Practice Profile: Michael's Story
| DOI | 10.1177/026455059103800307 |
| Date | 01 September 1991 |
| Published date | 01 September 1991 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
136
Practice
Profile:
Michael’s
Story
Sue
Browning,
a
trainee
probation
officer,
describes
her
experience
of
supervising a
probation
order
whilst
on
placement
in
Inner
London.
ichael,
now
aged
33,
spent
the
first
six
years
of
his
life
with
his
parents
and
brothers
in
Trinidad,
before
be-
ing
sent
to
live
with
his
maternal
grand-
~N
mother
and
older
sister
in
London.
He
did
not
see
his
mother
again
until,
after
various
pro-
mises
which
failed
to
materialise,
she
visited
London
when
he
was
thirteen,
before
moving
on
to
stay
in
the
United
States.
When
he
was
sixteen
his
grand-
mother
returned
to
live
in
Trinidad,
leaving
him
and
his
sister
to
cope
in-
dependently.
His
mother
returned
to
London
when
he
was
in
his
early
20s
and
soon
afterwards
became
ill
with
cancer
of
the
spine.
She
remains
here,
disabled
and
living
alone.
He
has
been
back
to
visit
his
relatives
in
Trinidad
once,
when
aged
25,
but
felt
awkward
and
out
of
touch.
He
has
a
daughter
aged
11
by
a
previous
relationship
and
another
daughter
aged
6
by
his
present
partner,
though
they
maintain
separate
homes.
Michael
lives
alone
in
a
local
authori-
ty
flat
in
Hackney.
On
his
first
convic-
tion,
for
defrauding
the
Department
of
Social
Security
of
£1300,
by
claiming
whilst
working,
the
social
enquiry
report
had
suggested
a
probation
order
because
of
his
difficulty
in
controlling
his
gambling
habit.
Gambling
offered
relief
from
tension
and
anxiety
but
also
created
severe
strain
in
his
relation-
ships,
both
with
his
sister
from
whom
he
had
borrowed
money
and
with
his
partner
who
felt
unable
to
commit
herself
fully
whilst
his
habit
persisted.
He
had
rent
arrears
and
other
debts.
The
court
followed
the
report’s
sugges-
tion
and
I
was
given
supervisory
responsibility.
Initial
Resistance
In
the
initial
period
of
the
order
Michael
was
guarded
and
reluctant
to
talk.
During
our
first
appointment
he
was
unwilling
to
consider
his
gambl-
ing
or
ways
of
tackling
his
difficulties,
or
to
acknowledge
there
was
much
cause
for
concern.
He
didn’t
keep
the
next
two
appointments,
phoning
with
explanations.
A
month
on,
the
change
was
marked.
He
was
willing
to
discuss
his
gambling
at
some
length
and
his
wish
for
change.
The
catalyst
had
been
his
partner’s
ultimatum
to
him
to
choose
between
her
and
his
habit.
Her
condi-
tions
were
that
he
should
meet
his
financial
commitments,
not
rely
on
her
money
when
his
wages
were
spent,
and
keep
his
promises
to
spend
money
on
his
children
rather
than
gamble
it
away.
Though
in
many
ways
a
loner,
he
had
been
shaken
by
the
risk
that
he
might
lose
his
family
role.
Early
Initiatives
Because
his
gambling
seemed
to
be
his
major
problem,
regularly
absorbing
all
his
pay,
I
began
by
encouraging
him
to
contact
the
local
Gamblers
Anonymous
group,
which
seemed
the
obvious
resource,
given
my
own
lack
of
knowledge
and
experience.
But
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