Do politicians affect the murder rate?
by Mark Easton
Wednesday, 23 December 2009
According to new American research, the less we trust our politicians, the more likely we are to kill each other.
So how does Ohio State University professor Randolph Roth explain the fact that the homicide figures for England and Wales are the lowest for a generation? Or why today's BBC research suggests 21 fewer teenagers were victims of murder or manslaughter year-on-year? After all, the last 12 months have seen the reputation of our parliamentarians take a battering.
Criminologists have long puzzled over the key factors in a society's murder rate. Professor Roth has tried to take an historical view, analysing the records of tens of thousands of homicides in the United States and Western Europe over the past four centuries. Familiar arguments as to what contributes to the problem simply don't hold up, he claims.
Poverty and unemployment don't correlate with higher murder rates and locking up criminals and the death penalty don't correlate with lower murder rates, he says. Professor Roth believes a far more convincing argument is that "the predisposition to murder is rooted in feelings and beliefs people have toward government and their fellow citizens."
While the first part of his explanation will attract headlines, I suspect it is the second part which is more important. It seems almost self-evident that people kill their fellow citizens more when they respect their fellow citizens less.
To be fair to the professor, he suggests four factors which contribute to lower murder rates:
• a belief that one's government is stable and its justice and legal systems are unbiased and effective
• a feeling of trust in government officials and a belief in their legitimacy
• a sense of patriotism and solidarity with fellow citizens
• a belief that one's position is society is satisfactory and one can command respect without resorting to violence
This is not really about fury over dodgy duck-house receipts or "flipping" second home designation. It is about a broader confidence in the way society is run and an individual's place within it. Violence, it is suggested, is often a consequence of powerlessness - a last resort for those who feel their voice is not being heard.
A look at people's experience of violence as reflected in the British Crime Survey [1.2Mb PDF] suggests that it has fallen from its height in the mid-1990s and has remained broadly flat over the past five years or so.
The biggest falls have been in what is designated "acquaintance" and "domestic" violence - crimes in which the victim knows his or her assailant. If citizens feel secure and respected within their community, perhaps it makes them less likely to lash out.
When it comes to fatal attacks, the latest figures for England and Wales show that the police recorded 648 incidents of homicide in 2008/09, the lowest recorded level in 20 years. The number of attempted murders also decreased from 621 in 2007/08 to 575 in 2008/09.
Since homicide statistics are difficult to refute, the numbers suggest our society is not becoming more violent but less. The BBC figures for a year-on-year fall in homicides involving teenagers reflect a broader picture both in terms of overall violence and juvenile crime.
Last month, the Ministry of Justice reported [86Kb PDF] a big drop in the number of young people entering the criminal justice system for the first time in England.
Even when including those youngsters given a Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND), the rate of 10-17-year-olds receiving their first reprimand, warning or conviction fell by 20.7%.
Further good news is that the level of youth re-offending is at its lowest since records were first collected in 2000, with the rate down by almost a quarter between 2000 and 2007.
Some of these falls may be down to the initiative of youth offending teams, police officers and other agencies. Government ministers may point to this scheme or that policy.
Original article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markeaston/2009/12/do_politicians_affect_the_murd.html
One thing I am reasonably confident about is that the figures have little to do with the current levels of public affection towards members of parliament.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
TAMING THE PARROT -- BY DAVID DYCK
Interpersonal conflict actually always involves at least two encounters: there is the encounter with the other (of which we are usually more conscious) and the encounter with the self (of which we are often only dimly aware at best). Both encounters are a place rich with possibility. One possibility is for these encounters to help you expand or open up, to grow. Another possibility is that these encounters will cause you to contract, to shut down. Both outcomes are equally possible. What determines which way it will go? While there are no certainties, we do know one thing. Whatever happens, it will involve a struggle, a sense of wrestling with oneself, with the other, and with both possibilities.
The Encounter with the Other
The struggle with the other is usually to be heard, to be understood, to be respected, to be taken seriously, to live well together. This encounter is an external engagement; something that takes place outside myself, manifesting in the ongoing, visible interaction between the other and myself. The challenge, to which the lion’s share of conflict resolution literature is dedicated, is to conduct myself on the external plane in a way that does not just beget more of the same. For most of us, this would be enough!
But an even greater challenge awaits. In fact, it is this second challenge we must tackle first. This is the challenge of the encounter with the self. The encounter with the self also involves a struggle, only this engagement is internal. That is, my sense that I am not being respected – while usually beginning with an external momentary encounter with the other – can only ultimately take root and continue grow inside of me, out of sight, apart from the other in my own heart and mind.
