I worked at a school for "emotionally disturbed" boys 1976-1978. Most had been diverted from juvenile justice because someone hoped that they weren't really criminal and could be rescued with some sort of a behavior program. It was run by an Italian order of priests and brothers. We used corporal punishment, such as having to kneel in the hall at night. The bigger boys preyed on the smaller ones a lot, and a lot of staff physicality stemmed from breaking up fights or restraining one boy from another. But sometimes boys were struck. I remember doing it once myself, and if you told me I had done it other times I couldn't contradict you. I now wish I had done much better at holding my temper, especially verbally. I suppose it is good for an arrogant young man to learn that there are things he is just not good at. Yet not at the expense of others, which this was.
I got a call from one of the boys today, now sixty. I remembered a good deal about him, though he is one of the few whose memory for events is greater than mine. He updated me on who had done hard time for murder, who had been murdered in prison, who had died of overdoses. He is seeking civil damages because one of the staff, who I vaguely remembered, had sexually abused him. I know a couple of the boys had grown up to end up on sexual offender lists in various states, but didn't mention them.
I doubt we made anyone any worse.
I wonder if we did any good.
2 comments:
I can’t say one way or another.
As an observer of human behavior with no formal training, I’d say that the die is cast by about age 15 in boys, and it may be earlier. Grouping dysfunctional older/stronger boys together with younger boys may not produce optimal outcomes, as you observed with the bullying.
Redirection of negative behaviors into something positive is about all that can be worked towards.
The few disadvantaged youth I worked with in any capacity seemed disinclined to pursue anything better, and that's really what matters.
Don't feel bad about the violence. A very old post of mine thought that the reason that USMC boot camp worked -- often even with those sent there by draft, or in lieu of prison -- was that the Marine Drill Instructor manages to present himself to the young men as an exemplar that they want to be like. That is largely done by being bigger, stronger, and more capable of violence than they are themselves. That's one thing the toughest, worst youth knows how to respect, and it is the grounds on which you can sometimes persuade them to emulate you instead of whatever else they're trying to be like. It may be the only such grounds.
https://grimbeorn.blogspot.com/2004_06_01_archive.html#108619407558263312
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