from his trip as soon as we can.
Read Mark’s article in the Society section of today’s Guardian newspaper, titled “It’s time the great and good met some real scary kids”.
The Truth About Street Weapons, the series investigating why young people carry guns and knives and featuring Mark along with Cherie Booth, begins on Channel 4 on Monday, June 30th at 11.05 pm.
The Street Weapons Commission panellists visited Liverpool, London, Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester during May 2008 taking evidence from interested parties in an attempt to find out why so many young people now routinely carry guns and knives.
Highlights of each hearing will be shown on Channel 4 every day until Thursday, July 3rd. A studio debate hosted by Jon Snow follows on Sunday, July 6th at 7pm.
Find out more about the programme and watch clips from the hearings on the Channel 4 website.
Mark has an opinion piece called ‘Does prison rehabilitate criminals or just make them worse?’ on the Friction TV website. Watch it here.
Mark was guest editor of the Society section in the Guardian newspaper this week.
Read reports on Mark’s activities in his childhood hometown of Kidderminster, courtesy of local newspaper The Kidderminster Shuttle.
Author Mark Has Turned Life Around
Formula One star Lewis Hamilton is interviewed in the current issue of the British Airways magazine High Life, where he has this to say about his reading habits:
‘I want to read more, but I rarely get the time. Recently I heard an inspirational speech by Mark Johnson at a Prince’s Trust event, so now I’m reading his book, Wasted‘
Mark will be taking part in a new television series on youth crime this summer.
Called The Commission, the programme is hosted by Cherie Blair.
Check back for more details as they emerge.