Reviews : Making a Difference: A Positive and Practical Guide to Working with Black Offenders Tuklo Orenda Associates 1999; pp302; £10.80, pbk
| Author | Jennifer Butler |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455059904600419 |
| Date | 01 December 1999 |
| Published date | 01 December 1999 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
274
between
these
books
and
those
of
Elmore
Leonard
and
there
are
parallels,
most
notably
in
the
use
of
dialogue
to
drive
the
plot
and
develop
the
characters,
as
well
as
the
rejection
of
simplistic
notions
as
to
what
constitutes
’good’
and
’bad’.
However,
overall
I
regard
Cameron’s
work
as
unique.
His
characters
are
warm,
engaging,
and
shot
through
with
genuine
humanity,
while
the
situations
they
find
themselves
in,
although
obviously
exaggerated
to
fit
the
conventions
of
fiction,
are
grounded
in
the
realities
of
working
class
life.
While
much
of
the
thinking
which
informs
modem
’noir’
is
outdated,
especially
when
it
comes
to
the
portrayal
of
race
and
gender
relations
and
wide
societal
power
dynamics,
contact
with
clients
throughout
his
working
life
and
the
value
base
central
to
such
work
have
contributed
to
the
author’s
ability
to
transcend
the
limitations
of
the
genre
and
produce
genuinely
captivating
fiction.
If
you
haven’t
introduced
yourself
to
Nicky
Burkett
yet,
your
excuses
are
wearing
thin.
Mark
Hardy
Probation
Officer,
Inner
Londan
Making
a
Difference:
A
Positive
and
Practical
Guide
to
Working
with
Black
Offenders
Tuklo
Orenda
Associates
1999;
pp302;
£10.80,
pbk
There
are
a
number
of
contributors
to
this
handbook -
four
writers,
eight
members
of
the
editorial
board
and
various
other
co-
writers_
The
numbers
involved
remind
one
of
the
proverb
&dquo;too
many
cooks...&dquo;
etc.
It
contributes
to
what
I
believe
is
the
main
failing
in
this
otherwise
useful
and
timely
handbook,
a
lack
of
cohesion.
The
aim
of
the
book
is
to
integrate
anti-racist
practice
in
areas
with
small
black
communities.
It
is
targeted
primarily
at
white
workers,
but
there
is
a
chapter
that
is
devoted
to
black
workers
working
with
black
clients
who
may
not
share
the
same
ethnic
background.
After
all,
no one
is
immune
from
prejudice.
The
funding
for
this
handbook
came
from
the
South
Western
Probation
Services,
therefore the
writers
in
a
slightly
muddled
way
try
and
make
the
data
relevant
to
that
area,
boldly
telling
us
that
&dquo;Black
people
have been
in
the
South
West
since
1570...&dquo;
yet
do not
tell
us
where
this
information
came
from.
There
is
also
a
wealth
of
statistics
relating
to
black
people
in
the
area,
yet
none
seems
to
have
been
collated
by
the
Probation
Service
itself.
The
handbook
comprises
of
eight
sections
covering
values,
definitions,
anti-racism
in
the
criminal
justice
system,
anti-racism
in
probation,
the
clients’
voice,
a
county
specific
resource
section
and
skills.
(Its
ring
binder
format -
although
bulky -
means
that
the
various
sections
can
easily
be
photocopied
and
distributed
too.)
I
found
the
most
worthwhile
chapter
to
be
the
one
on
anti-
racist
practice
in
the
probation
setting.
This
focused
on
areas
that
I
find
are
usually
neglected
by
anti-racist
writings
in
the
Service;
like
the
sessional
supervisor
in
community
service,
or
hostel
workers.
Examples
are
given
of
how
unthinking
behaviour
by
individuals
or
lack
of
proactivity
by
teams
can
impinge
on
black
offenders.
However,
I
found
that
with
many
of
the
examples
there
seemed
to
be
too
much
of
an
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