Battling the legacy of emotional and social deprivation

IN my house it is taken for granted that I will care for my children and protect them, that I will set boundaries and that I or my wife will enforce those boundaries.

I will not teach them that crime is normal or acceptable and I will teach them to respect authority. The kids will have a good education, a roof over their heads and decent food in the house. They will never witness domestic violence, and will never live in an atmosphere of fear or violence.

At court, I see people in trouble. For obvious reasons what is often reported is the headline of what they have done.

Newspapers are reporting the crime and, unless it is particularly heinous, don’t have the space or resources to tell the tale of the person behind it. I see the individual and, more often than not, they have never known those things I, we, take for granted.

I do not excuse people who commit crimes. They make their own choices, but reducing their horizons makes them poor.

Imagine as a child living in fear as to whether your dad would come home sober or come home drunk and attack your mum, or you. How well would you form relationships and how would you learn to manage conflict without violence?

Imagine living in a house where money goes on drugs first, and food second, where your parent tells you not only that it is right to steal, but actively takes you with them shoplifting or to commit burglaries.

Would you tell your dad “no, that is criminal” aged ten or would you end up going along?

If your dad acted as your pimp in your teenage years, would you be well adjusted or would you grow up with a chip on your shoulder?

If your parents just throw you out the house in the morning and don’t want you back until after dark, which crowd will you end up mixing with?

How would you fill your days? These are not made up examples; these are real people I have known in York.

That, to me, is poverty: sometimes it links to financial poverty, but it is this emotional, social deprivation that causes real poverty. It reduces the choices the person can make, makes it harder for them to choose the right path and be happy with their life.

Some amazing people come through these experiences without making poor choices.

That doesn’t mean that we should write off those without the strength to do that. Can you honestly say you know you are that strong? I’m not sure I can.

It is by giving people back choices, by ensuring that all in society are protected, safe and valued, that is what eradicates poverty.

There are agencies in York working to break the cycle, such as City of York Council with initiatives like the Youth Inclusion Support Panel, or the Youth Offending Team, as well as adult focused charities such as Arclight or Restore, which looks to provide secure accommodation to people who would otherwise be homeless. What is important in all of these approaches is that they look at the individual.

When we care for the individual and ignore their labels, they can then start to recover from what has been done to them, find a place in society, feel that they matter. It is about making individuals feel they belong in our community.

That is why I think charities like Besom, which bring together those with time, money or things to give, with those in need, are so vital. They provide a human face to what people are doing.

We need to continue to invest in rehabilitation. When you read in the newspaper of someone who is in court, spare a thought for the victim but also ask what would lead to someone acting like that.

Don’t just adopt a “throw away the key” mentality but think about how your society bred someone who felt that was the way to respond to a situation.

Finally, we need to look at prevention. Often, preventing crime means breaking a cycle and that means helping every member of society fulfil their true value.