Following on from the previous blog entry on compassion, it is always inspirational to hear from others who have already embraced and idea and journey a bit further on the road less travelled.

The Charter for Compassion is a cooperative effort to restore not only compassionate thinking but, more importantly, compassionate action to the centre of religious, moral and political life. The Charter seeks to change the conversation so that compassion becomes a key word in public and private discourse. It is designed not simply as a statement of principle; it is above all a summons to creative, practical and sustained action to meet the political, moral, religious, social and cultural problems of our time.

Charter for Compassion

The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.

It is also necessary, in both public and private life, to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others - even our enemies - is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.

We therefore call upon all men and women to:

- restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion;

- return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate;

- encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity;

- ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures;

- cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings, even those regarded as enemies.

We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarised world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensible to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.

Compassion | Respect

As 2011 drew to a close, the media looked back on the events of the last twelve months. A significant number of the notable events included elements of a lack of compassion expressed in one quarter or another, whether it be financial institutions towards society, governments or dictatorships towards the people; media towards individuals.

It could be argued that national institutions and governments, who by rights should be in touch with the people, have multiple layers that don’t allow for or facilitate them to hear the real vox pop.

But what is compassion? The Collins English Dictionary defines it as: a feeling of distress and pity for the suffering or misfortune of another, often including the desire to alleviate it. (latin: com – with; pati – to bear, suffer.)

So to really understand compassion, there requires to be the principled determination to put ourselves in the shoes of the other and, if you don’t walk a mile in another man’s shoes …

But surely, if we are to take decisions that influence other people, in whatever manner, be it wealth, health, well-being, or freedom, it is incumbent upon us to look at the facts from all sides; to understand where people are coming from. As individuals who work within the Criminal Justice System, it is almost certain that we already ‘walk that mile’ …. and often the extra mile. However, compassion is a quality the need for which is becoming more and more acute within society in general and it is our responsibility to demonstrate that to others. There is the expression, ‘As I do, others will follow.'

Recently, I was present when a colleague was asked what time was ‘calling him to do?’ His response, one which I resonate with, was to quote Mahatma Ghandi: "perhaps more than ever, time is calling us to be the change we wish to see!"

Compassion | Leadership

More than a decade ago, the then Industrial Society, now the Work Foundation, called for new approaches and 'liberated leadership' built on interconnected networks, mutual trust, values, integrity, shared beliefs and strong relationships. This was intended to foster real progress in personal and organisational achievement, by way of encouraging a greater focus on values based on human dignity rather than on the short term and the narrow values of consumerism. This vision has many parallels with the intent of the UK Criminal Justice System of the last few years.

In their Campaign for Leadership pamphlet, 'Leaders for Tomorrow's Society’, the Industrial Society suggested:

"British society as a whole and many groups, both large and small, within it, face rising alienation, cynicism and exclusion. Without a new, values-based approach to leadership, the risk of social disintegration is both real and urgent. The roots of the latent crisis lie in our failure as individuals, in organisations and communities; to realise our potential. This is sometimes because people don't recognise their own capabilities, sometimes because they are prevented from exploiting them. The result is a growing number of people who have lost their identity, purpose or framework for living. In addition, the response to global competitive pressures is a gradual decline into the realms of the unethical; in the absence of shared visions, society is increasingly focusing on the short term and the narrow values of consumerism instead of values based on human dignity."

How the world has changed since 1999?

As we move into the New Year, this might be a time to reflect on the above vision as well as what my contribution towards that might have been and might yet be. One manner in which we might do that is by considering my New Year resolutions.

For example, what might our resolutions be for the next twelve months: to give up smoking; to follow a particular diet; to spend more quality time with the kids; to give two weekends a year to a charity cause? We each have your own. But how many of those resolutions benefit just me, how many my close family and friends, and how many the community I live in or society in a wider context? How many of these resolutions are on the basis of shared vision, on values based on human dignity and how many on the narrow values of consumerism?

Have I changed since 1999? Do I represent that new leadership, spoken of?

Leadership | Values

Young people tend to receive a disproportionate amount of bad press. Unfortunately, this can create a negative mindset for many of us who are of the next generation or older. The story that follows demonstrates how not everyone holds negative attitudes and how, in fact, positive approaches can profoundly change someone’s life. It relates to one act of kindness that befell British writer Bernard Hare in 1982. Then a student living near London, he tells the story to inspire troubled young people to help deal with their disrupted lives.

