I mentioned in the previous post that crime (like poverty) has an infinite quality to it and that it appears insolvable. There are, and have been in history, problems that appeared to be insolvable, but humans have managed to reduce them to the point of insignificance.
For example, many diseases which once struck fear into entire populations have been almost eradicated. And owning slaves, which, up to the 19th century in the Western World, was thought to be totally acceptable, even to people who were upright and honourable, and also deemed necessary for our economy, is now outlawed.
And, how is it that we can carry out amazing feats involving mind-boggling technology costing billions such as putting a man in space and we still cannot come up with a comprehensive plan to stop young teenagers getting into trouble?
It seems, as I said already, to be beyond us. Though the main thrust of the website will be to explore what works, from time to time – and to raise awareness – I will mention some of the reasons why it appears beyond us.
I will briefly describe three just to kick-start your thinking!
Firstly: Everyone is an ‘Expert’
The caller to the radio, the person on the street, journalists in print, radio, and TV, social media commentators, and people from all walks of life, offer their opinions freely (and usually with great authority) on what should be done about crime and criminality.
They are all experts!
And, indeed, because the word expert is rooted in the word experience, and because we have all been children, grown up in families, often had difficult challenges to overcome, in a way we are experts and have opinions to offer.
But I will argue that, almost always, our opinions are filtered through personal emotional experiences (e.g. of power, fear, anger, control, and thereby carry a multitude of assumptions, values and norms) that bias us in favour of particular courses of action to solve these and other problems that beset society.
And, actually, that’s the problem!
Continual reflection on and awareness of our prejudices and biases before we rush headlong into solution mode, and getting the balance right between closeness and distance (see ‘Secondly‘ below) is crucial to effective work in this field. We usually find reflection and self-awareness very challenging and that’s one of the reasons why the work is a lot more complex than most people realise. (I discuss complexity – and its implications for our work – in this Sub-Chapter). Added to this is the fact that paradox is part and parcel of humanity.
The effects of everyone being an expert might be:
1. The opinions of influential people such as funders and politicians who feel under pressure to do something are influenced by popular, sometimes knee-jerk opinion, and often what is undertaken is hastily done and only partially or shallowly thought through.
2. Continual reinforcement of the belief among the general public that the solutions to crime are simple and/or one-dimensional.
3. The belief that crime prevention work is largely done by naïve well-meaning people who are fooled up to the eyeballs by people involved in crime.
And, like I said above
4. There is nothing we can do about crime except contain it.
Secondly: The Practitioner is Part of the Process
I mentioned getting the balance right between closeness and distance above. Distancing oneself from the work is not possible (and is actually not desirable) when intensively supporting troubled and distressed children and very vulnerable adults. This is because we practitioners, for a variety of reasons:
1. Are part of the growth and development that is ongoing.
2. Will have, or will develop an emotional attachment to the work.
And
3. Are affected by the work sometimes at a very deep and profound level ourselves [1].
The above three points have always been true and I believe that lack of awareness of them can lead to organisations (often unconsciously) trying to minimise them by erecting psychological barriers to keep the work at a psychological distance [2].
It’s well known that we’re attracted to whatever work or occupation we choose because of some process ongoing in ourselves – this is probably as true for engineers, bankers, carpenters etc. as it is for helpers of people.
Now I invite you to compare the closeness-distance factor with trying to develop a vaccine for the coronavirus, or figuring out how to leave the Earth’s orbit, where workers, while obviously having an emotional attachment to the work, (perhaps even be quite passionate about it), will work in an objective manner, (in fact, would have to) and will quite readily distance themselves from the day-to-day work should they so wish.
But the difference is that they are not, generally, part of a process of human growth, and being so brings substantial challenges as will be clear as you read the website but in particular the Sub-Chapter entitled Complex Variables (mentioned above) which is in Section Three.
Thirdly: Mainstream Thinking
Mahatma Ghandi urged all those of us who feel that we have something to offer, or feel that we can bring some change to society, to recall the face of the poorest and the weakest person whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to them. Will they gain anything by it? Will it restore them to a control over their own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to freedom for the hungry and spiritually starving?
It is widely assumed that the same responses that work with mainstream families will work with families that are the subject of this website. Perhaps it is acknowledged that more intensity of effort is needed and/or a higher staff ratio (for example, smaller class sizes in schools that are located in disadvantaged areas, or more social workers per head of population) but, generally, the paradigm that prevails is much the same.
It is governed by the same ethos, follows the same workplace procedures, and perpetuates the educational, medical and social systems that have not worked that well in addressing the problems in times past, and that certainly have not seen the faces of the poorest and the weakest, (as Ghandi put it, referring to his native India in the 1930’s-40’s), or the most hurt or distressed (as this website might say).
Much of the website will be, in particular, focused on encouraging us to take seriously the restoring control over life and destiny part of Ghandi’s exhortation.
[1]. The phenomenon of being affected by the work is related to transference in counselling.
[2]. This may explain why agencies will often persist with pursuing courses of action that do not work. (See also the Sub-Chapter on Myth and Reality in the Chapter on Energy in Section Three).