一本好書《我是你的觀護人》A Good Book — I Am Your Probation Officer

因為聽到報導者這集節目才知道了這位觀護人，才知道了什麼是觀護人以及這職業的工作內容是什麼。

It was through a podcast episode that I first learned about probation officers—and for the first time, began to understand what this profession actually entails.

很喜歡唐珮玲觀護人講話的口氣和方式，非常引人入勝。對她的好奇讓我買了她幾年前的著作，想知道更多關於觀護人與受保護管束人的故事。

I was immediately drawn to the tone and way Tang Pei-Ling, the probation officer interviewed, spoke. She was compelling and quietly powerful. My curiosity about her led me to pick up a book she wrote a few years ago, wanting to know more about both her and the people under her care.

《我是你的觀護人》是唐觀護人分享她負責的個案故事，每則故事對於和犯罪世界或社會邊緣較遠的一般人而言都像是奇幻故事。雖然知道是真實的人發生的真實事情，讀來還是覺得不可思議。

I Am Your Probation Officer is a collection of stories from the cases Tang has handled. To most people—those of us living far from the edges of society or the world of crime—these stories feel almost fantastical. And yet, they are very real. These are real people, with real lives and real struggles, and reading about them sometimes feels almost unreal in its intensity.

我很喜歡這類不同職業的故事，之前讀過《做工的人》(工地)、《火來了，快跑》(殯葬業)、《偽魚販指南》(魚販)，也都讓我大開眼界。

I’ve always had a fascination with books that delve into professions different from my own. I’ve read The Workers (about construction workers), The Fire Is Coming, Run (about the funeral industry), and A Guide to Pretending You’re a Fish Vendor (about fishmongers). Each opened up a world I wouldn’t have otherwise known. I Am Your Probation Officer did the same—and more.

《我是你的觀護人》中我很喜歡唐觀護人對於自己工作價值的頓悟。

What stayed with me most was Tang’s gradual realization of the value of her own work.

我常常覺得，觀護人是一種生於絕望、死於希望的悲傷工作。因為希望個案能改好，去做了許多看不到結果的努力，而埋頭苦幹工作的結果，往往只換來滿心的挫折，個案仍執意走犯罪的回頭路。所以越是抱著希望，越是容易感傷；如果一開始就絕望，反而不會失望。

I often think of probation officers as people doing heartbreaking work—born in despair, dying in hope. They pour themselves into helping individuals get back on track, investing time, effort, and faith, often without any visible result. More often than not, their dedication is met with disappointment, as those they try to help fall back into crime. The more hope you carry, the deeper the sorrow when it’s dashed. Despair, in a strange way, protects you from being disappointed.

兩個人彼此最溫暖的誓言就是絕對不要再見面，這大概是只有觀護人這種工作才有的奇怪邏輯吧？

The warmest promise between two people is to never see each other again. It’s an odd truth, but perhaps only someone in this line of work could fully understand it.

一旦被剝奪了成為正常社會成員的機會，便有很大的可能步上犯罪的道路。得費上極大的功夫和意志力才有可能返回正道。

Once a person is stripped of the chance to be a part of society like everyone else, the path toward crime suddenly seems very near. And finding the strength and will to return to the right path becomes a monumental task.

這是讀完這些受保護管束人的故事後油然而生的感受。

That was the strongest feeling that surfaced in me after reading these stories of people under probation.