“The police called at my student hovel early evening but I didn't answer as I thought they'd come to evict me: I hadn't paid my rent in months. But then I got to thinking: my mum hadn't been too good and what if it was something about her?

We had no phone and mobiles hadn't been invented yet, so I had to nip down the phone box. I rang home to Leeds to find my mother was in hospital and not expected to survive the night. "Get home, son," my dad said.

I got to the railway station to find a train going as far as Peterborough that night but I would miss the connecting Leeds train by twenty minutes. I bought a ticket home and got on anyway. I had a screwdriver in my pocket and my bunch of skeleton keys. I was so desperate to get home that I planned to nick a car in Peterborough, steal some money, something, anything! I just knew from my dad's tone of voice that my mother was going to die that night and I intended to get home, if it killed me.

"Tickets, please," I heard, as I stared blankly out of the window at the passing darkness. I fumbled for my ticket and gave it to the guard when he approached. He stamped it, but then just stood there looking at me. I'd been crying, had red eyes and must have looked a fright.

"You okay?" he asked. "Course I'm okay," I said. "Why wouldn't I be? And what's it got to do with you in any case?"

"You look awful," he said. "Is there anything I can do?"

"You could get lost and mind your own business," I said. "That'd be a big help." I wasn't in the mood for talking.

He was only a little bloke and he must have read the danger signals in my body language and tone of voice, but he sat down opposite me anyway and continued to engage me. "If there's a problem, I'm here to help. That's what I'm paid for."

I was a bubbling cauldron of emotion and he had placed himself in my line of fire. Other than physically 'sending him on his way,' the only other thing I could think of to get rid of him was to tell him my story. "Look, my mum's in hospital, dying, she won't survive the night, I'm going to miss the connection to Leeds at Peterborough, I'm not sure how I'm going to get home.I'm a bit upset, I don't really feel like talking, I'd be grateful if you'd leave me alone. Okay?"

Okay," he said, finally getting up," and wandered off down the carriage. I continued to look out of the window at the dark. Ten minutes later, he was back at the side of my table. Oh no, I thought, here we go again.

He touched my arm. "Listen, when we get to Peterborough, shoot straight over to Platform One. The Leeds train'll still be there. As soon as you get on, it goes. I've just radioed Peterborough and they're going to hold the train up for you."Everyone will be complaining about how late it is but let's not worry about that on this occasion. You'll get home and that's the main thing. Good luck and God bless."

" I was suddenly speechless. "I, erm…" "It's okay," he said. "Not a problem." He had a warm smile on his face and true compassion in his eyes. He was a good man for its own sake and required nothing in return.

"I wish I had some way to thank you," I said. "I appreciate what you've done."

"Not a problem," he said again. "If you feel the need to thank me, the next time you see someone in trouble, you help them out. That will pay me back amply. "Tell them to pay you back the same way and soon the world will be a better place."

I was at my mother's side when she died in the early hours of the morning.

My meeting with the Good Conductor changed me from a selfish, potentially violent hedonist into a decent human being but it took time. "I've paid him back a thousand times since then," I tell the young people I work with and I'll keep on doing so till the day I die, “You don't owe me nothing; nothing at all. And if you think you do, I'd give you the same advice the Good Conductor gave me: pass it down the line."

Attitude | Respect

The internet is such an amazing tool: if you don’t know what something is then ‘Google it!’ Information is at our finger-tips in seconds. This benefit of IT allows us to be educated about topics that we are all connected with – directly or indirectly, as well as to educate others.

I recently spent some time on a website that provides an insight into the considerations that are taken into account when an individual comes in front of the court. It even allows us, as members of the public, to ‘judge and sentence’ someone on the basis of information ‘heard in court’. Our judgement is then compared against the actual decision of the court, while talking us through the various guiding factors that pertain to this crime.

Crime and punishment do have clear, meticulous guidelines. However, we still hear in the press that, on occasions, ‘sentencing doesn’t fit the crime!’ or ‘the punishment is too lenient!’ On other occasions, we hear that so-and-so has received a longer than expected sentence to serve as an example to others, in order to persuade them that crime doesn’t pay. What a balancing act those that meet out the punishment have to play: to what degree is the punishment designed to encourage change in the offender and to what degree is it to send a signal to others to dissuade them from similar activity?

