Jonathan Atkin, a stern-looking detective from the UK's South West Regional Cyber Crime Unit jumps up in front of eight boys spaced out across a small conference room. He paces back and forth, fixing each of them with a long, hard stare.  

"Some of you know me," he says. "Why do you know me?" He points at three boys in turn.  

"You came round my house," mumbles the first.  

"You came round my house," echoes the second.  

"You're my best friend," says the third, causing a ripple of laughter that breaks the tension in the room. "No," he says, with significantly less bravado, "I was a naughty boy."  

In one way or another each of these kids, whose ages range between 14 and 19, have taken a wrong turn somewhere on the internet and blundered into muddy waters. Some were caught by the police, others got caught hacking into their high school networks. After receiving cease and desist letters, they were given a choice between a black mark against their name or spending their Saturdays doing something else. That alternative is the "cyber crime intervention workshop," essentially a rehab camp for young hackers. It's one of around five pilot sessions that have taken place across the UK since late 2017. It represents another way to deal with teenagers that show exceptional technical talent but poor judgment. The workshops reroute them, show them they have options and high earning capabilities, that they are wanted and needed by society. The hope is that they will see the light and turn from black hat to white hat before slipping too far down the rabbit hole.