The Encounter with the Self
This second struggle is between me and my feelings, me and my thoughts. And the question is, what will this struggle beget? Will I come to see my thoughts and feelings for what they are – worthy of attention to be sure but ultimately no more real than any other momentarily arising phenomena, as a cloud passing in the sky? Or will I lose my mind-fullness (awareness of mind’s capacity for delusion), collapse the distance between my thoughts and reality, and thereby allow those thoughts to run me around? To take me over?
Too often, my thoughts take over. The internal dialogue of recrimination, defense, and counter-attack continues unabated (often largely or even completely apart from the encounter with the other). This can go on for weeks, months, even years. As it does so (with my full if unconscious cooperation), it gnaws away at both my own sense of identity and my sense of the other as fully human, as a person worthy of respect and dignity. It is this, ultimately, that brings me to the extremes of silence or violence, of de-selfing or striking out. It is via this process that we arrive at war, against the self, against the other.
The Parrot – Befriending and “Taming” the Mind
The internal struggle exacerbates the external and vice-versa. Both are critical to engage intentionally if peace is to be built. But because it is in the mind that the seeds of enemy are first planted and germinate, it is there we must begin. The mind – and its inner patterns of self-dialogue – creates the fertile conditions for enemy making or not. One simple way to think of the conditions you create within your mind is in terms of a parrot sitting on your shoulder.
Why a parrot? A parrot is a clever animal. A tricky animal. It can mimic a seemingly human voice like no other. And yet, in the end, a parrot is not a human voice. And it is not in a dialogue. Indeed, all the parrot does is repeat the lines that it has heard. Over time, it develops the capacity to repeat these same lines without even being prompted. Yet this is still not a dialogue, only mind-less repetition of the things we have been saying to it over the days, weeks, months, and years. The parrot sits on our shoulder and repeats to us the thoughts and feelings we have said to it. Many of us mistake this “voice” for something real and – even worse – come to base our decisions, actions, attitudes, and interactions with the other on this so called “reality.” This is very dangerous.
So, what do you say to your parrot? After an encounter with another that began with a pinch moment, a very specific moment-in-time that was uncomfortable, our parrot talk usually begins. It might sound something like:
“Can you believe that?! What a &*^%#! To speak to me like that at a meeting!”
or “I can’t believe I didn’t put him in his place. I should have told him where to get off! Next time I’m going to…” or “Sh**! I am so stupid! I can’t ever get anything right. And now she’s mad at me!”
Over time, our parrot takes over. Our mind, with all its fears, projections, and insecurities continually reinforced, begins to have its way with us. We are no longer in control. The parrot is controlling us. Its dialogue may not be real but its consequences will be.
So what can we do? We must work at mindfulness. We must explore our thoughts and feelings to be sure, but without always taking them utterly seriously. You have heard the expression, “Don’t believe everything you hear.” When it comes to our parrot, we must remember instead, “Don’t believe everything you think!” We must approach ourselves with compassion and humour, seeing our parrot for what it is: an interesting companion to be sure, but ultimately just a funny little bird that does not have the wisdom to dictate our major life decisions and relationships.
The Encounter with the Other
The struggle with the other is usually to be heard, to be understood, to be respected, to be taken seriously, to live well together. This encounter is an external engagement; something that takes place outside myself, manifesting in the ongoing, visible interaction between the other and myself. The challenge, to which the lion’s share of conflict resolution literature is dedicated, is to conduct myself on the external plane in a way that does not just beget more of the same. For most of us, this would be enough!
But an even greater challenge awaits. In fact, it is this second challenge we must tackle first. This is the challenge of the encounter with the self. The encounter with the self also involves a struggle, only this engagement is internal. That is, my sense that I am not being respected – while usually beginning with an external momentary encounter with the other – can only ultimately take root and continue grow inside of me, out of sight, apart from the other in my own heart and mind.
The Encounter with the Self
This second struggle is between me and my feelings, me and my thoughts. And the question is, what will this struggle beget? Will I come to see my thoughts and feelings for what they are – worthy of attention to be sure but ultimately no more real than any other momentarily arising phenomena, as a cloud passing in the sky? Or will I lose my mind-fullness (awareness of mind’s capacity for delusion), collapse the distance between my thoughts and reality, and thereby allow those thoughts to run me around? To take me over?