Let alone those within the judicial system, what about myself. To what extent am I level-headed or influenced, responsive or reactive, compassionate or emotional when I hear about crimes committed? Well the website I accesses provided some insight into that. So too will the following story.

A white-haired old Cherokee chief was sitting with his young granddaughter on a rocky outcrop looking out over the plain. He was deep in thought.

After a time he turned to her as said, “There is a fight is going on inside of me, a terrible fight between two wolves. One wolf represents fear, hatred, anger, resentment, arrogance, and selfishness. The other wolf stands for kindness, compassion, respect, integrity, generosity, and empathy.

He then fell silent again. After a short while the granddaughter turned to the old man and asked, “Grandpa, which wolf wins?”

He turned to her and, with a smile that expressed all his accumulated wisdom, simply said, “Whichever one you feed!”

Of course, it is experience accrued over time that allows for clear-thinking in any such situation.

Lord Woolf recently stated, "It has long been my belief that judges should know much more about what happens and the consequence of their sentencing. Of course you wonder what's happening. Having been involved in Strangeways, you then realise just how important our prison system is to the administration of justice and to the protection of the public. You can either use it in a constructive way, or in a destructive way.’

Justice | Attitudes

I recently came across a story with Oriental origins that offered some insight into what makes for an excellent leader of an organisation. Before you click to another page saying ‘this doesn’t apply to me, then read on!

The CEO of a large international organisation was looking for an able and wise person who would take over the running of the business after he had retired. He earmarked the best managers from his own company and hired recruitment consultants and head-hunters to find him additional ones who might fulfil the required criteria.

On a particular day, all the possible contenders were assembled in the vault of the bank with which the organisation did business. The CEO addressed the assembly stating that he wished to set them a task to identify which among them had the necessary skills, acumen and wherewithal to play the role of guiding the company in the future. Indicating the huge vault door behind him, he invited the assembled individuals to open it, unassisted.

Some of the managers just shook their heads and withdrew. Others examined the door more closely, cited theories of problem-solving learned in business school, discussed aspects of leverage and mass but ultimately admitted that it was an impossible task.

However, one manager approached the door and gave it a thorough examination. He tapped it while listening carefully, assessed its dimensions and noted the hinges and their lubrication before applying his weight to the door. The door didn’t move. Once again he examined the door, its frame and the space around the door. There, trapped between the door and the floor, was a tiny piece of grit which was just enough to prevent the precision-made door from opening. Once removed, the door, despite its huge size and mass opened effortlessly.

The CEO had his successor.

Addressing those in the vault, the CEO said, “Success in industry depends on certain key things which you have just seen demonstrated! Firstly, rely on your senses to fully understand the reality of what is going on around you. Second, do not make false assumptions. Third, be willing to make tough decisions. Fourth, have the courage to act with boldness and conviction. Fifth, put your powers into action. Finally, do not be afraid to make mistakes.

If these are the keys to success as a captain of industry, then it begs the question as to how many people working with offenders also have the capacity to become CEO’s of an international organisation?

Leadership

Following along the lines of the recent theme – our use of language - these funny quotes are allegedly real extracts from courtrooms. In each case the questions are from lawyers or barristers; the answers are from witnesses appearing in the witness box.

These anecdotes are amusing examples of language barriers and verbal confusions, and also examples of the communications misunderstandings which can occur between two people from different ‘worlds’, approaching a subject from different perspectives. The quotes are funny in themselves but also illustrate the importance of good communicating, listening and understanding skills.

The point is: when we want information, we must ask questions which convey meaning that is appropriate for the listener, not just the speaker. The quality of my communication reflects the quality of my relationships.

1. Probing Questions that Bring Clarity to a Case!

Q: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?

A: Yes.

Q: And in what ways does it affect your memory?

A: I forget.

Q: You forget! Can you give us an example of something that you've forgotten?

--------------------------------------------

Q: So the date of baby's conception was August 8th?

A: Yes.

Q: And what were you doing at that time?

-----------------------------------------

Q: How was your first marriage terminated?

A: By death.

Q: And by whose death was it terminated?

-------------------------------------------

Q: Can you describe the individual?

A: He was about medium height and had a beard.

Q: Was this a male, or a female?

----------------------------------------

Q: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?

2. So That Cleared That Up!

Q:  Did you kill the victim?

A:  No, I did not.

Q:  Do you know what the penalties are for perjury?

A:  Yes, I do. And they're a hell of a lot better than the penalty for murder.

