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Post by larsti on May 23, 2016 7:39:12 GMT
Just heard on radio (yet again) that people who have been in care are over represented in the prison system. I think they said 50% of prisoners have been in care.
Wondering if anyone knows if there are figures for adoptees in prison?
Now that I think of it, most adoptees will have been in the care system so perhaps they are included in those figures.
Just thinking how much of what is reported about those in care also applies to our children and young people but not usually mentioned. I know that is changing slowly, with school admissions and pupil premium. But it seems that there has been a conspiracy of silence about the fact that adopted children have many of same problems of those in care.
Reminds me of Jellies PLACNA campaign (Previously LAC Now Adopted?)
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Post by serrakunda on May 23, 2016 11:43:52 GMT
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Post by nancydanfan on May 23, 2016 12:24:29 GMT
I don't know the figures but my gut feeling is that in time my adopted daughter will end up in prison.
If the establishment published figures that showed children who have been in care are more likely to end up in prison they could alienate their pool of cheap childcare, ie adopters.
As parents we want a good future for our children so we easily buy into the fairy tale they tell us that enough stability, love and security will mean our children can overcome a difficult start.
I'm an adoptee who has never been in trouble with the law, so maybe earlier adoptions without substance abuse being involved reduce the likelihood of criminal behaviour?
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Post by larsti on May 23, 2016 19:48:09 GMT
Yes that is right Serrakunda. I bought The Times today and it was in there.
I had a similar thought Nancy. If 'they' make it clear that adoptees may end up in the criminal justice system (or rather statistically more likely than children who have never been in care) then it would put a spanner in the works.
In the newspaper it said that care home staff were getting the police involved in trivial incidents and therefore the childen in their care were ending up with criminal records. Care homes and foster carers should be like families who don't call the police at the drop of a hat. Mmmmm!
I will have a read of that report. Thanks Serrakunda.
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Post by corkwing on May 24, 2016 8:47:23 GMT
Whether care homes and foster carers should call the police... I think it's a difficult one. I wonder whether we should have pressed for Mackerel to be prosecuted when he was trying to "get" Sprat, for example. Or maybe our friends should have when he was threatening to smash their windows because they wouldn't let him in. Not for "revenge" but to get it across to him that his actions are BIG and SERIOUS and TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. My fear is that, in letting these incidents go, we have given the message that it's OK to do it - or, at least, that there are no consequences. The result could well be that, when he's older, suddenly he WILL get the consequences and, because he's that much older and bigger, the consequences will be bigger. And potentially the damage to other people may also be more serious.
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Post by nancydanfan on May 24, 2016 10:27:21 GMT
I agree with you corking. I think if our daughters stealing had been treated more seriously by police ( I would have liked her to face a few hours in cell, but not get a criminal record at that stage) it may have shaken her up enough to think " flipping heck, I don't ever want to spend a day/week/ month/ year in a place like this".
Being let off with a brief chat and a ride in the police car would have just been an interesting outing to her and would have re enforced her view that she really could do what she wanted regardless of consequences. Because she can present as mature and say the right thing my fear is she may go along time before getting any mental health diagnosis. She's likely to get into crime and the criminal justice system will treat her as an adult despite her thought processes being highly immature and flawed. Sooner or later her victim mentality will cease to work for her and she'll have a huge shock when the consequences hit her.
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Post by milly on May 24, 2016 18:06:52 GMT
I think there is something in the idea foster carers might call the police more readily than other families - of course it could well be due to the fact foster kids are more likely to have serious issues with their behaviour, but also some foster families (I'm sure not all) could well regard those behaviours as things they don't have to put up with as the child can be moved on, whereas birth families or adoptive families would see it more as a problem they needed to solve and the child as one they needed to stand by.
I'm not sure treating behaviours more seriously is the answer though. My dd has never done anything really awful but school object to some of her behaviours and have inflicted punishments she loathes - they haven't stopped the behaviours generally, as she acts in the moment, under stress. She needs a different approach - positivity works much better with her. Also having draconian punishments becomes normal once you get used to them. Add to that the fact prison can seem like a safe ordered place for many - they could end up being happier there than on the 'outside'.
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