Too often, my thoughts take over. The internal dialogue of recrimination, defense, and counter-attack continues unabated (often largely or even completely apart from the encounter with the other). This can go on for weeks, months, even years. As it does so (with my full if unconscious cooperation), it gnaws away at both my own sense of identity and my sense of the other as fully human, as a person worthy of respect and dignity. It is this, ultimately, that brings me to the extremes of silence or violence, of de-selfing or striking out. It is via this process that we arrive at war, against the self, against the other.
The Parrot – Befriending and “Taming” the Mind
The internal struggle exacerbates the external and vice-versa. Both are critical to engage intentionally if peace is to be built. But because it is in the mind that the seeds of enemy are first planted and germinate, it is there we must begin. The mind – and its inner patterns of self-dialogue – creates the fertile conditions for enemy making or not. One simple way to think of the conditions you create within your mind is in terms of a parrot sitting on your shoulder.
Why a parrot? A parrot is a clever animal. A tricky animal. It can mimic a seemingly human voice like no other. And yet, in the end, a parrot is not a human voice. And it is not in a dialogue. Indeed, all the parrot does is repeat the lines that it has heard. Over time, it develops the capacity to repeat these same lines without even being prompted. Yet this is still not a dialogue, only mind-less repetition of the things we have been saying to it over the days, weeks, months, and years. The parrot sits on our shoulder and repeats to us the thoughts and feelings we have said to it. Many of us mistake this “voice” for something real and – even worse – come to base our decisions, actions, attitudes, and interactions with the other on this so called “reality.” This is very dangerous.
So, what do you say to your parrot? After an encounter with another that began with a pinch moment, a very specific moment-in-time that was uncomfortable, our parrot talk usually begins. It might sound something like:
“Can you believe that?! What a &*^%#! To speak to me like that at a meeting!”
or “I can’t believe I didn’t put him in his place. I should have told him where to get off! Next time I’m going to…” or “Sh**! I am so stupid! I can’t ever get anything right. And now she’s mad at me!”
Over time, our parrot takes over. Our mind, with all its fears, projections, and insecurities continually reinforced, begins to have its way with us. We are no longer in control. The parrot is controlling us. Its dialogue may not be real but its consequences will be.
So what can we do? We must work at mindfulness. We must explore our thoughts and feelings to be sure, but without always taking them utterly seriously. You have heard the expression, “Don’t believe everything you hear.” When it comes to our parrot, we must remember instead, “Don’t believe everything you think!” We must approach ourselves with compassion and humour, seeing our parrot for what it is: an interesting companion to be sure, but ultimately just a funny little bird that does not have the wisdom to dictate our major life decisions and relationships.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Restorative Reflections
Emotional intelligence is the skill of understanding others and ourselves. It is the education of the heart as well as the head. Sometimes referred to as ‘social emotional learning’, emotional intelligence is the skill of monitoring our own and others’ feelings and using this information to guide our thinking and actions.
What’s Involved?
Daniel Goleman, author of the book, ‘Emotional Intelligence’, outlines four key areas that are involved in developing emotional intelligence:
1. Self-awareness is the ability to read my own emotions and recognize how they impact others.
2. Self-management is the ability to control my emotions and impulses and to adapt to change or surprises that come my way.
3. Social awareness is the ability to sense, understand and react to others’ emotions. This happens when I see others having an emotional reaction and I take time to sense their experience and then, by thinking it over, come to understand their feelings and experience.
4. Relationship management is the ability to inspire or influence others while managing disagreements or conflict.
Emotional Intelligence
A Different Kind of Smart
Breaking It Down
Let us break these four areas down into the skills needed to be emotionally intelligent. First, I need to develop good communication skills. This involves learning how to listen carefully to myself and to others. This means setting aside any distractions for the moment and paying close attention to what the other person is saying and doing. I need to do the same with myself. This also means knowing and accepting that we are all different – each of us stands their point of view, not just making sure they understand mine.
This brings us to the second skill needed to build emotional intelligence – empathy. Empathy means I am able to listen and appreciate the other person’s experience and feelings. This means putting aside my own position, briefly, while I listen carefully to the other person. The skill of empathy involves the skill of self-awareness. This is my ability to know how I think and feel and to choose behaviours that are appropriate for the situation. This is also empathy for myself.
Once I have good communication, empathy and self-awareness, the next step is to develop good decision-making skills. Being able to think over all the parts of a situation, both my parts and the parts that affect the other person(s) is decision-making. Some people say that writing down all the parts of a problem and then listing the pros and cons is a good way to decide what direction to go.
