It's always interesting to see what other people are blogging about and I notice that recently the Justice of the Peace blog picked up on a case going through York Magistrates Court and the fact that the Bench refused to impose reporting restrictions. I don't find that at all surprising in a shoplifting case, but I do find it astonishing that the probation service is not mentioned once in three newspaper reports by the York Press.
Actually there are a number of unusual aspects to this story as in my experience the local paper gave up routinely attending court some time ago. Obviously they turn up if they get wind of a notorious case or a tip off about a strange or unusual angle, but in this instance it appears that the middle-aged defendant deliberately approached the local press. It seems that such was her desperation and possibly vulnerable emotional state on being released from prison homeless that she poured her heart out to a local journalist 'in a cry for help.'
"The 51-year-old, who was jailed after pleading with a policeman to arrest her for shoplifting, claimed she had no choice but to steal because it could be up to six weeks before she received any benefits after coming out. “I wouldn’t survive otherwise,” she said. “I know that admitting this to The Press means I am at risk of being arrested and jailed yet again, but I have nothing to lose. I have been to jail perhaps 25 to 35 times. I hate it there, it is absolutely vile, and it’s costing the taxpayer almost £1,000 a week to keep me there, but sometimes when it’s freezing, it’s better than on the streets."
Apparently during the course of her time in prison the woman had been in contact with a local parish priest begging for help and the congregation were in the process of assisting. This, together with the newspaper article and some competent mitigation, seems to have led the court to decide on a six week deferment. When she duly appeared for sentencing, she was given a Conditional Discharge and sent on her way.
What I find astonishing in all this is the complete absence of any mention of the Probation Service. All courts have access to probation Court Duty Officers and having served as a CDO in recent time, I can say that I could not imagine not being involved in a case like this at some stage. I would have made it my business to start enquiries in a pro-active way and if it had not come to my attention, the usher, solicitor or reporter would all have been keen to make me aware, even before the case was called. It would be blindingly obvious to everyone that this woman had a whole host of problems and needed some help.
Now I know it's unwise to report on any case without having access to all the information and it's just possible that the probation service was involved, but even if they were, sadly I'm beginning to feel they were of little use. I can almost hear someone saying 'there is nothing we can do; we're not a welfare agency; she's low risk of harm; she's not suitable for a programme; etc etc. It makes me very depressed about the direction in which we are going as here we have a woman in her 50's, homeless, probably with some mental health issues and regularly going to prison for shop thefts. How come this is not part of the remit of the modern Probation Service? She needs to be on Probation supervision and in my court I think she would have been, whatever the mealy-mouthed management guidelines had to say about it.
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
The Prison Restaurant
Generally speaking I think it's extremely beneficial that HM Prison Service seem to be much more relaxed nowadays about allowing tv cameras into prison. I think it's important that the public get a chance to see more of what goes on behind the high walls and security fences of what are essentially quite closed and secretive institutions. In particular that they get a feel for exactly what kind of person we are locking up in greater numbers proportionally than virtually any other European state and the challenges these people pose the staff on a daily basis.
HMP High Down is home to a remarkable and so far unique experiment in offering prisoners essentially a route to redemption through learning to become accomplished chefs. In this BBC1 tv programme 'The Prison Restaurant' we see that the hard-nosed and pragmatic Catering Manager has succeeded in persuading the prison hierarchy to allow charitable funding of a posh training restaurant and kitchen within the establishment, with selected prisoners being given the chance of gaining an NVQ and chance of employment upon release.
It sounds a brilliant idea and indeed it is, but the failure rate is a sobering reminder of just how many seriously damaged, immature and emotionally unstable people are behind bars. As the story unfolds and we follow the fortunes of several new recruits to 'The Clink' training restaurant, we begin to get some insight into the all-too-familiar phenomenon whereby significant numbers of offenders have a behavioural default setting that can only be described as 'self-destruct'.
The reasons can be complex, but undoubtedly connected to early life experiences. For example the young, immature black lad who had to learn self preservation in a succession of childrens homes and now can't resist playing up to the camera's by nicking the bottle of Fanta, smoking and not realising that he wouldn't get away with threatening another inmate. My guess is that he has never known the continuity and unconditional love and support of any parent and now finds it difficult to respond to substitutes in the form of the motherly prison support officer. He always was high risk and the Manager knew this, but it was worth giving him a chance. Hopefully he will learn the connection between cause and effect and will mature sufficiently to be able to take positive advantage of the next opportunity when it comes along.
It was interesting that the older and initially very promising waiter could not avoid that 'self-destruct' setting either and childishly got into the computer system to alter the wording on the till receipts. In the process he amply demonstrated a degree of arrested development that meant he couldn't resist testing the boundaries, indeed just like a naughty child. I was amazed when quick as a flash he almost automatically asked 'how he could redeem himself' and didn't really seem to be too bothered when he was told he'd simply 'blown it'. It's a sad fact that many of our damaged offenders with arrested developmental histories find it very difficult being able to respond to trust. It takes time and repeated skill and effort.
For me the most disturbing part of this excellent look behind the scenes was the man found in the process of 'slashing'. Some clients are so badly damaged by early life experiences that the only way they feel able to deal with the hate and anger is to direct it at themselves. The default 'self-destruct' setting is set almost on maximum and they attack their own body in a horrifying manner. It was obvious from the brief glimpse the camera gave us that this man had done this many times previously and had scars all over his arms. It reminded me of a very dangerous and damaged man I helped to supervise some years ago who had slashed every accessible part of his body whilst serving several long prison sentences. The experience taught me many things, not least that redemption is possible for most people. It can take a very long time, a great deal of patience and some skill, but above all I believe it's worth it for all our sakes.
