PEOPLE find themselves in trouble with the law for all kinds of reasons. A flare of alcohol-fuelled temper. Displays of bravado, egged on by peers. An addiction that is so all consuming that it drives people to crime, stealing, shoplifting, mugging.
And sometimes, it’s anger, poverty, coming from a place in society where the offender feels forgotten, unvalued, that is behind much of the frustration and offending.
Society at large judges crime harshly but experienced members of the judiciary know that behind the actions are people with stories – people who could be helped and set back on a road to a stable, productive life, particularly if they are first time offenders.
That’s when people who find themselves standing on the wrong side of the law talk to Lauren Flynn Walsh, community probation officer for Limerick.
“I’ve always wanted a career where I can support people,” Lauren told the Limerick Post. “Probation work, I feel, is very intertwined with social work. You need to get to know where the person in front of you is coming from and where they are now.”
Lauren believes her work is about “holding out hope that people can change and working practically with people to help them do that”.
The holder of a Masters in Social Work, Lauren is one of a Limerick team of two community probation officers, a court team, a prison probation team, and a young person’s probation team (dealing with offenders under the age of 18).
People are referred to Lauren through the court system, either after a conviction or guilty plea, so that a judge can consider the appropriate sentence or whether the person is a suitable candidate for community supervision work instead of serving a sentence or paying a heavy fine.
They meet with Lauren in order to prepare a report for the judge, or ongoing meetings if they have been given a suspended sentence, a court review, or have been released back into the community on probation following a prison sentence.
The harm reduction method
“The judge wants a bigger picture of the person. Part of my job is to find out if they understand what they have done, do they take responsibility for it? And why did they do it?,” she explains.
“No one is forced to co-operate with the service. It’s not against their will. This is their chance in many ways.
“I explain that they will have to attend meetings every week or fortnight and that they will have to engage in offence-focused work. It needs to be real engagement, where they address the issues.”
Lauren says that “a lot of the clients I see will have some form of addiction or substance abuse problems. Some have anger issues.”
“We have great community services for people in addiction. It’s not realistic, or even safe, to demand that people come off all drugs immediately. Many of the people I see are using drugs almost since childhood. I believe in the harm reduction method.
“We try to find the best fit for the individual and to support them and motivate them, even bringing them to the other services that can help.”
There are people of all walks of life coming through the door to Lauren’s office – but she doesn’t regard her interactions with them as a failure if they end up re-offending.
“I see people who are charged with simple possession of drugs to people who are stealing and committing crime to feed their addictions,” she says.
“I see people who have never gotten into trouble before and repeat offenders. I wouldn’t say it’s not successful if people re-offend. It’s always complicated when you’re dealing with people”.
Be what you see
Lauren’s experience is that young people particularly will be what they see.
“If you’re with peers who are involved in anti-social behaviour, if someone’s entire circle is involved in some sort of crime, then crime becomes normalised,” she says.
“People who have no training or employment are at risk of becoming involved in criminal activity if that is what they see. The background story is very important.
“A person may have links with a feuding family. If you’re growing up as a child in that environment, it can be hard to go to school or to study. But it doesn’t mean that because some people have had a difficult upbringing that they have to turn to crime.”
Helping in a practical way is part of Lauren’s job. She notes that it “can be quite difficult to get employment if you have issues, like a criminal record or addiction. Some issues make it impossible for a person to work, even if they have a job.”
“There are other factors too. Childcare is very expensive unless you have a family network that can help with that. My job is to work around it – to help people find solutions. We try to meet people where they are.”
A first meeting with a probation officer can be “daunting”, Lauren agrees, but everyone in the service aims to give clients clear direction and explain the process.
“We tell them who will read the report, and offer them an opportunity to ask questions.
“We also do a health and safety risk assessment. There may be a co-accused they don’t want to meet coming to their appointments, for instance. We work with them in developing their skills in managing situations.
“We try to ascertain who is in their life? Is their family supportive? What was it like for them growing up? How do they usually spend their time?”
‘Crime doesn’t happen out of the blue’
Lauren says she also looks at the client’s history of education and employment.
“We ask are they in debt? We look at their addiction, if that is an issue and their physical and mental health, their criminal history – have they been to prison?
“We also look at the motivating factors behind an offence. We ask what do they think happened to the person affected by their offense? Are they minimising what they have done or are they taking responsibility? Crime doesn’t happen out of the blue”.
One of the things Lauren finds hard to do is admit that someone is just not co-operating with the service and is missing an obvious chance to avoid prison or to work on their issues and be helped.
“I don’t like having to tell the court that a person is not co-operating, but you’re not doing them any favours in the long run if you don’t,” she says.
“The client has to trust you but trust is earned and that takes time. It’s a balance.”
– Court Reporting Scheme