Reflective Account On Social Work

Introduction
As part of my studies in the MA social Work and Law module I attended Hull Crown Court. During the visit I witnessed three sentencing sessions. In this paper I aim to project a reflective account of my own thoughts and feelings regarding the Crown Court environment and my initial perceptions of the power dynamics of the Court room officials. The profile and demographics of the defendants will be briefed, with the aim of finding links between them. We will then introduce the nature of the offences been heard for sentencing, and the way in which these where addressed in consideration to social work values and ethics.
The Crown Court Environment
On first arriving to the Crown Court I immediately felt a feeling of anxiety, almost as if I was about to stand trial myself. This led me to a moment of reflection on how those around me, the family of those awaiting trial and in some cases those awaiting trial themselves must be feeling. Many anxious faces sat around
Once the trials proceeded I found that the barristers and the judge himself were very understanding and direct to the defendants backgrounds and current situations when determining the reasons for their crimes. This sat well with the social work value of social reformism (Whittington and Whittington, 2006) and the belief that social and personal problems, can be explained by an individual’s place in society and the opportunities and esteem given to them as individuals. In all cases reasoning was found for their criminal behavior and probable causes in drug use. Therefore it could be said that all three defendants where given a chance in order to prove themselves as the judge handed them all suspended sentences. My personal feelings was that all three defendants where dealt with fairly and ethically. The judge treated them all as equals, showed an understanding nature and worked in an anti-oppressive