The Matter of Trust

Abstract

A constant concern to correctionists, and one that has been almost totally ignored in their literature, is the matter of trust: when to grant trust to an offender and when to withhold it, how to handle requests for trust, and what to do about violations of trust. There is no rule of thumb to guide a correctionist in granting trust; however, six generalizations may serve as guide lines : (1) To be trusted and to fulfill that trust is basically therapeutic. (2) Knowingly to permit a client to "snow" or "con" you is never therapeutic or helpful to him. (3) Violation of trust should be viewed not as a personal affront to the worker, but as the client's social immaturity—our mutual objective is to develop his social maturity. (4) Trust that is lightly rendered is apt to be lightly held. (5) Trust must be rooted in reality to be helpful. (6) The degree to which a client values a worker's trust is positively related to the degree of his trust in that worker.