YOUNG people who carry knives are to be sent on a series of educational outings, taking in hospitals, Madame Tussauds and a spoon factory.
Ministers have pledged to get tough on knife crime with a series of 'shock tactics' designed to hammer home the message that carrying a knife will not result in an automatic prison sentence.
Home secretary Jacqui Smith, said: "The hospital visit will let them see how traumatised the victims are, especially when they come face to face, once again, with a crazed, knife carrying thug.
"Madame Tussauds will help everyone wind down after the stress of the A&E department, and then it's on to the spoon factory where they will not only discover how spoons are made, but how spoons can be used to bring communities together."
Ms Smith also rejected calls for automatic jail terms, adding: "I really do not see the point of locking up thousands of knife-wielding maniacs, just because they want to kill people."
But the Tories have attacked the government's plans, insisting the best way to educate young people about knife crime is to stab them.
Tom Logan, Tory frontbench crime spokesman, said: "For a first offence I would stab them in the arm, just above the elbow.
"Repeat offenders would be strapped to a large, spinning wheel and I would throw knives at them while wearing a blindfold."
He added: "I'm not very good at it, so they are bound to get seriously injured."
