I was reminded forcibly of the significance of parenting and its impact on life outcomes while watching Rex Bloomstein's documentary Kids Behind Bars on Channel 4 last Thursday.
Bloomstein visited facilities in the northeast of England, including the Aycliffe and Castington young offender institutions, to interview young people aged 14 and upward.
This riveting but uncomfortable film was free of intrusive editorial comment but Bloomstein did not shy away from asking the young people about their experiences.
Seventeen-year-old Robert was involved in a horrific incident in which a young man was covered in petrol and set on fire. Robert had reflected on the event while in Castington but couldn't come up with much justification beyond the fact it was high jinks that got out of hand. He had also studied for and passed his GCSEs while inside. In one touching scene, his mother recounted the pivotal moment when Robert had been taken into care as a result of her mental health problems.
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