Review: Working with Violence: Policies and Practices in Risk Assessment and Management Judith Milner and Steve Myers Palgrave Macmillan, 2007, pp 224; £19.99, pbk ISBN-10: 1—40394—307—9; ISBN-13: 978—1—40394—307—1
| Date | 01 March 2008 |
| Published date | 01 March 2008 |
| DOI | 10.1177/02645505080550010603 |
| Author | Keith Davies |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Reviews 99
which also have an intrusive impact on their lives (p. xiii). Professor Smith is consist-
ently critical of the function carried out by the Youth Justice Board in all of this. He
questions its independence from the government and deals witheringly, and at
some length, with what he regards as its overstated claims (p.148). Smith then
goes on to discuss the role played by the implementation vehicle, Youth Offending
Teams. Rather intriguingly he begins this section with a sequence of sub-headings
starting with ‘YOTS: all at sea’ and then moves on to ‘Building YOTs’ and finally
‘Floating YOTS’. Professor Smith shows his class when he avoids the temptation
of finishing this section under the heading ‘Sinking YOTS’.
In the final and perhaps least satisfying section of the book, Professor Smith
attempts to deal with future prospects by developing a theoretical and practical
basis for sound alternative forms of youth justice. He offers us some pointers for
the future but in the end the message is simple. The most inspiring and optimistic
signal I took from the book was the reference back to achievements in the 1980s,
and the key role played then by a large band of practitioners and managers who
exploited the opportunities available to them with energy and commitment (p. 18).
‘Reinventing the wheel’ means returning back to the first principles employed by
colleagues such as these.
This book will not only appeal to old-fashioned social workers like myself, but
should also be of interest to the new breed of youth justice professionals, who are
looking for some clues to help them reach a more satisfying human approach
towards their work.
Ian Macfadyen
HM Inspectorate of Prisons
Working with Violence: Policies
and Practices in Risk
Assessment and Management
Judith Milner and Steve Myers
Palgrave Macmillan, 2007, pp 224; £19.99, pbk
ISBN-10: 1–40394–307–9;
ISBN-13: 978–1–40394–307–1
This thought-provoking and useful evaluation of current
approaches to working with violence...
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