Tuesday 22 April 2014

I Believe in You

Here's something a little different. The perfect antidote to all the shite that's currently going on in probation. The following blog post was written by Sally Lewis, CEO of Avon and Somerset Probation Trust and appeared on the Discovering Desistance blog site. It's reproduced here with her permission.

How did the opportunity of spending time with a person there to assist you become a type of punishment? When did the creation of relationships with other people to provide encouragement and advice become an “Offender Engagement Programme”?
Sewell Stokes was born in 1902 and lived an extraordinarily eventful life as a novelist, screenwriter, biographer, playwright, broadcaster and prison visitor. As a young man Sewell befriended the famous American dancer Isadora Duncan in her penniless years. In common with other active and creative minds that came before him, and were to come afterwards, Sewell decided to enlist as a Probation Officer. Between 1941 and 1945 he worked at Bow Street Magistrates Court and in 1950 he published an autobiographical account of his experiences in ‘Court Circular’ which later formed the basis of the 1952 British film ‘I Believe in You’.
From the legendary Ealing stable, I Believe in You is a heartwarming black & white and a genuine classic for anyone working today with people who offend. This little film beats with a gentle human pulse of what “offender engagement” really is. It portrays  the truth that to have meaning we have to know the whole person and their narrative. The story is rather innocent and sentimental but the message is enduring.
Posters for the film give a rather racy image with the by-line, “what was her crime that no one could say…”. Remember, this was an era when Celia Johnson’s portrayal in Brief Encounter, only 7 years before, often referred to as the perfect love story, was considered very bold.
Henry Phipps (Cecil Parker) ex Colonial Office man of leisure ponders on his future, sherry glass in hand, beside the fireplace of his Mayfair flat. When teenage tearaway in distress, Norma (Joan Collins) seeks refuge in his building, the event provides the inspiration he needs to become a Probation Officer.
Mr. Phipps joins the probation team led by the wise and kindly Mr. Dove. In a steep learning curve and despite his most genuine efforts Mr. Phipps is puzzled, exasperated then disheartened in his attempts to work with the people entrusted to his care by the courts.
He seeks and receives robust advice from his stalwart colleague probation officer, the excellent ”Matty”  Matheson (Celia Johnson). “It’s no good planning for people you have to plan with them” she tells him firmly, “you think you can understand without liking?”.
What this simple little film portrays are the attitudes that underpin meaningful human connection. As Matty reflects “there’s no such thing as a typical probation officer”. The warmth in this depiction of probation’s professional ancestry will, I hope, remind practitioners amongst you of why you were first motivated to work with people who have offended. So much is recognisable 60 years later; not least the frustration of the police sergeant (Sid James) at probation’s inability to organise their supply of fresh milk for the office tea; perhaps it’s in the DNA. This is a film to watch beside the fire on a cold day with a pot of tea and, if you can, have a few colleagues around to share the experience.
Sally Lewis Probation Officer / CEO
Wikipedia says:-

Critical reception

  • The New York Times wrote, "it shines with understanding and, except for a brash climactic moment, it is a warm and adult adventure, which pins deserving medals on unsung heroes without heroics." 
  • Allmovie wrote, "the semi-documentary approach established early in I Believe in You gives way to sentiment as the film winds down." 
  • TV Guide noted, "an engaging drama with surprisingly good performances from (Joan) Collins, (Harry) Fowler, and (Laurence) Harvey." 

I Believe in You is a 1952 film directed by Michael Relph and Basil Dearden. It stars Celia Johnson and Cecil Parker and is based on the book Court Circular by Sewell Stokes. Inspired by the recently successful The Blue Lamp, Relph and Dearden used a (then) semi-documentary approach in telling the story of the lives of parole officers and their charges
 

10 comments:

  1. Watched film last year, stirred lots of memories heading to an estate in Grimsby in September 1981, my first caseload and walked across town to meet with a family of a young man and introduce myself. My senior had spent the morning working thought the caseload, directing, listening and encouraging........And we now come to this.

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  2. Joan Collins bigging up Probation on the "One Show"; is she on Twitter? If yes sign her up.