HMP High Down is home to a remarkable and so far unique experiment in offering prisoners essentially a route to redemption through learning to become accomplished chefs. In this BBC1 tv programme 'The Prison Restaurant' we see that the hard-nosed and pragmatic Catering Manager has succeeded in persuading the prison hierarchy to allow charitable funding of a posh training restaurant and kitchen within the establishment, with selected prisoners being given the chance of gaining an NVQ and chance of employment upon release.
It sounds a brilliant idea and indeed it is, but the failure rate is a sobering reminder of just how many seriously damaged, immature and emotionally unstable people are behind bars. As the story unfolds and we follow the fortunes of several new recruits to 'The Clink' training restaurant, we begin to get some insight into the all-too-familiar phenomenon whereby significant numbers of offenders have a behavioural default setting that can only be described as 'self-destruct'.
The reasons can be complex, but undoubtedly connected to early life experiences. For example the young, immature black lad who had to learn self preservation in a succession of childrens homes and now can't resist playing up to the camera's by nicking the bottle of Fanta, smoking and not realising that he wouldn't get away with threatening another inmate. My guess is that he has never known the continuity and unconditional love and support of any parent and now finds it difficult to respond to substitutes in the form of the motherly prison support officer. He always was high risk and the Manager knew this, but it was worth giving him a chance. Hopefully he will learn the connection between cause and effect and will mature sufficiently to be able to take positive advantage of the next opportunity when it comes along.
It was interesting that the older and initially very promising waiter could not avoid that 'self-destruct' setting either and childishly got into the computer system to alter the wording on the till receipts. In the process he amply demonstrated a degree of arrested development that meant he couldn't resist testing the boundaries, indeed just like a naughty child. I was amazed when quick as a flash he almost automatically asked 'how he could redeem himself' and didn't really seem to be too bothered when he was told he'd simply 'blown it'. It's a sad fact that many of our damaged offenders with arrested developmental histories find it very difficult being able to respond to trust. It takes time and repeated skill and effort.
For me the most disturbing part of this excellent look behind the scenes was the man found in the process of 'slashing'. Some clients are so badly damaged by early life experiences that the only way they feel able to deal with the hate and anger is to direct it at themselves. The default 'self-destruct' setting is set almost on maximum and they attack their own body in a horrifying manner. It was obvious from the brief glimpse the camera gave us that this man had done this many times previously and had scars all over his arms. It reminded me of a very dangerous and damaged man I helped to supervise some years ago who had slashed every accessible part of his body whilst serving several long prison sentences. The experience taught me many things, not least that redemption is possible for most people. It can take a very long time, a great deal of patience and some skill, but above all I believe it's worth it for all our sakes.
Wednesday, 20 April 2011
What's in a Name?
The relatively new chief of the London Probation Trust Heather Munro decided to put her head above the parapet a week or so ago and agreed to an interview with the Guardian. I wasn't sure what to make of it, but it seems the Daily Mail did and particularly took her to task over the use of the word 'customer'. I must admit I agree and have always regarded it as extremely cynical when the term was introduced by the old DHSS in place of the strictly accurate term 'claimant'. You will recall that British Rail substituted 'customer' for 'passenger' some time ago and this still rankles with me.
I suppose in trying to be generous, in each case the organisation involved felt there was an image problem and that by changing the name things could be improved. Hence Windscale became Sellafield and the Police Force became the Police Service. Ever since I can recall, the probation service has used the term 'client' but has never seemed that comfortable with it. This became more of an acute issue with the evolution towards us becoming a Law Enforcement Agency with the result that there have been a number of attempts to come up with an alternative, but it is not easy.
I guess way back the term 'probationer' was used for people being supervised in the community, alongside the more obvious 'prisoner' for those who were not. But there was a need for a neutral term in order to recognise our dual role as Divorce Court Welfare Officers, hence 'client' was universally adopted. At the point we lost that role and were becoming more conscious of public opinion, we had a stab at calling people 'cases'. This didn't last long as the absurdity of talking about inanimate objects having arrived at reception for their interview eventually dawned, so we tried 'offender' instead and I guess this is where we sort of are currently. Of course regular readers will not be surprised to hear that I and many like-minded colleagues have stuck resolutely to 'client' and still proudly sign letters as a 'probation officer' and definitely not as an 'offender manager'.
So where does this leave us in relation to 'customer'? Maybe Heather Munro was just 'flying a kite' in order to test reaction? I agree entirely with the sentiment she was expressing about according everyone respect and reference to 'customer' seems to have been purely illustrative. In my view the job simply cannot be done in any other way. According to a spokesperson, this was indeed her main message and there is no intention to introduce the term. Surely common sense says that calling people 'customers' when they have no choice in their contact with us is cynical in the extreme?
I suppose in trying to be generous, in each case the organisation involved felt there was an image problem and that by changing the name things could be improved. Hence Windscale became Sellafield and the Police Force became the Police Service. Ever since I can recall, the probation service has used the term 'client' but has never seemed that comfortable with it. This became more of an acute issue with the evolution towards us becoming a Law Enforcement Agency with the result that there have been a number of attempts to come up with an alternative, but it is not easy.
