I think our fixation on “self esteem” has affected the way probation officers approach the problem of crime and has even contributed to our lack of success.
The primary job of sworn peace officers, including probation, is to keep the community safe. Period. Assisting offenders is secondary to that mission. However, because we believe in treatment, we tend to think our primary objective is to transform and renew the nature of those on our caseloads. We assume that we must make offenders see themselves and their world differently before they can alter their antisocial conduct.
The truth is, in order to change how we feel, we must first change what we do, and the same applies to felons. Waiting until they “feel” different before we expect them to act differently usually doesn’t work. It’s too much like postponing a religious conversion until we feel worthy—it never comes about because it’s too difficult to accept grace when you feel so bad about yourself.
I know I sound un-generous, but our job, as officers who are enforcing the Court’s orders, is to make offenders behave, not to change their self-image. It doesn’t matter whether someone “feels” like robbing a bank or not, as long as he doesn’t do it. I’m sure there are lots of times my husband “feels” like taping my mouth shut, but he doesn’t do it. Restraint is, after all, one of the things that enables us to operate in a civilized world.
It’s interesting that, generally, the more successful probation officers apply consistent and appropriate sanctions to the behavior of the offenders on their caseloads. They leave psychological treatment to those who are qualified, and concentrate on enforcing the orders of the Court, regardless of whether those on their caseloads personally subscribe to a law-abiding lifestyle, or not.
When they believe their probation officers are willing and able to return them to jail, offenders do, sometimes, actually change their destructive habits. Then, lo and behold, with a forced change in lifestyle, they sometimes begin to feel better about themselves. At that point their thinking can actually change, and they may even develop some true self-esteem.
