Encourage.
Encourage - 1. to make someone more likely to do something, or to make something more likely to happen
2. to talk or behave in a way that gives someone confidence to do something
Encourage. The Eighteenth artwork from the Law on the Wall series by Lawyers Arts Club.
Strength Support Encouragement Karen Kaiser 2020.
The title Encourage is taken from the Serious Crime Act 2007 section 44.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF A SINGLE WORD
Sometimes one word is all you need to feel like you have the power to do anything. One word from the right person at the right time can encourage you to do anything.
WHY ENCOURAGE ?
To Encourage can lead to a countless number of possibilities. The selfless act can work wonders on anyone no matter who they are. Encouragement is to remind people of what is true, and assure them where their trust is placed. Pushing someone to be the best version of themselves could change the world. We are fuelled by encouragement, from when we are a baby learning how to walk to when we are older and work hard, that little bit of positive affirmation gives us the strength to push forward.
Encouragement Before the Battle Pieter van Hanselaere 1825.
WHAT LAW IS ON THE WALL?
The legal context in this act displays that those who encourage or enable the commission of a crime in any way can still be held responsible for the outcome even if they are not the perpetrator themselves.
Serious Crime Act 2007. 44 Intentionally encouraging or assisting an offence (1)A person commits an offence if— (a) he does an act capable of encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence; and (b) he intends to encourage or assist its commission. (2) But he is not to be taken to have intended to encourage or assist the commission of an offence merely because such encouragement or assistance was a foreseeable consequence of his act.
GLORIFYING GANG LIFE
Just like any other form of music, rappers write what they know. Many lyricists will write songs about violence, drugs and being in a gang and have been blamed for encouraging more susceptible to behaving in a similar way.
“A word of encouragement from a teacher to a child can change a life. A word of encouragement from a spouse can save a marriage. A word of encouragement from a leader can inspire a person to reach her potential.”
CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Encouragement is a vital part of the development of a child. Positive reinforcement has been proved to make children happier and more confident. As well as this it has a positive effect on those doing the encouraging. The need for encouragement is engrained in our brain from the moment we are born. Alongside this, the need to encourage those who need it, comes subconsciously to us as the best thing to do.
EMINEM
Eminem’s career has been shrouded with controversy despite being critically acclaimed and held in high regard by all those in the business. A bar in this song is hitting back at the allegations that music is encouraging younger people to live the ‘rapper lifestyle’. “With the bullshit they pull, 'cause they full of shit too, when a dude's getting bullied and shoots up his school, and they blame it on Marilyn and the heroin, where were the parents at?
LGBTQ+
Encouragement can also come in numbers. With the ever growing gay rights movement sweeping the world. Finally individuals who have kept their sexuality a secret are being encouraged to speak out and not be ashamed of the way they feel.
“I never expected any sort of success with ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’... I sort of hoped someone would like it enough to give me encouragement.”
WHY IS ENCOURAGE IMPORTANT IN 2021 AN BEYOND?
What would you do if one of your loved ones commited a crime? It’s a hypothetical moral dilemma that always comes out in the kitchen of parties. A person who encourages or assists in a crime (but does not perpetrate the main offence) may believe or claim that he/she was not a true accomplice. This common misconception is why it is important to learn about Encourage.
ENCOURAGE MATTERS
Everyone needs a little encouragement now and again right? Whether it boosts our ego or gives us some needed self confidence it is crucial to the development of our characters. From emotional support to quotes on social media we are constantly reminded of the worldwide recognition of the importance to Encourage.
DOES PRISON ENCOURAGE MORE CRIME?
Whilst the prison system is there to rehabilitate criminals and prevent crime. The experience of being isolated around other criminals, does not necessarily deter every inmate from committing more crime. Prison culture alone encourages inmates to partake in illicit activity whilst incarcerated just to remain safe.
AFTER PRISON
Many of those released from jail whether reformed or not don’t have the luxury of returning to a stable life. It is common that prisoners will struggle to find a well payed job that can support living and in some cases, families. These circumstances can encourage the recently free reformed people to fall back into crime so they can continue living. In the UK, 75% of ex-inmates reoffend within nine years of release, and 39.3% within the first twelve months.
Each of us has a vision of good and of evil. We have to encourage people to move towards what they think is good...
GANGS
The literal definition of a gang is an organised group of criminals. Gangs have been at the heart of crime for centuries, from the Peaky Blinders and the Krays to the Mafia and Bloods vs Crips. Thousands of young people are pushed into gangs at a young age whether it is to survive or provide. In these high pressure environments where people constantly have to prove themselves to other members, crime is encouraged.
INITIATIONS
In some instances breaking the law is encouraged as an initiation to new members of an organised crime group. This is usually used as a test to see if the individual is willing to risk their freedom for the gang. Once a young person has committed a crime and got away with it, the gang will then use that to encourage them to go further. A toxic and endless cycle.
ENCOURAGEMENT THROUGH ART
The timeline of art starts with the earliest civilisations and continues to evolve today. Artists of today would be nothing without the artists of yesterday. Each piece of art is inspired by a masterpiece that has survived generations and defined a certain point in time. However, artwork does not just encourage the next generation of artists to create. Best selling novelist Dan Brown was encouraged to write critically acclaimed Da Vinci Code after studying The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci.
ENCOURAGEMENT THROUGH MUSIC
Music is crucial to encouraging our emotions to the surface naturally with no pressure. Whether you like these songs or not, when you hear the National Anthem you feel completely different to when you listen to Bohemian Rhapsody. This is no surprise, everyone knows that, however some more than others. The developers of streaming sites such as Spotify and Apple Music, have created a huge network of playlists that are tailor made to promote a certain emotion or mood.
INTERACTIVE ART THAT SPARKS DISCUSSION
This is an on going, interactive artwork to keep people engaged with the law and the discussion that comes from it.
THE RAPPER’S DELIGHT
Ever since it burst onto the scene in the early 1980s, rap and hip hop has grown to be one of the most popular music genres there has ever been. The origin story of a lot of successful rappers is quote similar, they want to break out of the gang lifestyle by making music. This punk-like, can do anything attitude has been the encouragement for many young people to break out of that setting and follow their dreams.
Motivational Encouragement Niki Helbig 2011
BE HEARD AND GET INVOLVED
Many millions of people will have been put in the impossible situation of seeing their loved ones fall into crime. The ability to help in any kind of way without prosecution would leave us all in a dangerous world. The Serious Crime Act 2007 has changed that.
Page from Charlie Mackesy’s book The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse.
BACK TO LAW ON THE WALL
Lawyers Arts Club - is an organisation creating content by uniting the law and the arts for the purpose of sparking discussion.
88-92 John Bright Street, Birmingham, B1 1BN