What you are really saying is keep reading the crap that massages your liberal ethos and ignore anything that challenges those views.
You can get David Frasers book from the library. It provides a different and challenging view to the ineffective mess you are part of.
I could indeed get the book from the library, but life is short and as I've already said, it would only annoy me. I think it's likely to be crap, but clearly of a different persuasion to that I have been accused of reading in order to massage my 'liberal' ethos. It could be said that it's entirely consistent with the 'crap' some read in order to massage 'illiberal' views. But that gets us nowhere and falls into the trap of making huge assumptions about individuals. Anyone that knows me would not describe me as a 'liberal'. I'm a staunch Royalist, do not agree with giving prisoners the right to vote and in many ways would favour enlightened despotism over what we laughably call democracy. As any good probation officer knows, people don't fit easily into boxes or categories, me included.
I'm interested in the use of the word 'taught'. I don't think you can 'teach' someone to be what I would term a good probation officer, any more than you can teach someone to be a good social worker or a caring nurse. I've never believed that qualities such as empathy, understanding, judgement or insight for that matter can be taught. All are required, and more in a good probation officer, and you either have it or not - it can't be acquired in my view. Another essential quality is self analysis and a degree of self doubt.
In terms of being effective in rehabilitating or not, it would be naive in the extreme to think that a probation officer alone can address all the accumulated failings of parenting, education, health service, and social services together with the effect of peer group pressure and faulty reasoning in at most a weekly interview. To have any chance of success, we've always needed other statutory bodies to deliver and much of our valuable time has to be taken up acting as the clients advocate in relation to other organisations. As for being toothless, try telling that to people being recalled to prison or to lifers trying to get out.
The only reason parts of the justice system get away with their ineffectiveness is that the police are always blamed for crime. When this Government have carved up and privatised the police service you will find them looking at those other parts far more closely.
Well some people might blame the police, but in reality the causes are many and varied of course. Unfortunately this doesn't translate well for most newspapers or politicians for that matter, hence the typically simplistic views proffered by both groups of opinion formers. Interestingly, one result of this is that it's the hapless probation officer that gets the blame if a current client goes out and kills, rapes or maims someone.
Of course the government is currently in the process of carving up and privatising the probation service as well as the police. Some might say it's only time before their collective gaze falls upon the Lay Judiciary in the name of efficiency and effectiveness. It's all bollocks of course and it might be wiser for all parts of the Criminal Justice System to unite, rather than indulge in inter-service fractiousness.
The whole problem with the justice system is the lack of consequences for poor behaviour. Very simplistic, but if you watch the program Supernanny, you will see that poor behaviour always has consequences no matter what the issues and problems are. They have to be resolved later. From the outset, always, always, consequences. Most of our offenders are just children in adults bodies. They would understand this but their poor behaviour is constantly rewarded rather than punished.
Of course there are consequences, both in terms of record numbers in custody and a significantly worsening quality of life measuring health, housing, employment, relationships and ultimately lifespan. Have you any idea how many of our clients die whilst on our books? I agree entirely that many of our clients could indeed be regarded as children and as such require support, guidance, good role modelling as well as punishment and discipline.
I am aware of Supernanny, but would rather point to Bad Lads Army as a fascinating experiment in re-creating many of the experiences associated with National Service. I wrote at some length on the subject strongly supporting the ethos that could be replicated by the likes of Outward Bound and Sail Training schemes. Those with long memories will recall that all this stuff was part and parcel of Intermediate Treatment schemes in the 60's and 70's, but scandalously killed off by the right-wing press as 'treats for naughty boys'. Stuff like this was of course far too nuanced for many as it was about teaching responsibility and broadening of horizons rather than punishment.
I am aware of Supernanny, but would rather point to Bad Lads Army as a fascinating experiment in re-creating many of the experiences associated with National Service. I wrote at some length on the subject strongly supporting the ethos that could be replicated by the likes of Outward Bound and Sail Training schemes. Those with long memories will recall that all this stuff was part and parcel of Intermediate Treatment schemes in the 60's and 70's, but scandalously killed off by the right-wing press as 'treats for naughty boys'. Stuff like this was of course far too nuanced for many as it was about teaching responsibility and broadening of horizons rather than punishment.
I'm very familiar with Mr Smith's views on the education system and share many of them. It's an utter disgrace that schools and Education Authorities can seemingly absolve themselves of their responsibilities by expelling troublesome pupils instead of putting effort into tailoring individual programmes of learning for these difficult kids who will undoubtedly cause society much more pain and expense in years to come. As routine I always ask young clients when they left school and am often told "13 or 14". We are all aware that the Statutory school leaving age is 16, so what's been going on?
I understand very well the work of the probation service. My wife is a probation officer. Her frustrations regarding the ineffective mess the service is in are transposed here.
With respect I think the trouble is a profound failure to understand the work of probation at all and in this regard it's sadly no different to the vast majority of the population - hence this blog. For probation to have any chance of working its magic, each client has to be seen as an individual and not processed as a type, category or number. Each person has particular circumstances, problems and issues and deserves nothing less than a response tailored to their unique situation.
If I was on probation, this is what I would want and unless I was engaged by someone willing to listen to what I had to say and was focused on me as a person and not a set of criteria, it would all go in one ear and out the other. Only at this point would I be receptive to being told that maybe I might need to change, consider other options and alter my behaviour. Of course the Service is in a mess, not of our making but that of successive meddling governments and with yet more to come, but that shouldn't mean that what goes on in the privacy of the interview room need be that different. Approached in the right way, it is still this one-to-one relationship between officer and client that remains the key to the possibility of changing someones life for the better. Research continually confirms that it is this that lies at the core of effectiveness.
My views can be summed up in another blog.
http://thethinkingpoliceman.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/failing-justice-system-failing-society.html
I've not come across this particular police blog (there are so many, but only one on probation as far as I can see) - but it looks good and have added it to my blog list. Regular readers will be aware that I frequently make reference to Inspector Gadjet and routinely take issue with him.
Thoughtful & insightful as ever. One point- the Government's gaze fell, destructively, on the Lay Judiciary some years ago.
ReplyDelete@ anonymous - insightful, no. Inciting, maybe. The Lay Judiciary should have been dispensed with years ago. Just read the Magistrates Blog as a good example of everything that is wrong with the magistracy. They have no concern for justice, just the status they believe putting JP after their name gives them.
ReplyDelete@ On Probation - Winston Smiths views on children in care are more relevant than any comments on education.
You can teach skills to improve capabilities in a role. The problem with the Probation Service is that, generally, the wrong type of people have been recruited to achieve the aims of the organisation. Once an organisation is infested and manged by the wrong people there is no hope for it other than to start again from scratch.
'For probation to have any chance of working its magic.'
I think Paul Daniels has more magic than the Probation Service and he should have been put down years ago too.
Gadget panders to a minority of officers who mean well but really don't have a clue as to what is happening in the broader sense. I wouldn't waste my time raising issues there.
Perhaps you can reflect on how many successes you have had with clients compared to failures and what you may need to do to increase successes. Not enough accountability.
I understand very well that writing people off or just locking them up and throwing away the key are not sensible solutions. I still maintain that way the Probation Service and YOT are currently working are of little effect at all. I agree that other related services are just as ineffective and the whole system needs to be joined up.
I repeat that you should be concerned about the privatisation of the police both as a potential customer and as a member of the justice system. When the police is privatised you will see the focus on other parts of the criminal justice system.