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B. On Probation

A conversation between Mr. Groves, a probation officer, and Billy Squires, a sixteen-year-old boy who has been in trouble with the police.

Mr. Groves: Well, Billy, I’m surprised to see you again. Six months ago you promised us great improvements in your behaviour, so we were willing to give you a chance. When we found you that job as a shop assistant, we thought we were doing you a big favour. Now you’re in trouble again. What happened?

Billy: Oh, Mr. Groves, I could sing you a song about it. I know you found me that job with Mr. Hartford, but people like that never give a chance to types like me. First he promised me ₤60 a week as a starting wage, but at the end of the first week he only paid me ₤55, and when I protested he told me how lucky I was to have a job at all, and refused to give me the extra five pounds. Then the next week he accused me of stealing from the till and gave me the sack.

Mr. Groves: Did you try to find another job?

Billy: Of course. I went to the Labour Exchange, but they told me the usual story they tell to lads like me; you know, about how difficult it is to find jobs for “boys who have been in trouble”, as they call it. So I had to draw unemployment benefit. But can you show me anyone who can live on ₤40 a week? And then I was caught shoplifting, because I couldn’t afford to pay for something to eat. So here I am. I’m sorry, Mr. Groves, but it’s a vicious circle.

  • What help did the probation officer offer to Billy?

  • Why did Billy leave the job at the shop?

  • Why does he feel he was badly treated there?

  • For what reason did Billy have difficulty finding another job?

  • What consequences did his failure to find a job have for him?

  • What does Billy mean by a “vicious circle”?

  • Which of the two reasons given for juvenile delinquency in Text A do you think is more applicable to Billy?

  • What evidence can you give for your decision?

  • Is being unemployed an important enough reason to push somebody onto the path of crime?

5.3. Work in pairs:

A is a probation officer who is prescribed to some pupils at school.

B is the school headmaster.

Discuss the problem of juvenile delinquency at the school and decide what can be done to reduce its rate.

Here are some comments you might wish to use:

  • In my opinion, parents and teachers should treat youngsters more toughly.

  • If young criminals were threatened with heavier sentences, they would think twice before breaking the law.

  • Most young people know the difference between right and wrong without other people telling them all the time.

  • Give young people something worthwhile to do in their spare time and they won’t get into trouble with the police.

  • It is far more effective to re-educate young criminals than to punish them.

5.4. Work in groups of three. Each of you should read the text which presents the case history of escapism.

Case 1. Martin was orphaned as a child and brought up by foster parents who he never got on with. Having no foster brothers or sisters, he looked for company outside the family and at the age of sixteen fell in with a group who had started to take marijuana. As a result of peer-group pressure and curiosity (he was told it heightened your creativity and revealed a lot of things), he tried it. His expectations were not fulfilled but, desperately wanting the social contact, he progressed with the others to hashish and finally heroin. By the time he was eighteen, addiction had set in and the social contact had disappeared as each member of the group concentrated on where the next fix was coming from. By the time Martin went to the drug rehabilitation centre, his arms had been so badly cut up by the needle that he had started to inject his feet.

Case 2. Annabel had attended an exclusive boarding school where her personal freedom was nil. Soon after entering the outside world, she had a not-soexclusive boyfriend who, it turned out, was a dealer in soft drugs like hashish. After resisting briefly, Annabel gave in to their availability. Her next boyfriend was a cocaine dealer, who made her an addict and used her as a courier between Amsterdam and London until she was caught by the police.

Case 3. Thomas started taking marijuana to switch off while preparing for his exams. The habit increased when, having failed them, he was unable to find a job. Within a few months he had turned to heroin. In the end, a friend managed to find him employment and after several months of treatment at a rehabilitation centre he is now off narcotics, at least temporarily. However, doctors estimate that only 30 % of heroin addicts are cured of the habit permanently.

  • Make a list of the factors that led the person you’ve read about to take drugs. Retell the case to your partners.

  • Now discuss what is common in these cases and why they are called the case histories of escapism.

  • Team up with another student and consider the following:

a) Speak on the vital role of drug addiction in the growing crime rate of juvenile delinquency.

b) What would you say about disillusionment, loss of faith in the surrounding grown-up world as a possible reason for juvenile delinquency?