A common refrain from those discussing the cause of the riots taking place across England is that if there was more discipline at home, in schools and in society more generally this would not have happened. What most people seem to mean by ‘more discipline’ is ‘harsher punishments‘.
But listen to the rioters explaining their reasons (you can hear some from Manchester here: BBC), they are doing it because they think they will not be caught. How the hell did we get to a position where you can burn down someone’s home and potentially kill them BECAUSE you won’t get caught? That’s the idea that we need to address if we are to stop this happening again:
The reason not to do bad things is because you will be punished.
Changing the punishment for those who do get caught misses the point. We have to get to the position where everyone understands that:
The reason not to do bad things is because it will harm others or yourself.
More discipline/harsher punishment won’t change this, what is needed is greater understanding. Not in a wishy-washy sense of ‘we need to understand the rioters better’, but that we need them to understand the consequences of their actions. The consequence of driving a car in to people, isn’t a life sentence (or even three), because that’s only a consequence if you get caught. The real, inevitable consequence is the despair of families and friends who will never see those three people again.
Schools play a role in engendering this disconnection between cause and effect. You avoid doing bad things at school (breaking the rules) because you will be punished, not because you understand the values behind those rules. Equally, you work hard and do good, not because what you’re doing (acquiring knowledge and skills) has intrinsic value, but for a reward: a sticker, an ‘A’ grade or a promise of a successful career.
We need to ensure that schools are places where young people learn by doing things with real consequences, not just playing at things with often unrelated or arbitrary rewards and sanctions. We need people to understand that community isn’t something that happens around you, it is something you are part of forming. To do this we need to engage the whole school in the running of their school; they need to understand the reason why things work how they do and know how to challenge this constructively.
Some of the calmest and most pleasant schools I’ve been in are the ones with the fewest rules, these often take a form such as:
Respect each other; respect your environment; respect yourself.
What this means is that students and staff have to engage in an ongoing, constructive debate about how respect is shown and earned. This teaches empathy and understanding. Those people not rioting aren’t staying at home because they are scared of the punishment, but because they understand the harm the riots are causing. What’s lacking with the people rioting is empathy not fear of punishment.
