Inside the Criminal Mind

Understanding the Dark Side of Human Conduct

by Dr. Stanton E. Samenow, Ph.D.

Do Not Use the Criminal's Language in a Professional Setting

Using street language is counterproductive

Published on February 15, 2012 by Stanton E. Samenow, Ph.D. in Inside the Criminal Mind

In some quarters, the conventional wisdom is that we should use the language of our clients in order to establish rapport, demonstrate to them our understanding, and so on. I have found that doing this provides an unnecessary obstacle to effective interactions rather than facilitating them.

Next to committing a crime, the most exciting experience for an offender is to talk about crime (drugs, etc.) using the language of the street -- not just the four letter words, but the slang, and street vernacular. If we, as agents of change, use this language, the offender will think we are trying to court his favor. He will not respect us. If we use it correctly, he may conclude we are just like he is, and perhaps he can enlist us to achieve his objectives.

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This does not mean that we must speak the "King's English". And, of course, we should speak in a manner so that our clients understand us. Using plain-spoken, everyday language is all that is necessary or desirable.

You may say, "But I came up in the streets myself, and that language is natural for me." Of course, you need to be yourself. Adopting any sort of artificial pose is undesirable in that its intent is readily transparent to the offender. "Being yourself" does not mean that you need to use curse words or language denigrating another person..

Our intent as interviewers/counselors is to communicate in as effective a manner as possible. Using the offender's language does exactly the opposite!