Pure Fiction: An Infallible Guide To Meeting National Standards 2
| Date | 01 September 2000 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455050004700305 |
| Author | David Bale |
| Published date | 01 September 2000 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
REFLECTIONS
Pure Fiction: An
Infallible
Guide To Meeting
National Standards 2
In the second of three satirical episodes (Performing, Storming and
Re-norming), David Bale describes how all the other members of his
’super-team’ eventually came to terms with and then embraced the
Home Office’s enforcement decree.
Episode Two: Storming
became clear that a Y was deliberately
missing appointments or failing to
George spent fruitless hours on the phone
participate in the programme of work
to the Home Office. He was trying to
agreed with them at the outset of their
persuade them that we already had a
order, a single warning would be given,
perfectly serviceable breach policy which
along with a set of six further
we
called the XYZ
procedure, alluding as it
appointments. Breach proceedings would
did to a situation you reached only at the
follow immediately an appointment was
very end of the alphabet when all other
subsequently missed, though even then,
approaches had been exhausted. It involved
only if the case for breach was so watertight
classifying each case as an X, a Y or a Z.
a clever lawyer would find it virtually
Zs had zero problems, so it followed that
impossible to contest the matter. Yet such
they should never be placed on probation.
was the
Needless
power of motivation in Spoton that
to say, caseloads in Spoton never
few Ys required warning and of the few
contained any Zs! Ys were those offenders
who were warned, none failed to keep
who had
any
problems enough to warrant the
subsequent crucial appointment. For Xs
making of a probation order but not so
meanwhile, breach was only contemplated
many that they would be unable to keep
when contact had broken down completely
regular appointments. Xs were so problem-
or non-attendance was linked in some way
ridden that it was unlikely that they would
to an unacceptable level of risk to the
ever turn up on the right day, let alone at the
community. It was an article of faith for
appointed time!
...
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