In an attempt to improve the lives of children in 20,000 “problem” households, the UK government plans to install surveillance cameras in the homes to provide 24-hour monitoring by the government. The program is focused on ensuring children are attending school, eating well, and sleeping enough. Parents will also be monitored for substance abuse problems, and support will be provided. To enforce the program, the British government has created a private guard to perform home checks and ensure that families are abiding by their “behavior contracts.”
The plan, dubbed the Family Intervention Project, is expected to cost £400 million (just shy of $678 million today) and is being put forth by the UK’s Children’s Secretary. In response, the opposition party has blamed the moral decay this program is intended to correct on the ruling party, and said the program is “too little, too late.”
What amazes me most about the program is that 2,000 families are already participating. Given the already-pervasive use of camera surveillance throughout Great Britain, I suppose this announcement shouldn’t come as a surprise. It is strange how much this plan mirrors the telescreens of Orwell’s 1984 though.
Sources:
- Daily Express, “Sin bins for worst families,” by Allison Little. http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/115736/Sin-bins-for-worst-families
- Wired.com, “Britain To Put CCTV Cameras Inside Private Homes,” by Charlie Sorrel. http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/08/britain-to-put-cctv-cameras-inside-private-homes/