When I have this skill I can graduate into the next and final step – problem solving. Simply put, problem solving is the ability to look at all the parts of a problem and all the different points of view and then, with everyone’s help, deciding which solution works best for everyone involved. Naturally, problem solving also involves the skill of compromise. This skill asks us to give up having our own way so that everyone can get along and find a solution that works for the largest number of people.
An Example
I once had a boss who came to work at 7:00 AM (we did not start until 8:00 AM) and began by barking orders at us as we arrived. Because he had already been there so long, he behaved as though we were all late for work. He expected us all to work through coffee breaks, lunch and to stay as late as he did; this was sometimes 7:00 PM. He was often angry and critical and the staff felt fearful and resentful. The boss never shared his own experiences, so it was impossible to understand who he was and what he wanted. This caused many employees to leave because the office environment was so tense and difficult.
This boss did not have emotional intelligence. If he had learned this important skill, he would have taken more time to be self-aware. He would have shared more with employees about who he was and what he valued. He would have listened more carefully and consistently to his employees. He would have identified ways he himself could make changes or adjustments. He would have asked for ideas from others. And, most importantly, he could have used his emotional intelligence to guide the organization in a more positive direction.
Getting Started
How can we identify ways to turn a situation around? Is there a situation in your work, at home or in the community that could use some emotional intelligence? Could you model this new skill and see what happens? We could say that emotional intelligence involves knowing yourself, choosing yourself and giving yourself. That means knowing what needs to change, figuring out how to put the changes into action and finally, putting these changes together with a higher purpose that is compatible with your values. When we do this our actions are consistent with our own values and others may sense this and feel inspired by our way of relating to others.
Can you do this? Can you see a way to begin using this set of skills in your own life? Here is a basic guideline for emotional intelligence from Don Miguel Ruiz, author of the ‘Four Agreements’. In straightforward language, Ruiz says our lives will have more meaning and more peace if we do these four things every day:
1. Be impeccable with your words. (No harsh speech)
2. Do not take anything personally. (It is not always about me)
3. Do not make assumptions. (Get the facts, do not make up stories)
4. Always do your best. (Give it your all, whatever you are doing)
The First Step
Take some time on your own in the next day or so. Give some thought to one situation you are dealing with right now. Think about whether or not you are using the principles of emotional intelligence. Add one new skill at a time. If you do not presently have that skill, take a course, pick up a book. If you want some help learning about emotional intelligence, there are numerous community based resources ready to help you.
You might want to learn this alone, with your spouse, or perhaps the whole family; even situations involving the workplace. Emotional intelligence is a tool for peace wherever you go.
Article provided by the Blue Cross EAP Report April 2008
Reprinted with permission from Mediation Services in Winnipeg, MB
Email: info@mediationserviceswpg.ca
What’s Involved?
Daniel Goleman, author of the book, ‘Emotional Intelligence’, outlines four key areas that are involved in developing emotional intelligence:
1. Self-awareness is the ability to read my own emotions and recognize how they impact others.
2. Self-management is the ability to control my emotions and impulses and to adapt to change or surprises that come my way.
3. Social awareness is the ability to sense, understand and react to others’ emotions. This happens when I see others having an emotional reaction and I take time to sense their experience and then, by thinking it over, come to understand their feelings and experience.
4. Relationship management is the ability to inspire or influence others while managing disagreements or conflict.
Emotional Intelligence
A Different Kind of Smart
Breaking It Down
Let us break these four areas down into the skills needed to be emotionally intelligent. First, I need to develop good communication skills. This involves learning how to listen carefully to myself and to others. This means setting aside any distractions for the moment and paying close attention to what the other person is saying and doing. I need to do the same with myself. This also means knowing and accepting that we are all different – each of us stands their point of view, not just making sure they understand mine.
This brings us to the second skill needed to build emotional intelligence – empathy. Empathy means I am able to listen and appreciate the other person’s experience and feelings. This means putting aside my own position, briefly, while I listen carefully to the other person. The skill of empathy involves the skill of self-awareness. This is my ability to know how I think and feel and to choose behaviours that are appropriate for the situation. This is also empathy for myself.
Once I have good communication, empathy and self-awareness, the next step is to develop good decision-making skills. Being able to think over all the parts of a situation, both my parts and the parts that affect the other person(s) is decision-making. Some people say that writing down all the parts of a problem and then listing the pros and cons is a good way to decide what direction to go.