I guess way back the term 'probationer' was used for people being supervised in the community, alongside the more obvious 'prisoner' for those who were not. But there was a need for a neutral term in order to recognise our dual role as Divorce Court Welfare Officers, hence 'client' was universally adopted. At the point we lost that role and were becoming more conscious of public opinion, we had a stab at calling people 'cases'. This didn't last long as the absurdity of talking about inanimate objects having arrived at reception for their interview eventually dawned, so we tried 'offender' instead and I guess this is where we sort of are currently. Of course regular readers will not be surprised to hear that I and many like-minded colleagues have stuck resolutely to 'client' and still proudly sign letters as a 'probation officer' and definitely not as an 'offender manager'.
So where does this leave us in relation to 'customer'? Maybe Heather Munro was just 'flying a kite' in order to test reaction? I agree entirely with the sentiment she was expressing about according everyone respect and reference to 'customer' seems to have been purely illustrative. In my view the job simply cannot be done in any other way. According to a spokesperson, this was indeed her main message and there is no intention to introduce the term. Surely common sense says that calling people 'customers' when they have no choice in their contact with us is cynical in the extreme?
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
A Few Observations 3
This is the point where I'm reminded of an elderly lady who, having died and the house was being cleared out, her relatives discovered that she had meticulously kept and stored everything for future use. In amongst piles of stuff there were three boxes of string, one labelled 'string 4 feet to 8 feet' another said 'string 2 feet to 4 feet' and the third said 'string too short to keep'. These are the bits too short to deserve a post of their own.
According to the Sunday Times of 17th April, but sadly hidden behind the Murdoch paywall, Ken Clarke and the Ministry of Justice are intent on getting prisoners to construct their own jails. It explains that "construction companies are to be encouraged to train inmates in trades such as bricklaying, plumbing and electrical work while they build secure accommodation for themselves." I haven't seen this reported elsewhere, but sounds a very good idea. It is however not new or novel as I have previously posted about HMP North Sea Camp which was constructed by Borstal boys in 1935. The lads were marched to the site from Stafford and lived in tents until their permanent accommodation was completed. Now wouldn't that be an idea! Every time the classic war film 'Dirty Dozen' comes on TV it reminds me of this.
Another very interesting prison innovation is described in this article from the Guardian about HMP High Down and their pioneering training restaurant developed with charitable funding. An absolutely brilliant concept and a clear demonstration of how prison Governors have succeeded in hanging onto the freedom to innovate in stark contrast to the Probation Service. I notice from the charity website that the BBC have made a documentary 'The Prison Restaurant' and it's due to be screened on BBC1 at 10.35pm 26th April. I suspect it will be well worth watching and help show best practice within the Prison Service.
Unfortunately the Prison Service in Birmingham is heading into very stormy waters with the Prison Officers Association decision to ballot members on industrial action following the announcement to privatise the jail from October. This is not that surprising as Birmingham will be the first state-run prison to go private as opposed to new-build prisons. It is widely reported that up to 3,000 troops have received rudimentary training in prison operation, but I can't help feeling this decision by Ken Clarke to deliberately take on the POA will inevitably end in tears. It will be very unsettling for many prisoners and it is to be hoped we do not have a long hot summer that encourages inmate indiscipline.
Finally, it's depressing to see from Jonathan Ledger's NAPO blog that some Probation Trusts have started breaking ranks and cosying up to the 'big boys' in the bidding process for the Unpaid Work Contracts. Nottinghamshire are going into partnership with Serco and are now joined by Essex teaming up with Sodexo. This may ultimately prove to be a pragmatic decision, but it will all get a bit nasty if one Trust finds itself bidding against other Trusts. The trouble is it probably makes Ken Clarke smile.
According to the Sunday Times of 17th April, but sadly hidden behind the Murdoch paywall, Ken Clarke and the Ministry of Justice are intent on getting prisoners to construct their own jails. It explains that "construction companies are to be encouraged to train inmates in trades such as bricklaying, plumbing and electrical work while they build secure accommodation for themselves." I haven't seen this reported elsewhere, but sounds a very good idea. It is however not new or novel as I have previously posted about HMP North Sea Camp which was constructed by Borstal boys in 1935. The lads were marched to the site from Stafford and lived in tents until their permanent accommodation was completed. Now wouldn't that be an idea! Every time the classic war film 'Dirty Dozen' comes on TV it reminds me of this.
Another very interesting prison innovation is described in this article from the Guardian about HMP High Down and their pioneering training restaurant developed with charitable funding. An absolutely brilliant concept and a clear demonstration of how prison Governors have succeeded in hanging onto the freedom to innovate in stark contrast to the Probation Service. I notice from the charity website that the BBC have made a documentary 'The Prison Restaurant' and it's due to be screened on BBC1 at 10.35pm 26th April. I suspect it will be well worth watching and help show best practice within the Prison Service.
Unfortunately the Prison Service in Birmingham is heading into very stormy waters with the Prison Officers Association decision to ballot members on industrial action following the announcement to privatise the jail from October. This is not that surprising as Birmingham will be the first state-run prison to go private as opposed to new-build prisons. It is widely reported that up to 3,000 troops have received rudimentary training in prison operation, but I can't help feeling this decision by Ken Clarke to deliberately take on the POA will inevitably end in tears. It will be very unsettling for many prisoners and it is to be hoped we do not have a long hot summer that encourages inmate indiscipline.
Finally, it's depressing to see from Jonathan Ledger's NAPO blog that some Probation Trusts have started breaking ranks and cosying up to the 'big boys' in the bidding process for the Unpaid Work Contracts. Nottinghamshire are going into partnership with Serco and are now joined by Essex teaming up with Sodexo. This may ultimately prove to be a pragmatic decision, but it will all get a bit nasty if one Trust finds itself bidding against other Trusts. The trouble is it probably makes Ken Clarke smile.
