Probation and Christmas

I think it would be fair to say that a majority of prisoners find Christmas a particularly difficult time and especially so if they have young children. For this reason many probation officers will have become aware of the phenomenon at this time of year when it becomes noticeable that a larger than average number of people fail to turn up for their Pre Sentence Report interviews. This is not because they're getting over a worse than normal hangover or frenetic Christmas shopping has led them to forget, it's because they want to avoid being sentenced to custody over Christmas.

Many decide to take the calculated risk that the Court will not sentence without the report and adjourn matters till January. It is not unheard of for yet others to fail to make the hearing even when the report has been prepared, again in the hope of ensuring they get Christmas at home. This is a particularly risky strategy of course because it could easily lead to a warrant without bail, unless the solicitor is particularly persuasive on the day and the Bench are in possession of a degree of Christmas cheer. In my experience no amount of trying to persuade such people that this is a piece of seriously faulty logic will work. Even if custody is unlikely, they simply do not want to take the risk and effectively 'go to ground'. They would rather incur the wrath of the Court and take their chance in the New Year.

It has to be said that over the years I've always found conducting prison visits on family visiting days in crowded halls full of loud, excited children a profoundly sad experience at the best of times. You can't help noticing just how young some of the fathers are, and how delighted the kids are to see them. It makes you wonder what the lasting memories will be and how the kids resolve and answer that nagging question as to why Dad isn't at home? Who knows what effect such experiences will have on young minds, but it reminds you of the statistics that say the cycle will in all probability repeat itself and here you are watching it happen in front of your eyes. At Christmas it just seems to be even more poignant as the staff do their best to make the room look 'Christmassy' complete with a decorated tree and tinsel wrapped round the bars at the windows.

I've never been comfortable sending long-term prisoners Christmas cards. It was routine when I started, but I always felt it inappropriate wishing someone a 'Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year' when we both knew they had umpteen years left to do. I've tended to send a letter instead, but I've always been touched by inmates who routinely send me a card. I think they understand. Unfortunately by 1985 I was too late for the traditional habit of prisoners giving their probation officer a gift of a model made from thouands of matches at Christmas. It was usually a gypsy caravan for some reason and sat on the filing cabinet in most of the older officers rooms.

I can only recall ever getting a Christmas gift from one young man many years ago, in the days when we supervised juveniles. It was a small wicker basket with two pairs of white socks inside. Not really my style at all, but I was touched and despite one or two colleagues being sceptical, I really didn't think it had been stolen. I was already an important part of that young mans life and sadly remained so for many, many years. I last saw him selling the 'Big Issue' on the streets of a nearby large city, a sad broken, homeless man of 36. The truth is that some people are so damaged and have such a raw deal in life that try as we might, we simply can't seem to stop the inexorable path of decline. Christmas always makes me think of him.