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  3. It's exactly the connection, the relationships with those we work with which Grayling is seeking to remove no doubt being viewed as unnecessary and wasteful. Those very concepts would be beyond him and his kind. I don't think it will be a case of 'remember why we do this.' Caseloads in CRC will be unsustainable on a one to one basis and the connection so essential to the learning, growth and experience of both client and practitioner will be a thing of the past - another fatality of TR. This is why privatisation of probation is wrong - you cannot put a price on the value of assisting another human being. To create a market out of some of the most vulnerable in our society sickens me.

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  4. Off topic but needs to be discussed. Jim are you able to make this link live.

    Its a youtube video that covers a Madrid protest against privatisation and the attack on the state. Two million marched on Madrid this March but it is not covered on the BBC; wha'ts going on it looks like revolution.

    http://revolution-news.com/pieces-madrid-documentary-ongoing-resistance-self-organization-midst-economic-social-crisis/

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    Replies
    1. I'm afraid it's beyond my limited technical know-how - sorry!

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    2. Highlight the link, right click the mouse and search Google. Click on new link and away you go.

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  5. The 2015 remake, 'I've Never actually Met You'

    Henry Phipps (Martin Freeman, reviving his role as,uh, Martin Freeman) ex criminal, now unemployed, ponders on his future, mobile phone in hand, beside the halogen heater of his rented cold-water flat. When teenage crack addict in a distressed tracksuit, Norma (Kathy Burke reviving her role as Perry in 'Kevin and Perry') seeks refuge in his building, the event provides the inspiration he needs to become an Offender Manager.
    Mr. Phipps joins the Community Rehabilitation Company led by over stressed careerist and former union chairman Mr. Dove (Richard E Grant reviving his Dennis Dimbleby Bagley role from 'How to get Ahead in Advertising'). In a steep learning curve and despite his most genuine efforts Mr. Phipps is puzzled, exasperated then disheartened by the obstacles placed in the way of his attempts to work with the people entrusted to his care by the courts first by the Secretary of State For Justice (David Warner reviving his role as Evil in 'Time Bandits') and then by his Chief Executive Officer (Patricia Routledge reviving her Hyacinth Bucket tour de force).
    He seeks and receives cynical, world weary advice from his stalwart colleague probation officer, the excellent ”Matty” Matheson (Margi Clarke reviving her role as Theresa in 'Letter to Brezhnev', or possibly Queenie in 'Making Out'). “It’s no good planning for people, we have PBR targets to meet” she tells him firmly, “you think this job is about helping people?'

    Simon Garden

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  6. Actually,no, make that:
    The 2015 remake, 'I've Never actually Met You'

    Henry Phipps (Nicholas Lindhurst, revivng his role as the 'Plonker' Rodney Trotter) ex criminal, now unemployed, ponders on his future, mobile phone in hand, beside the halogen heater of his rented cold-water flat. When teenage crack addict in a distressed tracksuit, Norma (Kathy Burke reviving her role as Perry in 'Kevin and Perry') seeks refuge in his building, the event provides the inspiration he needs to become an Offender Manager.
    Mr. Phipps joins the Community Rehabilitation Company led by over stressed careerist and former union chairman Mr. Dove (Richard E Grant reviving his Dennis Dimbleby Bagley role from 'How to get Ahead in Advertising'). In a steep learning curve and despite his genuine though woefully clueless efforts Mr. Phipps is puzzled, exasperated then disheartened by the obstacles placed in the way of his attempts to work with the people entrusted to his care by the courts first by the Secretary of State For Justice (David Warner reviving his role as Evil in 'Time Bandits') and then by his Chief Executive Officer (Patricia Routledge reviving her Hyacinth Bucket tour de force).
    He seeks and receives cynical, world weary advice from his stalwart colleague probation officer, the excellent ”Matty” Matheson (Margi Clarke reviving her role as Theresa in 'Letter to Brezhnev', or possibly Queenie in 'Making Out'). “It’s no good planning for people, we have PBR targets to meet” she tells him firmly, “you think this job is about helping people?'

    Simon Garden

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    1. Im looking for the blog ? Is this a Barry Norman tribute site ?

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    2. 'I Believe in You, I Haven't Met You' produced by Hammer House of Horror. A Probation Officer knows she has a violent criminal on her caseload but he is sent to group induction and then down a shadowy pathway to 'partnership' agencies intent on making money out of him. She knows he exists, she knows he is lurking in the background. Will he rise up and destroy her? Who knows...watch this gripping real life thriller enfold before you. It's called 'Transforming Rehabilitation.' Produced by Chris Grayling.

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