Monday, 18 April 2011
Unemployed or Unemployable?
I can't help noticing that Inspector Gadget and Bystander of Magistrates Blog fame are somewhat unusually of one voice recently in highlighting the issue of structural unemployment on certain estates at a time when there appear to be lots of unskilled jobs available locally. The thesis is that the predominantly white indigenous population are lazy, workshy and quite happy to lounge around on benefit and typically allow the hard-working Eastern European population to take the jobs. Now I wouldn't particularly disagree with this analysis, but would suggest it is essentially because sadly many of these people are unemployable.
This situation has arisen for a variety of reasons but will be all too recognisable to probation officers. We know that due to the restructuring of many heavy industries, there are simply no longer the large amount of unskilled jobs available. Many people in the category we are talking about are possibly second or third generation who have not known employment. Previous governments positively encouraged a 'disability culture' and as a consequence significant numbers have been used to classifying themselves as medically unfit to work. Many will have failed state education and have literacy and numeracy problems. Virtually all will have little or no motivation due to extremely low self esteem and absolutely no work record. Just ask yourself this question - would you employ someone like this?
Of course this is not a new phenomenon and successive governments have tried to alleviate the problem by giving assistance towards the transition from long-term unemployment to work. Remember the old Youth Training Schemes and Job Creation Programmes? The last Labour government spent a small fortune on New Deal by paying third sector providers to prepare such people for the world of work and they had a degree of success, but it is not easy. The coalition government intends to do the same thing with the new Work Programme, but eligibility has increased to 9 months for the 18-24 year old age group and for those 24 and above, 12 months. I'm sure that all probation services are like mine in having direct links to agencies specifically tasked with assisting people into employment.
All this would not be necessary of course if our education system was doing it's job right and preparing young people for the world of work. I have said it before and I say it again. In my experience the vast majority of people that I come into contact with do not decide that a life of idleness is preferable - they want a job. Remember employment is the means by which most human beings define themselves and it's absence can be extremely damaging in terms of emotional well-being. There is a consequential high risk of destructive behaviours such as drug and alcohol addiction, self harm, violence and mental illness.
Despite the image sometimes portrayed, a life on benefit is very, very depressing. Many feel they are utterly trapped and gave up all hope of looking for work ages ago. Unless and until we can sort out our education system, this group are always going to need a great deal of support and attention in order to get them productive. Yes it will require a degree of stick and carrot, but lets not just call them lazy and feckless without looking a bit further into the background.
This situation has arisen for a variety of reasons but will be all too recognisable to probation officers. We know that due to the restructuring of many heavy industries, there are simply no longer the large amount of unskilled jobs available. Many people in the category we are talking about are possibly second or third generation who have not known employment. Previous governments positively encouraged a 'disability culture' and as a consequence significant numbers have been used to classifying themselves as medically unfit to work. Many will have failed state education and have literacy and numeracy problems. Virtually all will have little or no motivation due to extremely low self esteem and absolutely no work record. Just ask yourself this question - would you employ someone like this?
Of course this is not a new phenomenon and successive governments have tried to alleviate the problem by giving assistance towards the transition from long-term unemployment to work. Remember the old Youth Training Schemes and Job Creation Programmes? The last Labour government spent a small fortune on New Deal by paying third sector providers to prepare such people for the world of work and they had a degree of success, but it is not easy. The coalition government intends to do the same thing with the new Work Programme, but eligibility has increased to 9 months for the 18-24 year old age group and for those 24 and above, 12 months. I'm sure that all probation services are like mine in having direct links to agencies specifically tasked with assisting people into employment.
All this would not be necessary of course if our education system was doing it's job right and preparing young people for the world of work. I have said it before and I say it again. In my experience the vast majority of people that I come into contact with do not decide that a life of idleness is preferable - they want a job. Remember employment is the means by which most human beings define themselves and it's absence can be extremely damaging in terms of emotional well-being. There is a consequential high risk of destructive behaviours such as drug and alcohol addiction, self harm, violence and mental illness.
Despite the image sometimes portrayed, a life on benefit is very, very depressing. Many feel they are utterly trapped and gave up all hope of looking for work ages ago. Unless and until we can sort out our education system, this group are always going to need a great deal of support and attention in order to get them productive. Yes it will require a degree of stick and carrot, but lets not just call them lazy and feckless without looking a bit further into the background.
Sunday, 17 April 2011
Louise Casey's Legacy
Once again an item on the BBC Radio 4 programme 'Sunday' has pointed me in the direction of todays post. It seems that Westminster City Council are having another attempt at trying to implement former homelessness czar Louise Casey's answer to the problem of homelessness by criminalising it. The tory-run local authority is in the process of trying to enact byelaws that not only would make sleeping rough in an area around Westminster Cathedral illegal, but would also make it unlawful to supply food and drink to such people. A rather neat twist on the Elizabethan poor law treatment of the homeless in not just moving them over the town boundary, but also criminalising the people undertaking christian charity. It's not very 'Big Society' is it?
This is the sort of issue that really makes my blood boil, especially when you hear statements from council housing officers saying things like 'there is no need for anyone to sleep rough on the streets, there is plenty of provision.' From the comfort of that persons secure employment and housing position, what that person is really saying is that all these hundreds of homeless people really would prefer to sleep on a few cardboard boxes in doorways or under bridges. This is not just a disingenuous statement it is a downright lie as we all know the problem of homelessness is growing and there can sadly never be enough hostel or emergency accommodation for all those who need it. There will always be a need for some form of street provision of food and drink as part of outreach services and encouragement into shelter accommodation. What this is really about is shifting the problem somewhere else and attempting to drive it further underground and out of sight.