When I have this skill I can graduate into the next and final step – problem solving. Simply put, problem solving is the ability to look at all the parts of a problem and all the different points of view and then, with everyone’s help, deciding which solution works best for everyone involved. Naturally, problem solving also involves the skill of compromise. This skill asks us to give up having our own way so that everyone can get along and find a solution that works for the largest number of people.
An Example
I once had a boss who came to work at 7:00 AM (we did not start until 8:00 AM) and began by barking orders at us as we arrived. Because he had already been there so long, he behaved as though we were all late for work. He expected us all to work through coffee breaks, lunch and to stay as late as he did; this was sometimes 7:00 PM. He was often angry and critical and the staff felt fearful and resentful. The boss never shared his own experiences, so it was impossible to understand who he was and what he wanted. This caused many employees to leave because the office environment was so tense and difficult.
This boss did not have emotional intelligence. If he had learned this important skill, he would have taken more time to be self-aware. He would have shared more with employees about who he was and what he valued. He would have listened more carefully and consistently to his employees. He would have identified ways he himself could make changes or adjustments. He would have asked for ideas from others. And, most importantly, he could have used his emotional intelligence to guide the organization in a more positive direction.
Getting Started
How can we identify ways to turn a situation around? Is there a situation in your work, at home or in the community that could use some emotional intelligence? Could you model this new skill and see what happens? We could say that emotional intelligence involves knowing yourself, choosing yourself and giving yourself. That means knowing what needs to change, figuring out how to put the changes into action and finally, putting these changes together with a higher purpose that is compatible with your values. When we do this our actions are consistent with our own values and others may sense this and feel inspired by our way of relating to others.
Can you do this? Can you see a way to begin using this set of skills in your own life? Here is a basic guideline for emotional intelligence from Don Miguel Ruiz, author of the ‘Four Agreements’. In straightforward language, Ruiz says our lives will have more meaning and more peace if we do these four things every day:
1. Be impeccable with your words. (No harsh speech)
2. Do not take anything personally. (It is not always about me)
3. Do not make assumptions. (Get the facts, do not make up stories)
4. Always do your best. (Give it your all, whatever you are doing)
The First Step
Take some time on your own in the next day or so. Give some thought to one situation you are dealing with right now. Think about whether or not you are using the principles of emotional intelligence. Add one new skill at a time. If you do not presently have that skill, take a course, pick up a book. If you want some help learning about emotional intelligence, there are numerous community based resources ready to help you.
You might want to learn this alone, with your spouse, or perhaps the whole family; even situations involving the workplace. Emotional intelligence is a tool for peace wherever you go.
Article provided by the Blue Cross EAP Report April 2008
Reprinted with permission from Mediation Services in Winnipeg, MB
Email: info@mediationserviceswpg.ca
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Interview with Joyce Milgaard on Prison Reform
Sigrid Macdonald: Hi, Joyce. Thanks for joining us. Many people know you as a longtime advocate for the wrongly convicted because your son was incarcerated for almost 23 years for a crime that he didn't commit. I'd like to ask you a few questions today about the justice system in general.
Joyce Milgaard: Hi, Sigrid. Yes, I’ve spent many decades fighting on behalf of the wrongly convicted, starting with my son David's case, and moving onto dozens of others. In fact, I was one of the founding members of the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted (http://www.aidwyc.org/), which I would encourage everyone to support.
Sigrid Macdonald: I also belong to AIDWYC and it's a phenomenal organization, but today, instead of focusing on the wrongly convicted, I’d like to ask what you think about the rightly convicted. To begin with, what do you mean by the term restorative justice?
Joyce Milgaard: Restorative justice should provide assistance to both the victim and the offender. I would like to see meetings that were designed to meet both of their needs, and would enable them to understand each other's feelings. This should be an experience that they will learn from, so that it will not happen again. As an example, at the John Howard Society (http://www.johnhoward.ca/), they work with community-based plans where clients complete community service work hours and provide their victims with a letter of apology. Since 1993, 817 clients have also paid over $1,350,000.00 back to their victims. John Howard involves their clients in treatment programs, educational upgrading, or employment searches. Now to me that is restorative justice!
Sigrid Macdonald: Interesting. That reminds me of a restitution program that I worked in back in the late ‘70s, when the emphasis in the penal system clearly was on rehabilitation rather than punishment.
Can you elaborate a bit on what you think is wrong with the justice system today?
Joyce Milgaard: First, the justice system is still rife with wrongful convictions. The system cannot monitor itself; therefore, we need an Independent Review Board to ensure that only those who have actually committed crimes are behind bars. There will not be justice until there is one.
