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Values Education – Can It Help Reduce Youth Crime?
By Dr Bill Robb

 

 

Values education is thought by some educationists in the United Kingdom and abroad to be an effective way to help alleviate youth crime. One frequently hears claims from social and political commentators that 'giving youngsters values', 'regaining lost values', or 'returning to traditional/family values', will partly alleviate youth crime. Before schoolteachers are lumbered with values education and even more responsibility for youngsters' behaviour, we should find out if values education really can help.

 

 

In a recent study, I searched for a range of values education programmes in the UK and USA to find out whether they had contributed to prevention of some social problems. Here are some of the results relating only to the social problem of youth crime.

A full description of what a values education programme involves would entail another article. However, for me, a preliminary definition of values education is:

 

an activity which can take place in any organisation during which people are assisted by others, who may be older, in authority or more experienced, to make explicit those values underlying their own behaviour, to assess the effectiveness of these values and associated behaviour for their own and others' long term well-being and to reflect on and acquire other values and behaviour which they recognise as being more effective for long term well-being of self and others.

 

The various aspects of this definition require extensive discussion, but the purpose of this article is to examine values education approaches or programmes which incorporate this ethos and their effect on youth crime.

Offending behaviour
McGuire and Priestley in their book, Offending behaviour: skills and stratagems for going straight (1985), suggest a values education approach to reducing offending behaviour. They refer to making values explicit, eliciting values, changing values, values clarification, contesting values, character building and treating young offenders as adults. They talk of the value base of their work, mutual respect, a non-judgmental approach, not imposing an alternative moral system and giving offenders more responsibility.

McGuire and Priestley report on studies of eleven values education programmes that achieved substantial reductions in anti-social behaviour. Some of these showed medium term results: a three-year follow-up revealed fewer re-offenders amongst the experimental group. In another study, recidivism rates of the experimental group were less than half that of the control group - five years after the initial research. Other studies found reductions in misbehaviour, tardiness, and police/court contact rates, which were still significant after one year. Another study found significant reductions in delinquent behaviour up to eighteen months after the values education took place. However, the evidence is not clear-cut: some studies showed the effect of values education to be only short lived (six months).

Probation services
One aim of the UK probation service is to advise, assist and befriend. This principle and the three distinctive probation schemes described by Featherstone in his book "There is an alternative". The promotional work of the probation service and social services departments. A review and guide to better practice (1987), indicates a values education approach. The New Careers Project (NCP) run by Avon Probation service since 1982; the Erith Day centre established in 1986 by the South East London Probation Service; and the Wiltshire Community Service Scheme established in 1985 all require offenders to partake in group work and counselling to examine their offending behaviour. The values education approach is evident in offering opportunities for personal development, and enhancement of self-respect by service to the community through direct caring relationships between offender and an elderly, handicapped or otherwise disadvantaged person. However, I could not find studies evaluating the success or otherwise of these values education programmes.

Community policing
Community policing is an attempt at values education because it involves consulting community members and inviting them to contribute to policing their own community. The police become a part of the community and they watch on behalf of the community rather than watching the community. The discussion and debates, and mutual respect for dignity, implies making values explicit and making choices based on these values. The assumption is that involving people in becoming aware of the necessity for 'rules' means there is less likelihood of them being broken. I could not find studies showing that community policing, despite its other admirable effects, has reduced youth crime.

The Children's Hearing System in Scotland
The Children's Hearing System rather than the courts has most of the responsibility for children under sixteen who commit offences or who are in need of care. Children are encouraged to contribute fully to discussions about themselves and attempts are made to find ways to help them overcome their difficulties. If deemed necessary the child must meet with a social worker. This approach is values education because during these meetings questions of values and behaviour are bound to arise. The overall impression is one of respect and caring for the individual child. Fox, in his Kilbrandon Child Care Lecture in 1991 (Children's hearings and the international community) finds the Hearings based on respecting the children's worth and dignity as persons.

Although there have been many studies of the effects and operation of the Hearing system, I found none that support the general belief that the Hearings contribute to reducing criminal behaviour. I am aware of only one longitudinal study and this does not examine adequately whether youngsters were helped to avoid re-offending.

Some suggestions
The interrelationship of values and crime is complex. However, in an initial way, the following three suggestions may prove helpful.

  • More research is needed on the long-term preventative effects of values education. While there is some evidence that it can help young offenders (the curative effect)  we do not know if values education in schools prevents youngsters becoming involved in crime after they leave school.

  •  Even though evidence is sparse, educators in schools, community centres, youth organisations and churches, for example, should be assisted to undertake values education. Since absolute answers about being human will never be found, the need for further research is not an excuse for not doing values education. There are very sound theoretical reasons from psychology and philosophy why values education should work. In addition, there is evidence from the USA that values education can help with other social problems such as truancy, substance abuse, carrying of weapons, violence in schools, vandalism and racism, which might lead to crime.

  •  Values education requires teachers to be skilled facilitators (not instructors). This means that educators will need support and encouragement to implement it, especially under conditions of financial hardship and curriculum overload. It is important that committed educators and educationists throughout the UK begin to document and share, even more actively, their excellent work in values education.

The free e-Report on the CAVE website gives a detailed explanation of what values education is and how it is conducted. Dr Bill would be delighted to speak at your next event http://www.valueseducation.co.uk/speaker.html


Copyright © 2008 Values Education Ltd
Note to editors. Feel free to use this article as long as the following details are retained. “A values education article from CAVE http://www.valueseducation.co.uk

 

 
 

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© Copyright 2007 Values Education Ltd  Last Update 17 Feb 2009