As all probation officers know full well, homelessness can happen to anyone who's circumstances suddenly change and it can be a frighteningly quick journey to the streets. So much more so in times of economic recession. If this new byelaw goes ahead it will trigger numerous similar applications for other parts of the capital and probably other British cities. Somewhat unusually this issue has wide political opposition with even the Daily Mail being critical. Lets hope we can sort this out soon and deal with this particular aspect of Miss Casey's legacy once and for all.
This is the sort of issue that really makes my blood boil, especially when you hear statements from council housing officers saying things like 'there is no need for anyone to sleep rough on the streets, there is plenty of provision.' From the comfort of that persons secure employment and housing position, what that person is really saying is that all these hundreds of homeless people really would prefer to sleep on a few cardboard boxes in doorways or under bridges. This is not just a disingenuous statement it is a downright lie as we all know the problem of homelessness is growing and there can sadly never be enough hostel or emergency accommodation for all those who need it. There will always be a need for some form of street provision of food and drink as part of outreach services and encouragement into shelter accommodation. What this is really about is shifting the problem somewhere else and attempting to drive it further underground and out of sight.
As all probation officers know full well, homelessness can happen to anyone who's circumstances suddenly change and it can be a frighteningly quick journey to the streets. So much more so in times of economic recession. If this new byelaw goes ahead it will trigger numerous similar applications for other parts of the capital and probably other British cities. Somewhat unusually this issue has wide political opposition with even the Daily Mail being critical. Lets hope we can sort this out soon and deal with this particular aspect of Miss Casey's legacy once and for all.
Friday, 15 April 2011
We Don't Do Welfare
It's an extraordinary situation. Ask the average person on the street what they think probation is all about and most would say something along the lines of 'don't they help people in trouble with the law?' Those with a bit more knowledge will be aware that past legislation required us to 'advise, assist and befriend' offenders and that all probation officers had to be qualified social workers. That all changed when Paul Boetang famously rebranded us as a 'law enforcement agency' and we were set on the present punitive path where 'resources follow risk'.
I have blogged many times on the tensions this has caused between old and new-style officers. However, what is becoming more evident is that many newer colleagues are beginning to rail against what they increasingly see as a failed approach towards offenders. It shouldn't be that surprising of course because basically our everyday clientelle have remained pretty much the same with the same range of problems and deficits. What has changed is our method of interacting with them in the new spirit of just trying to deal with the 'offending behaviour' bit of things.
Now eventually all bright new practitioners will realise this is just so much rubbish and that 'offending' cannot be looked at in isolation. Even NOMS realises this and identified some time ago what they term as the seven 'pathways' that need to be addressed in order to reduce re-offending. The following is copied from a prison education website, but exactly the same headings can be applied to clients in the community and none of it is rocket science, as they say.
Accommodation and support. A third of prisoners do not have settled accommodation prior to custody and it is estimated that stable accommodation can reduce the likelihood of re-offending by more than a fifth. It also provides the vital building blocks for a range of other support services and gaining employment.
Education, training and employment. Having a job can reduce the risk of re-offending by between a third and a half. There is a strong correlation between offending, poor literacy, language and numeracy skills and low achievement. Many offenders have a poor experience of education and no experience of stable employment.
Health. Offenders are disproportionately more likely to suffer from mental and physical health problems than the general population and also have high rates of alcohol misuse. Not surprisingly, 31% of adult prisoners were found to have emotional well being issues linked to their offending behaviour.
Drugs and alcohol. Around two thirds of prisoners use illegal drugs in the year before imprisonment and intoxication by alcohol is linked to 30% of sexual offences, 33% of burglaries, 50% of street crime and about half of all violent crimes.
Finance, benefits and debt. Ensuring that ex-offenders have sufficient lawfully obtained money to live on is vital to their rehabilitation. Around 48% of prisoners report a history of debt, which gets worse for about a third of them during custody and about 81% of offenders claim benefit on release.
Children and families. Maintaining strong relationships with families and children can play a major role in helping prisoners to make and sustain changes that help them to avoid re-offending. This is difficult because custody places added strains on family relationships.
Attitudes, thinking & behaviour. Prisoners are more likely to have negative social attitudes and poor self-control. Successfully addressing their attitudes, thinking and behaviour during custody may reduce re-offending by up to 14%.
Now I'm struggling to see which, if any of the above, is not in some way connected to a human beings welfare. Contrary to belief in some quarters, probation is very much involved in welfare.
I have blogged many times on the tensions this has caused between old and new-style officers. However, what is becoming more evident is that many newer colleagues are beginning to rail against what they increasingly see as a failed approach towards offenders. It shouldn't be that surprising of course because basically our everyday clientelle have remained pretty much the same with the same range of problems and deficits. What has changed is our method of interacting with them in the new spirit of just trying to deal with the 'offending behaviour' bit of things.
Now eventually all bright new practitioners will realise this is just so much rubbish and that 'offending' cannot be looked at in isolation. Even NOMS realises this and identified some time ago what they term as the seven 'pathways' that need to be addressed in order to reduce re-offending. The following is copied from a prison education website, but exactly the same headings can be applied to clients in the community and none of it is rocket science, as they say.
