But why didn't I say that I didn't understand the advice and seek fuller explanation?
According to court records, Judge Bauer testified before the commission that in some cases he did not tell defendants of their right to a lawyer "because from their prior experiences defendants knew their rights," and that in others he did not mention it because the defendants "were not alert enough to understand the advice".
In Carmen, a pregnant mother of two goes on a drug run for her heroin-addled partner and gets slapped in the face for mucking it up because she needed to pee; Mijito follows a homeless Latina who can't understand the advice she's given when her baby son needs an operation.
Whatever, she is manifestly built to succeed, and has come to understand the advice from Dame Kelly Holmes that once made no sense to her. "She said, 'Sometimes you win races when you're not in the shape to do so, and sometimes you're in shape but you don't know how to win them.' I really didn't know what that meant, but I do now.
To answer this question, it is important first to fully understand the advice being provided.
This was viewed as a more reliable way of ensuring that others were able to understand the advice given, and as help to "follow whatever instructions were provided" (interviewee 13).
Most respondents provided a reason for not complying (70%, 165/235), reporting that they did not agree with the advice (21%, 35/165), felt unable to follow it (20%, 30/165), felt that it did not work (19%, 32/165), felt that the health problem changed (7%, 11/165) or that they did not understand the advice (2%, 4/165).
They also do not know how well parents understand the advice: "It's very difficult to know 'cause often they'll nod their heads and say "yes I understand everything you say" and walk off and they might have no idea what we've just said" (DGH ED nurse).
