Saturday 13 December 2014

The Sick Service of Europe

I am at at the 9th Confederation of European Probation Electronic Monitoring Conference in Frankfurt Germany with 220 other delegates. I think I am the only delegate from a European probation trade union. There are however a large number of delegates from other European countries equivalent of the Ministry of Justice, various EU organisations, politicians, a number of private companies, government representatives, and some top international probation and criminology experts from around the globe all seeking to hear about the latest innovation and developments. 

News of what the Ministry of Justice in England and Wales has been doing has been seeping out and is generally being referred to in many of the presentations and discussions dismissively as a complete and unmitigated disaster. Delegates from several of the former Eastern European countries are here keen to learn from the best of what is happening in probation in the rest of the world and in the past they may have considered there was something to learn from aspects of how we do things in England and Wales.

However, what our Ministry of Justice has done is now broadly considered to be a disaster and was described by one delegate to me as a policy now considered 'so toxic' that it is not worth the expense of the trip to find out how badly things are going wrong. This particular person had been to England and Wales before and actually believed they had been misled by representatives of our government - surely not. Most conversations I have had have involved those I am talking to expressing concern and sympathy for all probation staff in England and Wales as soon as they learn where I am from. 

Obviously as a trade union representative I can only talk about the experiences reported to me by members (anonymised of course) and it is like reporting from a parallel universe where things have taken a bizarre turn. Some have read reports in their own countries of our plight and when they learned these have a basis in truth they are appalled - naturally they thought that what they had heard was probably exaggerated or inaccurate. 

The probation profession, probation work, and probation staff in many European countries are held in relatively high esteem and it is accepted that like nurses, firefighters and teachers they do an essential job on behalf of the public and are justifiably deserving of support. When crime rates and prison numbers fall in their countries they are celebrated and actually given official credit for this achievement as it is realised that this success benefits all in their society - why not in England and Wales? 

I cannot name names of those who I have spoken to, for obvious reasons, but it is clear that the reputation of the probation service in England and Wales (once rightly revered as a major influence on probation practice) has been severely damaged and some at this conference who have written about probation for many years have even gone so far as to say 'mortally wounded'. 

I myself grew up with the probation service and I have always been proud to call myself a probation officer even if in the future I am increasingly likely to end up doing another job. However, I cannot help feeling a deep sense that I have been completely betrayed by our political masters when I hear the probation service in England and Wales being described by those from other countries as 'finished' and that there is 'little of value that can be learned from the flawed English model'. 

Surely we must always have hope that we can repair the damage and learn from those countries such as Sweden, Norway and Belgium that are now closing expensive prisons and in some instances retraining their surplus prison staff as probation staff. We on the other hand are building more prisons to warehouse people. No sane person in those countries where they value the professionalism and dedication of their probation staff through actions rather than words is looking to England and Wales as a model of how to do things and are instead shaking their heads in disbelief and expressing in strong terms that we have lost our way in the woods. 

Not one delegate I have heard here is saying 'Wow, you have to hand it to those guys in England and Wales for proving everyone wrong!!! That's the kind of rehabilitation revolution we would love to have in our country' but I have heard plenty of people say things along the line of 'What are you crazy guys thinking?' Of course I have to explain that Napo and I are not responsible for the actions of those in power but I can't help feeling that in some small way that I am because the principles and values of probation in England and Wales cannot be dismantled or destroyed and we all have a responsibility to keep hope alive. 

However, it appears from what I have heard that the international reputation of our probation service in England and Wales is now pretty much in tatters and responsibility for that must be laid fairly and squarely at the feet of those who have used their position to destroy something that was not in need of major change or reform and embark on a risky experiment that goes against all that has been previously learned about what works and what is effective in probation. 

No amount of political spin can change reality but it might distort it. It does not please me at all to report that we are currently seen by others as being up to our necks in 'deep yogurt' without a paddle and are now regarded as the 'sick probation service of Europe'.

David A Raho

(Republished from Facebook with permission).

23 comments:

  1. Partnership Mobilisation Support Manager for Sodexo currently being advertised across various areas on Guardian Jobs. £35-40 grand. Looks like in terms of job spec what would be a minimum Band 6 post.....

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    1. There's 25 similar jobs on offer within Sodexo, each @ £40k or thereabouts. £1M & counting...

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    2. Short term contracts, if I am not mistaken.

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  2. Am I the only one who thinks given the shables NAPO have made of the JR and how much it has cost us why are we paying (& I'm assuming he is not attending this conference for free or paid for out of his own pocket) for him to go on a prechristmas jolly & then he has the bearneck check to come and rub our noses in it!

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    1. Yes. You are the only one.

