By Doug Marshall BBC News Online, Nottingham

The government has turned to the web to try to stop children starting out on the road to crime. The young offenders setting up the site explain why they think it will work. He wears a hooded top, has turned his back on a life of crime and hangs out with local DJs.

'Rizer man' is the sort of 20-something streetwise role model teenagers will listen to, according to the latest youth website.

Rizer man

Likes Sex Football Helping people Dislikes Being forced into things Being told what to do Prison

The computer generated character steers young surfers around Rizer.co.uk - a �1.1m highly branded project which has set up a site to discourage young people from crime.

Rizer man is an alternative to authority figures such as teachers, youth workers or police officers.

"He has been arrested a few times. He has been through the system so he knows what he is talking about," says Adam Markhurst, 17.

Adam, a former burglar, is one of a number of young offenders from Nottingham who are helping to set up the government funded website.

Built on trust

Like Rizer man - Adam has turned away from crime and is now at college studying IT.

"You want to know from somebody who has been there and done it.

Adam says young people will trust Rizer man

"You've got to build up a relationship with him - trust him."

The site is due to go live in April and will explain in young people's terms the likely consequences of their crimes.

Design experts Digit were brought in to provide the visual identity and branding of the site and have been working closely with the youngsters.

They have helped come up with the name of the site too, which has been chosen for its "edgy" feel and because it sounds like a nickname.

Naming a youth website

Edgy, racy, uplifting Brand personality Good for graphic Name grows on you Symmetrical word Nickname feel

The site itself will feature text, audio, photographs and video and is aimed at young people with low literacy levels.

While the branding and identity of the site are seen as paramount, Matty Lyttle,19, another offender, says young people need to know about it.

Matty, who has a violent past and became a father at the age of 16, will be among a team which will run roadshows to highlight the website.

Youth to youth

"We will take it out to schools, youth groups - anywhere where young people are.

"It will be young person to young person.

Setting up the site

We have already had positive feedback on the Rizer name Peter Armstrong

"I think if we make it interesting enough and put enough information in there, put enough things to look at, then young people are going to look at it."

Rizer is being set up by the Galleries of Justice tourist attraction in Nottingham.

It was chosen because of its history of working with young people on the issue of crime and social exclusion and is working with the Citizen Foundation to develop the content of the site.

Peter Armstrong, who is leading the project, says: "This is a real opportunity to open a new avenue of communication to young people at risk of becoming involved in crime."