Since it's it's a holiday, I thought it only fitting to bring on the "loose-television" (something my college roommates always accused me of watching). Today it's the documentary channel and a fascinating little movie called "Juvenile Liaisons". It appears to have been shot sometime around 1975 in the UK. Apparently, having police personnel devoted to small juvenile crimes was new or having a success or something... anyways, it's fascinating. The kids are pretty young, seven and up; mostly the children have been caught truant or 'pilfering'.
First, there is a police woman who doesn't taken any crap off of these kids. One 13 year old is being vigorously interrogated because she's been using bad language (telling her mother for F*&%-off). The police woman looks her straight in the eye and tells her only sluts use that kind of language and then asks if she's a slut - and not in a nice manner. She goes on to tell the girl that if she was her daughter she'd "box her ears!" The girl then runs up the stairs to her bedroom and she follows hot on the girl's heels trying to get the girl to admit she's been wrong. The girl does finally admit to changing her ways. I wish there had been a follow up.
Although the kids behavior is classic pre-teen "I dunno" shrugging, the parent and police behavior was shockingly blunt. They don't bother with listening to background stories or what the underlying cause is, they just go on with you're guilty and if you continue on you'll be in jail; I'm watching your every ruddy move". I wonder how successful this programme was? Obviously, things have changed quite a bit - it's been awhile since 7 year olds were dragged down to the jail for bullying classmates - but, what was the need for the change? Did the results make people want to make a change? Did the resulting paradigm shift of looking for an underlying psychological cause have a positive effect on juvenile crime?
And for that matter, how has this paradigm shift changed the way we educate students? Or motivate them to learn? Or attend school? Are we in the midst of another more stratified shift? Is this shift really working? Are students becoming more educated? These are questions we deal with on a serious level. I don't know what answers are any more.
First, there is a police woman who doesn't taken any crap off of these kids. One 13 year old is being vigorously interrogated because she's been using bad language (telling her mother for F*&%-off). The police woman looks her straight in the eye and tells her only sluts use that kind of language and then asks if she's a slut - and not in a nice manner. She goes on to tell the girl that if she was her daughter she'd "box her ears!" The girl then runs up the stairs to her bedroom and she follows hot on the girl's heels trying to get the girl to admit she's been wrong. The girl does finally admit to changing her ways. I wish there had been a follow up.
Although the kids behavior is classic pre-teen "I dunno" shrugging, the parent and police behavior was shockingly blunt. They don't bother with listening to background stories or what the underlying cause is, they just go on with you're guilty and if you continue on you'll be in jail; I'm watching your every ruddy move". I wonder how successful this programme was? Obviously, things have changed quite a bit - it's been awhile since 7 year olds were dragged down to the jail for bullying classmates - but, what was the need for the change? Did the results make people want to make a change? Did the resulting paradigm shift of looking for an underlying psychological cause have a positive effect on juvenile crime?
And for that matter, how has this paradigm shift changed the way we educate students? Or motivate them to learn? Or attend school? Are we in the midst of another more stratified shift? Is this shift really working? Are students becoming more educated? These are questions we deal with on a serious level. I don't know what answers are any more.
Comments