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    2. Thanks Anonymous 18:29 Anonymous 18:19 I am saddened by your lack of faith in human nature but you obviously do not know me. I have paid for the entire trip out of my own pocket. I planned it some time ago. I attended in my own time using my annual leave and I will spend the rest of the weekend using everything I learned in a positive way simply because I love my profession and think it's important to be an activist and use whatever skills you have. I put my money where my mouth is and I have done so before and I am happy to do so again. I originally posted the above comment at 3am this morning as I was inspired by another Napo activist who has strood shoulder to shoulder with me an others on many a picket line, demo, and always gone the extra mile despite some real low points. Jim contacted me around breakfast time and my initial thought was that someone is bound to think I am on some kind of jolly. I hope you now realise that was not the case and I could have just gone without flying the flag for Napo and just sat back and had a relaxing time. Instead I have been burning the candle at both ends trying my best to explain to as many other delegates as possible about what has been going on in our probation service for the last three days. Personally I think that my time and money well spent. Strange though it may seem to you some of us care deeply about probation and there are many probation officers around the world who feel the same. I was privileged to meet some of them at the conference. Regards David Raho

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    3. Well said David, Hope whovere posted the earlier comment apologises but I won't hold my breath. Thanks for keeping us posted.

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    4. Well said David . And David would be raising awareness of the probation tragedy, figting our cause not having a jolly

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  3. Sadly probation services across Europe will not escape because every country in Europe is under the yoke of Neoliberalism. Their politicians are in the pockets of the same giant corporations and hedge funds. No like us they will be privatised and their wages driven down to the level of prison wages in some underdeveloped nation.

    There are demonstrations across Europe and across North America all with the same cause but as yet unaware of each others struggles. An awakening is coming because the ecosystem and the finance system are both at breaking point; lets hope that the most organised force is progressive but as yet I do not see it. Rather the lies and fear generated from them suggest a move to the right with another fascist monster just around the corner. What has happened to our probation service is a symptom of this, it is NOT simply the musing of Grayling, but there are more like him. It really is time to organise.

    papa

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    1. I too am worried about a move to the right but Papa something interesting is happening that I have not seen before - talking with individuals on my caseload in recent months it seems even those that have demonstrated extreme racism in the past are now blaming the government instead.

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    2. There is hope papa! Podemos in Spain and Syriza in greece are building strong support bases and are in the lead in polling. In Scotland the SNP are noteably to the left of "blue labour" and are going to blow them out if th water next year. PS - shout out to David Raho for the above. I know him personally and there's no way he'd be off on a jolly.

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    3. Re 20.16 and others about David whom I've met on H&S Cttee and read his posts on London Napo FB;he's a great colleague dedicated, principled,compassionate with canny media skills. Thanks David for demonstrating to our European colleagues that we have not all lost our integrity and understanding of probation values.

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    4. Thanks David. Thanks Papa

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    5. Blue Labour!. Never heard that term before but encapsulates exactly what happened to 'my' party. Brilliant!.

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  4. Yes there is hope and I'm a part of the Pan-European socialism you mention. But the task is big we have got to take power off the corporations, banks and politicians. We do this I think by stopping buying their stuff and replace it by doing things in our localities( Food Production, meeting the needs of the people in the community, house building and so on). This in itself is a revolutionary act and once they realise what happing there will be a backlash. I think then it will be the people on mass in the streets of out big cities. The troops will be sent in but will they kill us, if they don't then we have power and this is when it really gets difficult.

    Many on here will be thinking who is this barm-pot but I think we are in the lull just before society lurches one way or the other.If our clients are focussing on the politicians it could be closer than we think.

    The good thing is that it is possible to change society rapidly by putting people back to work meeting the needs of other people. It will be contested that is why we are organising now.

    papa

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  5. Good on yer David. Remember you from ancient history. Decent bloke.

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  6. http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/nick-cohen/2014/12/the-last-days-of-the-cameron-administration-part-2-failing-grayling/

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  7. If he is at a tagging conference then he is probably doing research. He is interested and knows a lot about complicated things that not many people know about. Saying he is on a jolly is ludicrous. I always found him a decent guy and when you need help you cam rely on him 100%. Apologise

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  8. weltschmerz: the depression you feel when the world as it is does not line up with the world as you think it should be.

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    1. God bless wikipedia: "The modern meaning of Weltschmerz in the German language is the psychological pain caused by sadness that can occur when realizing that someone's own weaknesses are caused by the inappropriateness and cruelty of the world and (physical and social) circumstances. Weltschmerz in this meaning can cause depression, resignation and escapism, and can become a mental problem (compare Hikikomori). The modern meaning should also be compared with the concept of anomie, or a kind of alienation, that Émile Durkheim wrote about in his sociological treatise Suicide."

      Is there a suitable European term for the assholes who make the world a cruel place, who generate Weltscmerz?

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  9. yup, Graylingisation....

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    1. To annon 06:47 and 07:41 thank you - in a bizarre way this made me laugh - I agree Graylingistion compounded by neo liberalism have one hell of a lot to answer for - come the revolution. I am patiently waiting for Jim to put up today's blog - morning Jim

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    2. Morning! - nearly there - 9.15 about I think lol

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