-----------------------------------------

By the Court Clerk:  Please repeat after me, "I swear by Almighty God ..."

By the Witness:  I swear by Almighty God.

Clerk:  That the evidence that I give ...

Witness:  That's right.

Clerk:  Repeat it.

Witness:  Repeat it.

Clerk:  No! Repeat what I said.

Witness:  What you said when?

Clerk:  That the evidence that I give ...

Witness:  That the evidence that I give.

Clerk:  Shall be the truth and ...

Witness:  It will, and nothing but the truth!

Clerk:  Please. Just repeat after me, "Shall be the truth and ..."

Witness:  I'm not a scholar, you know.

Clerk:  We can appreciate that. Just repeat after me, "Shall be the truth and ..."

Witness:  Shall be the truth and.

Clerk:  Say, "Nothing ..."

Witness:  Okay. [Witness remains silent]

Clerk:  No! Don't say nothing. Say, "Nothing but the truth ..."

Witness:  Yes.

Clerk:  Can't you say, "Nothing but the truth ...?"

Witness:  Yes.

Clerk:  Well? ... Do so.

Witness:  You're confusing me.

Clerk:  Just say, "Nothing but the truth ..."

Witness:  Is that all?

Clerk:  Yes.

Witness:  Okay. I understand.

Clerk:  Then say it.

Witness:  What?

Clerk:  "Nothing but the truth ..."

Witness:  But I do! That's just it.

Clerk:  You must say, "Nothing but the truth ..."

Witness:  I will say nothing but the truth!

Clerk:  Please, just repeat these four words "Nothing," "But," "The" "Truth."

Witness:  What? You mean, like, now?

Clerk:  Yes! Now. Please. Just say those four words.

Witness:  "Nothing. But. The. Truth"

Clerk:  Thank you.

Witness:  I'm just not a scholar you know.

Language

Troy Davis was at the centre of an international controversy this week as he was the latest person to be executed in the US state of Texas. But why the controversy - or perhaps that should be, why more so than usual?

For the past 22 years, Troy Davis has been vigorously protesting his innocence, a protestation that continued right up to the point of execution. The US Supreme Court had rejected his final request for a stay of execution just half an hour earlier; to the family of the victim, who were in the viewing gallery to the execution chamber, he said, “I am not the one who took the life of your father, brother, son.”

The death penalty remains controversial and hopefully always will for the duration of its existance!

Davis was originally found guilty of shooting an off-duty policeman. However, since then, the case has been reexamined an number of times, most recently after witnesses withdrew their statements.

There was no physical evidence against Davis, and some witnesses now say they were coerced by police. Such withdrawals of testimony were a contributing factor in the generation of a petition calling for Davis to be spared, citing grave doubts over his guilt. More than a million people had signed the petition.

It would appear that in the US, to overturn the decision of the court, the ‘offender’ has to show innocence in the light of any new evidence by applying a rule whereby they have to ‘establish that no reasonable juror would have convicted them.' As such, this ruling is a 180° turnaround from the rule of law applied at the time of trial i.e. that of proving guilt, not innocence. Davis was unable to do this.

However, because of his inability to establish his innocence doesn’t mean he was proven guilty. That said, observers and commentators of the case suggest that, in all probability he was a guilt man.

Davis was strapped to a gurney, injected with a lethal cocktail of drugs and 15 minutes later pronounced dead. His execution took place because he probably was guilty! I’m sorry, when it’s the matter of a man’s life, probably isn’t good enough for me! Yet, often, ‘probably’ is the best that can be said about the guilt of those killed by the state.

Almost as a tailpiece to this story, at a recent political debate, the Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, when asked about his record of 234 executions that he had sanctioned during his term of office, said, “I’ve never struggled with that.”

Perhaps Gov. Perry hasn’t struggled with that but I would sincerely hope that he is in a significant minority with such views.

Justice

I recently read that Lemos & Crane is working with the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities, with support from The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, on a three-year project looking at harassment of people with learning disabilities.

A range of organisations have been invited to take part in the action research and to describe the nature and extent of harassment of people with learning disabilities that they are aware of. Their responses indicate disturbingly common expressions of harassment. These include:

• Verbal abuse and imitative behaviour intended to humiliate, with schoolchildren often being the perpetrators.

• Shopkeepers and staff losing patience and abusing people with learning disability who they perceive to be rude.

• People with learning disabilities being approached and ‘befriended’ for financial exploitation (stealing benefit money, for example).

