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VIOLENCE REDUCTION PROGAMME
Written on the 27th January 2007
What is the Violence Reduction Programme?
The Violence Reduction Programme (VRP) is a
treatment programme designed to help programme
participants reduce their risk of behaving in
violent ways.
Violence means different things to different
people. In the VRP, "violence" is any behaviour
that is intended to cause significant physical
or psychological harm to others or to oneself.
Hitting, punching, kicking etc. are clearly
violent (physical) behaviours. In the VRP,
yelling at someone or using threatening and
intimidating words are also considered to be
violent (verbal) behaviour.
The purpose of the VRP is to help you decrease
the frequency and intensity of your violent
behaviours. During the programme, you will team
various skills you can use in your everyday
living to replace the violent behaviours you may
have used in the past.
The programme is divided into three different
sections, or phases:
- Phase 1: "Looking in the mirror"
- Phase 2: "Breaking the Cycle"
- Phase 3: "Relapse Prevention Planning"
In phase 1, you will be introduced to the
programme, take, part in assessments, and
learn about what it is meant by treatment and
making- changes. This phase:.e is called.::.
"Looking in the mirror'' because you need to
take a good look at yourself and decide what
needs changing, and then make the commitment to
change. Dependent on an individual's level of
motivation, risk and needs, the Exceptional Risk
Unit at FM Wakefield could provide assessment
and preparatory work that could enable
individuals to participate in the various phases
of the VRP in the future.
In phase 2, you will leant about behaviour and
offence cycles. Individuals tend to form habits
over time. Negative and destructive patterns or
habits of behaviour that caused you to commit
crimes are offence cycles. In the VRP you will
learn skills that will break the cycles of
behaviours that have been causing you problems.
In phase 3, you will. learn about relapse
prevention planning. Relapse prevention means
making detailed plans and using the skills you
have learnt in the VRP to prevent yourself from
sliding back into the same old destructive way
of living.
Why should I be in this programme?
You might be in the VRP treatment programme for
one or many reasons:
- You may want to do something good for yourself
and make some positive changes in your life.
- Someone may have suggested that this programme
can help you deal with your violent behaviour.
- You may want to get out and stay out of this
establishment.
- You are sick of your old lifestyle.
- You may want to demonstrate you can reduce your
future risk.
All these are good reasons for you to be in
this treatment programme. What is important is
that this programme will give you the chance to
learn something new so that you can do something
different from what you have done in the past.
Making changes and doing things differently are
not always easy. The VRP will help you more if
you want to change and are committed to doing
something for yourself. The staff are willing to
help you make these changes, but in the end,
only you can decide whether or not you are ready
to make the changes.
What does change mean?
It is important to know what making changes
means and what to expect when you go through this
change process.
Change may mean changing your thinking, way you
feel, or your behaviour, or all of above. Most
changes do not happen overnight, or in one big
leap. Change is a lot easier if you take small
but regular or consistent steps and find ways of
preventing yourself from sliding back to old
ways.
The VRP enables individuals to understand the
various stages people tend to go through in
achieving long-term change. Knowing what stage
you are at can give you a better understanding
of what is ahead of you.
Another very important thing to understand about
stages of change is that people quite often
slide back from one stage to an earlier one,
especially when faced with a particularity
difficult problem or situation. In the process
of moving forward, sliding back from time to
time is not unusual. What is important is to
find ways to cope with this; the VRP introduces
skills and techniques to assist you with this
process.
What does the VRP involve?
Treatment involves a number of different
activities. In different ways, all of them can
be useful to help you learn what changes you
need to make and to learn the skills youu need
to make these changes. Some of the activities
involved are:
- One to one sessions with staff
- Group sessions
- Feedback in group
- Written work
- Role playing
- Setting goals
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This is what they expect me to do. In fact, it’s been said
that if I don’t do it I will never progress, so basically
it’s blackmail. Do it or die inside!
Well, guess what? I’m NOT doing it!
I’ll explain why:
For three decades I’ve fought hard to keep my self-respect
and dignity; I’m an old fashioned sort of guy. I actually
believe in “punishment”. There has to be discipline and I’m
the first to accept whatever comes at me. If I’m wrong then
I’m wrong.
But I can’t or won’t work with the prison psychologists,
simply as I have no time for all this bollox. There were no
psychologists in prison thirty years ago and this nonsense
don’t go with me. It’s for weak people. People who want to
blame others for their way of life. “Daddy never bought me
any sweets when I was little,” “Mummy never loved me.” Pass
the tissues!
