ABSTRACT
How many more years of misery are we going to continue doing more of the same, sanctioning antisocial behaviour whilst failing to address the underlying relational disorders that cause such behaviour? Any good businessman, in terms of cost-benefit analysis, would tell us that tackling behaviour without addressing the underlying relational issues is just not working. By way of example, 70 per cent of the Youth Justice Board’s budget is spent on only 4 per cent of young offenders, which is the cost of placing them in institutions, in order to change their behaviour. Ninety-two per cent of them re-offend within a year of being released. As Hillary Clinton says, ‘We consistently fail to invest in what will save us money’ (Guardian, 23rd May 2007).