Accommodation and support. A third of prisoners do not have settled accommodation prior to custody and it is estimated that stable accommodation can reduce the likelihood of re-offending by more than a fifth. It also provides the vital building blocks for a range of other support services and gaining employment.
Education, training and employment. Having a job can reduce the risk of re-offending by between a third and a half. There is a strong correlation between offending, poor literacy, language and numeracy skills and low achievement. Many offenders have a poor experience of education and no experience of stable employment.
Health. Offenders are disproportionately more likely to suffer from mental and physical health problems than the general population and also have high rates of alcohol misuse. Not surprisingly, 31% of adult prisoners were found to have emotional well being issues linked to their offending behaviour.
Drugs and alcohol. Around two thirds of prisoners use illegal drugs in the year before imprisonment and intoxication by alcohol is linked to 30% of sexual offences, 33% of burglaries, 50% of street crime and about half of all violent crimes.
Finance, benefits and debt. Ensuring that ex-offenders have sufficient lawfully obtained money to live on is vital to their rehabilitation. Around 48% of prisoners report a history of debt, which gets worse for about a third of them during custody and about 81% of offenders claim benefit on release.
Children and families. Maintaining strong relationships with families and children can play a major role in helping prisoners to make and sustain changes that help them to avoid re-offending. This is difficult because custody places added strains on family relationships.
Attitudes, thinking & behaviour. Prisoners are more likely to have negative social attitudes and poor self-control. Successfully addressing their attitudes, thinking and behaviour during custody may reduce re-offending by up to 14%.
Now I'm struggling to see which, if any of the above, is not in some way connected to a human beings welfare. Contrary to belief in some quarters, probation is very much involved in welfare.
Thursday, 14 April 2011
The Leaving
As anyone in the public sector knows full well, the end of March, beginning of April can be a strange, even surreal period. For years colleagues in HM Inland Revenue have traditionally enjoyed a New Year party as the old tax year draws to a close and ushers in a bright new one. In other parts of the public sector, probation included, in stark contrast to the exhortations all year to save money, there is typically an urgent phone call or e-mail from Head Office asking if we need any desks or filing cabinets? In fact anything, as long as it can be spent now and avoid the tragedy of losing unspent money left in capital budgets. In days gone it meant speedy visits to Argos or Dixons for a new pool table for the day centre or video equipment for groupwork. Nowadays it's more likely to be for a new fridge to keep the packed lunch in.
But it's also a period when time-served colleagues decide it's time to pack it in or cave in to the thought that just maybe this might be the last year Early Retirement is on offer. I always find it sad when the inevitable notice comes round announcing the imminent departure of yet another colleague who seems to have been part of the fabric forever and whose wise counsel you know you are going to miss. Ever since I set out on this journey over 25 years ago, I have marvelled at the wit, wisdom and skill of many colleagues and in particular how they crafted the English language on a daily basis in order to convey ideas, passion and reason. It really is a skill that is sadly disappearing as anyone reading what passes for a PSR today will testify to.
Over the years it has been a bit of a probation tradition not to go quietly however, and one or two of us have hung on to particularly noteworthy 'final thoughts' as the author leaves the building. The following came into my possession several years ago via a colleague in another area, but is so good in my view that I feel it's worth disseminating a little further. As well-loved colleagues depart into well-earned retirement, I find myself dwelling on the sentiments so ably expressed and that are possibly even more valid today. Needless to say, I share them entirely. Should the person recognise their handiwork, I hope they forgive the impertinence, but my motive is one of simple admiration.
"For most of the.....................I have been employed by.......................,I have enjoyed the pleasure and the privilege of working with predominantly dedicated, robustly compassionate and often highly creative colleagues. There are many aspects of what used to be the best job in the world which I will miss. However, there are other aspects which I will be glad to leave behind as the role and the organisation become increasingly procedural, defensive and, above all, tedious.
I will not, for example, miss OASys, the cumbersome, time-consuming hindrance to coherent assessment as opposed to the aid which it purports to be. I will not miss case management, an initiative so ill-defined and fragmented that most would not even recognise those whose risks we are supposedly managing if we fell over them in the street. I will not miss accredited programmes and the evermore ludicrous pretence that they are universally, rather than occasionally, effective. I will not miss sterile, open-plan offices in which we rarely look up from our computer monitors to talk to each other and in which we often seem to prefer the virtual reality of data input to client contact. I will not miss the happy-clappy, hierarchical culture which pretends that all is well when clearly it is not and which sometimes patronises, sometimes vilifies, always disqualifies the ideas of all but those who have taken the corporate management shilling. I will not miss the madness and immorality of an organisation which promotes a disproportionate number of its staff to middle management positions only to supplement their already increased salaries with the proceeds of freelance 'flat-rate' PSR's, which mysteriously they have no time to prepare during the day-job but which, unsurprisingly, there are no longer sufficient main grade officers to complete. Least of all will I miss the bullying hypocrisy of certain managers who routinely label disagreement as resistance to change when their own idea of adventure and adaptability often amounts to no more than sitting at a different table for lunch in the head office canteen.
One facet of the Service which I will most definitely miss is the challenge of writing persuasive court reports within specific constraints and to tight deadlines. I will also miss the many gifted storytellers whose practice of this narrative art is about to be further undermined by the roll-out of a 'painting by numbers', short-form PSR. I will miss the collective spirit, generosity and gallows humour of a range of colleagues with whom, at various times over the years I have shared team meetings, awaydays, groupwork (including residentials), family therapy sessions, court welfare disputes, practice teaching and even, for a short time, Divisional Management Meetings. I will miss the many students, trainees and other fellow-learners in whose development I have had the good fortune to be involved, albeit that some of them will not necessarily miss me. I will miss, in particular, the unfailing kindness and quiet efficiency of clerical and administrative staff, whose insufficiently recognised contribution to the work of the Service is reflected in their scandalously low pay. Last, but by no means least, I will miss the clients who despite their many imperfections and sometimes horrific acts remain, lest we forget, the means by which we all pay our mortgages and put food on the table, as well as a reminder that "...there but for fortune go you and I."