Well, I blame no-one for my life or my mistakes. I chose to
become a criminal. I was a robber. I’m not proud of it nor
am I ashamed. I did what I did and I’ve paid my debt to
society. I’ve now come to the conclusion myself that it’s a
bad way of life and I wouldn’t want to go back to crime.
The violence? Well, I went five years with NO violence
without some stupid psychologist in my face. Let me say
this: Scum like Brady and Huntley etc. well, I don’t know of
anybody on the outside who wouldn’t want to give them a
slap. Do you? The average guy or woman in the street would
love to give them nonces a slap. My walk of life despise
them. So what am I supposed to do? Play ping-pong with them?
“Hi lads, fancy a game of chess?” Let’s wake up and smell
the shit … it don’t happen in my world and it never will. I
don’t like paedophiles or granny muggers. I don’t like
monsters, not ever will. If they stay clear of me I stay
clear of them, but I’m not playing these silly psychological
games. If they said to me today “Do this course and play
ping-pong with Huntley and you can go home next month” my
answer would still be “No!” ‘cos no fucker blackmails me or
controls my mind.
I’ve worked at myself for a long time. It’s not my choice to
be in isolation but I’ve made it work for me. I’m no longer
what I was … nor do I wish to be. The only problem in my
life is the System denying me any kind of progress.
I’m anti-drugs, anti-crime, anti-violence and ready for
progress. Look at my record for the past 6½ years. It speaks
for itself! How am I a violent man? It’s pathetic and
untrue.
Why did the prison psychologist go and help those 20 Mufti
screws at Full Sutton for jumping on my head THREE TIMES in
six weeks last year? What about them? Don’t they need
treatment Don’t they need to attend a Violence Reduction
Programme? They instigated that. Are they allowed to do that
and not answer for it? All I did was defend myself. When 20
riot mob come running at you what are you supposed to do? I
respond the only way I can: I attack.
Anyway, I’m not doing this course. I’m not playing their
games. I’m a 54 year old man. I enjoy creating my art, my
poetry, my writing. I’m a very creative man. I learn from
myself. I educate myself from books. I’m not into crying or
making excuses for my life. A man can only say sorry so many
times for his wrongs and I am genuinely sorry for all my
victims. I was wrong to do what I did, but I was a criminal,
a robber, a very dangerous man. My behaviour in prison and
asylums I really make no excuses for. It was unacceptable. I
know that. But I must admit that I did enjoy ripping those
roofs off and battling their silly system (and I’ve cost
them millions of pounds); for that I’m not sorry.
Hey, are they sorry for all their evil doings on me? The
1970s liquid cosh … holding me down and injecting me with
psychotropic drugs. I will never forget those evil years …
would you? No wonder it was banned. They were killing us.
What about all the brutality? All the years of de-humanising
me? Untold years of pain and misery. Please don’t ever
forget it, ‘cos I can’t! The Broadmoor years of
psychological torture; it was no wonder I ripped them roofs
off … I was fighting for my sanity!
Maybe the prison psychologists need to get it right: It
takes two to tango. All my wrongs were for a reason, but the
system changed. In some seg units around the country there
is still acts of bullying and violence. It cannot be denied,
as it is FACT! I doubt it will ever stop. It’s
institutionalised control.
Me? I really am changed. I could walk out of jail tomorrow
and live a good life. I’m no danger to anybody; I could and
would go straight … there is no need for me to go back to
crime. My art alone would make me a fortune; books, after
dinner speeches … I’ve made it. The system knows all this,
but maybe it’s jealous because they helped me to become what
I am today, but now they’re afraid to let me go free and
that’s it in a nut-shell.
One sure thing is that I’m NOT doing the V.R.P. course today
… tomorrow … never! MY proof is in the pudding. I’m
anti-violence and my last six years speak for me. I have
nothing to lie about. Facts are facts but I’ll still like
Brady and Huntley a rough time, just as you would. My way of
life never has nor never will accept that sort of “person”
in my space. Would you? Fuck all the “political correctness”
bollox: “A nonce is a nonce.” Leave it at that!
Always remember, men like me DO change. We have to,
otherwise we die sad old men in a cell. It’s a fact of life.
But a paedophile or sex monster can’t change as far as I can
see. Fuck all the psychologists, social workers and
left-wing liberals, I’m telling you a fact of life:
“Monsters never change!”
Hey, even if they did change, a question for you:
Who would you rather have living next door to you? Me or a
paedophile?
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