Bøker av Philip Priestley

'Gate fever' is the name of a non-medical syndrome said to infect men in prison as the date of their discharge draws near. Its symptoms are euphoria and anxiety, mixed with irrational thinking; and the unfailing cure of the condition is the cold douche of reality which awaits the victim outside the prison gate. The primary aim of this book, originally published in 1984, is to describe and promote social-skills-based methods for helping offenders cope better with the problems they face in the community: finding and keeping work and accommodation, managing money and leisure time, getting on with other people and, in some cases, controlling their drinking or violent behaviour. Based on an action-research project undertaken with nearly four hundred men in Ranby and Ashwell prisons and at the Sheffield day training centre, the book outlines the origins of the project, the design and development of course materials, and the training of prison officers and probation staff to administer them. It looks at the characteristics of the men who took part in the experiment and at their problems, and details the content and conduct of the courses in practice. The results of the work are also reported, often in the words of the men who made use of the methods. Overall offending rates were not reduced but violent offenders at Ranby were less likely to be re-convicted of violent offences after release.One of the outcomes of the project was a model for working with offenders which has spread to other prisons and probation areas. A final chapter discusses the difficulties of doing innovative work in penal establishments and makes suggestions for developing social skills work with prisoners and probationers.

Originally published in 1989, Jail Journeys was a contemporary history of the English prison system in the words of those who had endured it as prisoners or who had worked within it. More than 1000 extracts from more than 150 first-hand accounts of life 'inside' chronicle the empty routines of the prison day and tell of the loneliness, the despair, the squalor, the fights, the friendships, the sex, the humour. There are also eye-witness accounts of the Dartmoor Mutiny, of hangings and floggings, of escapes, and personal statements by the well-known - James Phelan, Wilfred Macartney, Albert Pierrepoint, Charles Kray, John McVicar, Jimmy Boyle, Alfie Hinds, Lord Alfred Douglas - and by many others less well known. These testimonies, by turn dramatic, literate and naïve, add up to an implicit sociology of the twentieth-century English prison, depicting a divided social structure with 'screws' on one side and 'cons' on the other.The book is aimed at anyone with an interest in social issues and twentieth-century history as well as students of law, history, sociology, criminology, and social administration, and at professionals working in all these fields.

The working of the 1969 Children and Young Persons Act was the subject of much debate in the 1970s. Discussion had been strong on opinion and short on facts; this book, originally published in 1977, supplied some much-needed evidence, based on the results of a research project funded by the Home Office Research Unit. It also discusses the origins of the Act and its consequences for children and their families. The authors describe the way in which two groups of children were dealt with by the police, social workers, probation officers and juvenile courts during the first three months of 1972. Their findings depict a system which decides what to do with 'children in trouble' mainly on the basis of their offence behaviour rather than on assessments of their personal needs - a 'judicial' rather than 'welfare' system of the kind envisaged in the legislation. As a result of these observations, the authors conclude that 'the idea of the juvenile court has been tried and found wanting, and that it suffers from the congenital defects which fresh applications of money or manpower will fail to cure.' They recommend the abolition of the juvenile court and the raising of the age of criminal responsibility, proposing a number of controversial alternatives based on principles of non-intervention.

This book is written to help any young person who wants to succeed in school and in life.Philip Priestley switched from neighbourhood policing to education in 2019. Mentoring and coaching countless young people in several schools over the last four years, he has identified 12 core fundamental issues that he commonly assists and supports students with. This book seeks to explain the core fundamentals that promote successful behaviours, boost self esteem and help young people to thrive confidently in education.Join Phil, Katie, and Jez on an enjoyable and easy to read journey that aims to bring out the best in everything you do!

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