But it's also a period when time-served colleagues decide it's time to pack it in or cave in to the thought that just maybe this might be the last year Early Retirement is on offer. I always find it sad when the inevitable notice comes round announcing the imminent departure of yet another colleague who seems to have been part of the fabric forever and whose wise counsel you know you are going to miss. Ever since I set out on this journey over 25 years ago, I have marvelled at the wit, wisdom and skill of many colleagues and in particular how they crafted the English language on a daily basis in order to convey ideas, passion and reason. It really is a skill that is sadly disappearing as anyone reading what passes for a PSR today will testify to.
Over the years it has been a bit of a probation tradition not to go quietly however, and one or two of us have hung on to particularly noteworthy 'final thoughts' as the author leaves the building. The following came into my possession several years ago via a colleague in another area, but is so good in my view that I feel it's worth disseminating a little further. As well-loved colleagues depart into well-earned retirement, I find myself dwelling on the sentiments so ably expressed and that are possibly even more valid today. Needless to say, I share them entirely. Should the person recognise their handiwork, I hope they forgive the impertinence, but my motive is one of simple admiration.
"For most of the.....................I have been employed by.......................,I have enjoyed the pleasure and the privilege of working with predominantly dedicated, robustly compassionate and often highly creative colleagues. There are many aspects of what used to be the best job in the world which I will miss. However, there are other aspects which I will be glad to leave behind as the role and the organisation become increasingly procedural, defensive and, above all, tedious.
I will not, for example, miss OASys, the cumbersome, time-consuming hindrance to coherent assessment as opposed to the aid which it purports to be. I will not miss case management, an initiative so ill-defined and fragmented that most would not even recognise those whose risks we are supposedly managing if we fell over them in the street. I will not miss accredited programmes and the evermore ludicrous pretence that they are universally, rather than occasionally, effective. I will not miss sterile, open-plan offices in which we rarely look up from our computer monitors to talk to each other and in which we often seem to prefer the virtual reality of data input to client contact. I will not miss the happy-clappy, hierarchical culture which pretends that all is well when clearly it is not and which sometimes patronises, sometimes vilifies, always disqualifies the ideas of all but those who have taken the corporate management shilling. I will not miss the madness and immorality of an organisation which promotes a disproportionate number of its staff to middle management positions only to supplement their already increased salaries with the proceeds of freelance 'flat-rate' PSR's, which mysteriously they have no time to prepare during the day-job but which, unsurprisingly, there are no longer sufficient main grade officers to complete. Least of all will I miss the bullying hypocrisy of certain managers who routinely label disagreement as resistance to change when their own idea of adventure and adaptability often amounts to no more than sitting at a different table for lunch in the head office canteen.
One facet of the Service which I will most definitely miss is the challenge of writing persuasive court reports within specific constraints and to tight deadlines. I will also miss the many gifted storytellers whose practice of this narrative art is about to be further undermined by the roll-out of a 'painting by numbers', short-form PSR. I will miss the collective spirit, generosity and gallows humour of a range of colleagues with whom, at various times over the years I have shared team meetings, awaydays, groupwork (including residentials), family therapy sessions, court welfare disputes, practice teaching and even, for a short time, Divisional Management Meetings. I will miss the many students, trainees and other fellow-learners in whose development I have had the good fortune to be involved, albeit that some of them will not necessarily miss me. I will miss, in particular, the unfailing kindness and quiet efficiency of clerical and administrative staff, whose insufficiently recognised contribution to the work of the Service is reflected in their scandalously low pay. Last, but by no means least, I will miss the clients who despite their many imperfections and sometimes horrific acts remain, lest we forget, the means by which we all pay our mortgages and put food on the table, as well as a reminder that "...there but for fortune go you and I."
Wednesday, 13 April 2011
NAPO's View
With all the recent discussion about how to deal with 'Billy', I thought it was interesting to see what NAPO had to say about the subject in their response to Ken Clarke's sentencing Green Paper. Basically there has been a huge increase in the numbers of young people being locked up since YOT's were established with a staggering two-thirds of the entire Youth Justice Board budget being used to purchase custodial places. The whole document can be found here.
The Probation Service does not have responsibility for supervising persons under the age of 18. These functions were transferred to the Youth Offender Teams more than a decade ago. Napo has expressed concern in the past that the number of young people entering the criminal justice system has risen sharply and that the Youth Justice Board uses a disproportionate amount of its funding to purchase young offender places from the prison service.
All available evidence suggests that early intervention is the best and most effective way of reducing the chances of a young person being involved in crime. The vast majority of persistent young offenders come from the most dysfunctional families and poorest housing areas in the UK
It is alarming that 22% of children aged between 12 and 14 received into custody are there because of a breach of a community intervention such as an ASBO. Barnardos has also estimated that a third of 12 to 14-year-olds in custody did not appear to meet the custody thresholds as defined in the powers of the Criminal Courts Act 2000. Nearly 5,000 a children a year, aged under 18, are remanded into custody. We are concerned that the Prison Reform Trust (PRT) has estimated that 85% of children in prison show early signs of a personality disorder. (Bromley Briefings, Prison Reform Trust 2010). Napo applauded the decision of the Scottish Parliament in February 2008 to end custodial remands for children aged under 16. It is crucial, therefore, that the successor to the Youth Justice Board spends the majority of its budget on prevention rather than incarceration (the latter currently attracts two-thirds of its spending). At the end of September 2010 there were 10,114 18 to 20-year-olds in Young Offender Institutions.