All of this is, without doubt, profoundly disturbing to the person on the receiving end of such harassment. However, there are many individuals for whom it is not readily recognisable that they have a learning disability. Some time ago, I encountered such a person within a seminar that I was running.

After having outlined what was required for a particular group exercise, one lady approached me and told me that she was unsure what was required of her, explaining that she had a learning disability. Once again, I gently reiterated the instructions. She again affirmed to me that she had a learning disability and how she would struggle.

Patiently, I once more walked her slowly through what was being asked of the groups, asking her to indicate where she was unsure of what was required of her. Given the one-to-one attention, it was clear that she had, in fact, understood clearly what was being asked of her but her self respect had caused her to doubt it. She thanked me for the clarification, again drawing attention to the disability and then proceeded to engaged with the group satisfactorily.

Reflecting on the situation, it appeared to me, that this lady was conditioned to expect not to understand such instructions because she had ‘a learning disability!’ Yes, of course, there would be times when she would need special guidance and attention. That would be part of her needs at various times.

However, language is a powerful tool and, used in the wrong way, can be detrimental to the vision we hold of ourselves. This lady saw herself as someone who was dis-abled, un-able, who had a dis-ability and it was negatively influencing her sense of self-respect. Imagine if we were to change the language so that she was described as ‘someone who has specific or special learning requirements.’ It carries a very different feel to that of being referred to as one with ‘a learning disability.’ Put yourself in her shoes for a minute…….

More than 1.5 million people in the UK have a learning disability. Should we start a campaign to change the descriptor towards a more positive vocabulary and maybe contribute, to whatever extent, in positively effecting self esteem?

Language | Respect

Following the disturbances seen across the country last month, there was much talk about the severity of sentencing and the level of the use of prison both for remand purposes as well as for punishment. While these issues need to be addressed, it’s also important not to loose sight of the soft skills that are required when developing a working relationship with offenders, whether as a prison or a probation officer or in any other capacity.

Heather Munro, the new head of the London Probation Service recently highlighted this when she expressed a ‘new’ approach to managing offenders: respect. Over a lifetime of probation work, she has come to believe that listening to offenders when they express needs and treating them with the same respect businesses show their customers can help to change behaviour and reduce reoffending.

“If we want to cut crime, then vengeance and punishment, disguised as public protection, can no longer remain the cornerstone of the criminal justice system. We should stop reinforcing the loveless and disrespectful world offenders know so well and instead subject them to the tough love that has been denied them at home. We need individual, person-centred programmes to help them change because change is possible in anyone who has the capacity to be honest.”

When respect is at the heart of the relationship, this can be the catalyst to motivate an individual to enter into an alliance with the officer and participate in a process, even if not convinced or its effectiveness. Often, the client will be starting supervision in a state of personal crisis using phrases such as being ‘at absolute rock-bottom,’ ‘I was so depressed,’ ‘I didn’t think I would pull through.’ Problems relating to drugs, alcohol, depression, mental health and relationships would feature heavily in their lives. From this starting point, the offender would have low expectations of the process benefitting them. This entry-point highlights the importance for the officer to develop and sustain a respectful attitude and vision towards the client. (See blog entry: Emotional Proximity, 29/7/11)

When this occurs, the client group will describe the most important qualities in their officers as ‘listening, understanding, approachability, and empathy. Trust is also a dominant quality, inspiring confidence, honesty and truthfulness. When such a relationship develops between the two parties, this underpins each stage in the course of offender supervision: a full assessment, delivering meaningful messages, persuasion of active engagement in methodology, supporting the offender through lapse or relapse (which frequently resembles an act of friendship), and final disengagement from supervision.

However, change doesn’t occur in a vacuum: it is a complex interaction between the offender, the officer, and the range of interventions deployed. At the heart of the relationship lies the trust that offenders speak of which allows them to engage with the work required of them. Offenders will describe such a relationship as one of friendship and trust: ‘someone I could talk to,’ ‘a safe geezer,’ ‘she treated me like an equal.’

If evidence-based practice is to continue to be the key to effective supervision, more and more we need to hear about the successes that are out there. We need to hear about these anecdotes within the Criminal Justice Service, within the community, within the local media, and within the national media. These stories must not be overlooked when devising new structures for service delivery.

An old Romany saying is that, ‘Stories have wings. They fly from mountain-top to mountain-top.’ It’s you and I that give them flight.

Respect | Relationship