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In another article, I made an
outline case for crime education as values education but I admit that
it was short on practical suggestions. I’d like to correct that here
but remember, very little study has been done on crime education and
my suggestions to follow are preliminary. Researchers would find many
interesting questions to tackle in this field of crime education.
Crime education as values education
Socratic questioning involves
answering a question with a question – striving to allow learners to
come to their own conclusions. This is quite diffiuclt to do in a
crime education class because of the many and diverse responses likely
to arise. The educator is entitled to give his or her view but not as
an authority, merely as another view for debate and further
questioning.
So how would the discussion go in
a crime education class on credit card fraud, using a values
education approach. in a group of 15 – 20 youngsters (it could also be
with adults in a prison setting)? The bold text is the facilitator’s
questions. The text in square brackets is responses of the educands or
a note from me about the question.
Why do some people carry out
credit card fraud?
[This would raise issues such as, to get money to live and also for
the “kick” of just being able to do it].
In this day-and-age do people
really have to steal to get money to live?
[No, because most people have a job and if you don’t there’s the dole
and even if you can’t get the dole and you live on the street there
are charities that can help]
So if people are not committing credit card fraud to survive, why
are they doing it? [To buy nice things they can’t afford or maybe
even to buy drugs]
What do you think
about taking drugs? [Hopefully most responses will be along the
lines that it's stupid but the conversation here could get side tracked
into a drugs education discussion, so see the articles on drugs
education on this website].
So is it okay to take money from
someone’s credit card account?
[Responses could be a) no – it’s against the law and it hurts other
people or b) Yes – but only if they are rich because they wouldn’t
miss a few pounds].
How would taking money from
another person hurt them?
[Lots of responses hopefully – they can’t buy food for their children
or they can’t pay debts and get into trouble – may even have their
house taken away].
Do you think taking stuff from a
rich person would hurt them?
[Yes and no responses likely – so lots of extended discussion on
topics suh as people working hard and how do you know if someone is
rich].
Has anyone in this class had some
cash stolen from them – what does it feel like?
[This should generate empathy].
Should we report someone we know
is doing credit card crime?
[Responses could be a) yes
because it’s not right to take what belongs to another person or b)
no because I don’t want to get my friend in trouble c) no because the
person might come and beat me up or even kill me. Total honesty is
needed here – yes this could happen. It is these very diffiuclt
dilemmas that values education reveals].
If your friend is involved in
credit card crime should we try and convince them to stop?
[Responses could be a) yes because eventually they’ll get into trouble
and its not right or b) no because it’s the only fun they get.
If you don’t stop them and they
get caught, is it partly your fault?
[Yes – so are you really doing your friend a favour by allowing
him/her to continue?]
Someone mentioned that people do
credit card fraud because they feel they have achieved something –
they have succeeded in some way – is that right?
[Yes].
Aren’t there other ways or things
that people could do to feel successful?
[Hopefully people will list things such as getting an education,
getting a job, doing somehing worthwhile and an opportunity to build
something].
Do you think people really feel
good about stealing when they think about what they have done? Can
people really enjoy the stuff they have bought knowing that it came
from hurting others?
[Again, hopefully the response is no – but it will take time to
overcome the resistance to accepting this].
Do we agree that credit card
fraud is not good and we shouldn’t do it?
[Hopefully – yes and we won’t do
it].
Let’s get real
The
very rough example I’ve given of crime education in action,
will take place over many weeks. One question may take a whole 45
minutes to exhaust. It takes considerable facilitation skills and
patience (often weeks) to get a group of people, perhaps from a
disadvantaged background, to reach a point where their own innate
wisdom of right and wrong is uncovered. This is why crime education
cannot be something conducted across the curriculum or undertaken by
an untrained educator. Have a look at the book
Values and teacher education: volume one
available on the CAVE website to see some approaches
to teacher training in values education.
Dr Bill would be delighted to talk at
your next conference or event and give more details on how a values
education can improve the effectiveness of crime education. Contact him
on bill.robb@valueseducation.co.uk
Copyright © 2008 Values Education Ltd
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