As stated elsewhere in this response, 60% of young people in custody have difficulty with speech, language and communication, which affects their ability to participate in programmes in custody. It is encouraging however that according to the PRT a third of sentenced young men say they gained a qualification whilst in prison. This should be encouraged and increased. By contrast, the PRT has also pointed out that Young Offender Institutions have the highest assault rates of any prisons in England Wales
A report published in 2009 by the London Young People in Focus Group suggested that young people who were not in education or employment were 20 times more likely to commit a crime. It adds that 53% of young aduIts aged between 17 and 24 were not in employment at the time of their arrest. It would seem therefore that the key to reducing the involvement of young people in the youth justice system is to invest in early intervention with their families, provide a decent education and ensure that they have the skills to allow them to gain paid employment.
It would seem therefore that the key to reducing the involvement of young people in the youth justice system is to invest in early intervention with their families, provide a decent education and ensure that they have the skills to allow them to gain paid employment.
Fortunately I do believe this happens to be government policy, so on this issue at least, NAPO seem to be singing off the same hymn sheet.
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Professional Dilemma 5
Unlike previous professional dilemma's this one does not relate to a specific incident but rather a series of observations I've made over the years. It's come about as a direct result of a conversation with two long standing friends and colleagues who have progressed to becoming managers. Over a drink and meal out, the conversation wandered onto the topic concerning the particular difficulties encountered by team managers in having to absorb all the crap from below, at the same time as getting it from above. As always, these conversations only ever serve to remind me how clever I have been in avoiding that particular elephant trap.
But then we got onto the serious bit about other colleagues we had known over the years and in particular the horror stories. I'm sure every field of endeavour has them. The people who are completely unsuited to the work; the lazy and bone idle; the dangerous and scary. I had sort of always assumed that management were aware of such people. After all, surely that was part of their job? It certainly never crossed my mind that it would have been in anyway appropriate to impart concerns or negative observations about colleagues to the manager. After all, we were all professionals and it felt so much like 'telling tales out of school'. Surely it said more about the messenger than the subject? I suppose my own insecurity meant that I would have been horrified to learn that I might be the subject one day?
As the conversation developed, my thoughts went back to the colleague that got a 'buzz' out of bullying young male clients. I could still see the look of glee on her face when she had succeeded in scaring them witless. The colleague who made clients lives hell and as a result they demanded to go to prison rather than ever see her again. The colleague who regularly refused to see clients who arrived 5 minutes late. The colleague who just couldn't be bothered. Sadly there had been quite a few 'wrong 'uns' over the years in my opinion.
Having shared these thoughts with my two manager friends I was genuinely surprised by their reaction. In perfect harmony they both intoned 'Oh you should have definitely told the manager'. Until then it had never ocurred to me to do such a thing. It would have seemed so disloyal. Although I was fairly clear the behaviour was unprofessional and didn't meet my standards of behaviour, it didn't seem to fit into any clear-cut disciplinary category of say inappropriate sexual relations with a client. This or similar I would have reported without hesitation. It was just very poor professional behaviour in my view, but surely the team manager can see it if I can?
I'm still not sure about this, even though I am acutely aware that some clients got a very raw deal indeed. Some went to prison who possibly shouldn't have done. Some have been turned off 'probation' for ever. But I would still find telling a manager a real professional dilemma.
But then we got onto the serious bit about other colleagues we had known over the years and in particular the horror stories. I'm sure every field of endeavour has them. The people who are completely unsuited to the work; the lazy and bone idle; the dangerous and scary. I had sort of always assumed that management were aware of such people. After all, surely that was part of their job? It certainly never crossed my mind that it would have been in anyway appropriate to impart concerns or negative observations about colleagues to the manager. After all, we were all professionals and it felt so much like 'telling tales out of school'. Surely it said more about the messenger than the subject? I suppose my own insecurity meant that I would have been horrified to learn that I might be the subject one day?
As the conversation developed, my thoughts went back to the colleague that got a 'buzz' out of bullying young male clients. I could still see the look of glee on her face when she had succeeded in scaring them witless. The colleague who made clients lives hell and as a result they demanded to go to prison rather than ever see her again. The colleague who regularly refused to see clients who arrived 5 minutes late. The colleague who just couldn't be bothered. Sadly there had been quite a few 'wrong 'uns' over the years in my opinion.
Having shared these thoughts with my two manager friends I was genuinely surprised by their reaction. In perfect harmony they both intoned 'Oh you should have definitely told the manager'. Until then it had never ocurred to me to do such a thing. It would have seemed so disloyal. Although I was fairly clear the behaviour was unprofessional and didn't meet my standards of behaviour, it didn't seem to fit into any clear-cut disciplinary category of say inappropriate sexual relations with a client. This or similar I would have reported without hesitation. It was just very poor professional behaviour in my view, but surely the team manager can see it if I can?
I'm still not sure about this, even though I am acutely aware that some clients got a very raw deal indeed. Some went to prison who possibly shouldn't have done. Some have been turned off 'probation' for ever. But I would still find telling a manager a real professional dilemma.
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