A Wasted Future?
| Published date | 01 March 1982 |
| Date | 01 March 1982 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455058202900103 |
| Author | Lena Dominelli |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
A WASTED FUTURE?
Employment for Young Offenders
Lena Dominelli
University of Warwick
The author suggests that many of MSC’s job creation schemes
are less benign than they might appear. They offer probation
officers the choice of providing clients with dead-end jobs or
leaving them on the scrap-heap, she argues.
The provision of employment oppor-
offenders, their expectations were mis-
tunities for young offenders through
laid.
JCP jobs are very marginal
either special protected employment
economically, and limited in their scope,
projects or Manpower Services Commis-
the amount of responsibility and initia-
sion funded ones, makes probation
tive they require and the degree of job
officers participants in a contradictory
satisfaction they yield. Furthermore,
process. On one hand, it enables POs to
they provide neither long-term employ-
befriend their clients and meet their
ment prospects nor adequate training for
obligation of ensuring that clients lead
career development. In other words, JCP
industrious lives. On the other it rein-
jobs are appropriate for ther reserve
forces POs’ role as agents of social con-
army of labour. POs should remember
trol which in turn links officers and
this when they use JCP jobs to provide
clients to networks and relationships
clients with work on the assumption
denying clients’ right to self-determina-
that any job is better than being on the
tion and locking clients in their position
dole. Whilst this is true for some clients,
in the reserve army of labour.
many others reject JCP because they
High levels of unemployment have in-
consider its promises for a future,
creased
the vulnerability of young
illusory.
offenders in the job market. Dwindling
The architects of JCP did not intend
sources
of
public finance for the
it to provide the young unemployed with
creation of special employment projects
long-term career prospects. JCP was
further reduced young offenders’ chances
created with an explicit social control
for...
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