Second, the justice system is overburdened and ineffective. It seems to be just going around in circles. Consequently, it is not producing the end result that we all would like to see -- offenders who are treated humanely, and given access to proper services for addiction and literacy, as well as vocational training. If that were to happen, offenders who have served their time and are released back into society will be happier, healthier, more well-adjusted, and more high-functioning, thus they will be much less likely to reoffend. It's a win-win situation for everybody, both the offenders and the community.
Sigrid Macdonald: So true! Our society seems to have taken a get-tough-on-crime approach, completely forgetting that many, if not most, offenders will be released back into our cities and towns. Having a job and a steady income is one of the key variables to prevent someone from falling back into a previous life of crime or drugs.
Lastly, Joyce, what can people reading this article do to help?
Joyce Milgaard: In Canada or the UK, write to your federal Justice Minister and to your Member of Parliament. In the US, contact your Senator and congressional representatives. Get other people to write, too.
You can volunteer to work with the John Howard Society, Elizabeth Fry (http://www.elizabethfry.ca/caefs_e.htm) or join Americans for Prison Reform (http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/AmericansforPrisonReform).
It's important to involve the community in this effort as well. Talk to your church and consider starting your own group to ensure justice for all.
Sigrid Macdonald: Yes, it's like the old saying, "Think global, act local." We all need to take action to rectify the situation.
Joyce, thanks so much for your time. You’ve provided some important insights, which I'm sure will be very helpful to those who care about prison reform.
Joyce Milgaard: My pleasure. Thanks for having me.
Joyce Milgaard: Hi, Sigrid. Yes, I’ve spent many decades fighting on behalf of the wrongly convicted, starting with my son David's case, and moving onto dozens of others. In fact, I was one of the founding members of the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted (http://www.aidwyc.org/), which I would encourage everyone to support.
Sigrid Macdonald: I also belong to AIDWYC and it's a phenomenal organization, but today, instead of focusing on the wrongly convicted, I’d like to ask what you think about the rightly convicted. To begin with, what do you mean by the term restorative justice?
Joyce Milgaard: Restorative justice should provide assistance to both the victim and the offender. I would like to see meetings that were designed to meet both of their needs, and would enable them to understand each other's feelings. This should be an experience that they will learn from, so that it will not happen again. As an example, at the John Howard Society (http://www.johnhoward.ca/), they work with community-based plans where clients complete community service work hours and provide their victims with a letter of apology. Since 1993, 817 clients have also paid over $1,350,000.00 back to their victims. John Howard involves their clients in treatment programs, educational upgrading, or employment searches. Now to me that is restorative justice!
Sigrid Macdonald: Interesting. That reminds me of a restitution program that I worked in back in the late ‘70s, when the emphasis in the penal system clearly was on rehabilitation rather than punishment.
Can you elaborate a bit on what you think is wrong with the justice system today?
Joyce Milgaard: First, the justice system is still rife with wrongful convictions. The system cannot monitor itself; therefore, we need an Independent Review Board to ensure that only those who have actually committed crimes are behind bars. There will not be justice until there is one.
Second, the justice system is overburdened and ineffective. It seems to be just going around in circles. Consequently, it is not producing the end result that we all would like to see -- offenders who are treated humanely, and given access to proper services for addiction and literacy, as well as vocational training. If that were to happen, offenders who have served their time and are released back into society will be happier, healthier, more well-adjusted, and more high-functioning, thus they will be much less likely to reoffend. It's a win-win situation for everybody, both the offenders and the community.
Sigrid Macdonald: So true! Our society seems to have taken a get-tough-on-crime approach, completely forgetting that many, if not most, offenders will be released back into our cities and towns. Having a job and a steady income is one of the key variables to prevent someone from falling back into a previous life of crime or drugs.
Lastly, Joyce, what can people reading this article do to help?
Joyce Milgaard: In Canada or the UK, write to your federal Justice Minister and to your Member of Parliament. In the US, contact your Senator and congressional representatives. Get other people to write, too.
You can volunteer to work with the John Howard Society, Elizabeth Fry (http://www.elizabethfry.ca/caefs_e.htm) or join Americans for Prison Reform (http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/AmericansforPrisonReform).
It's important to involve the community in this effort as well. Talk to your church and consider starting your own group to ensure justice for all.
Sigrid Macdonald: Yes, it's like the old saying, "Think global, act local." We all need to take action to rectify the situation.
Joyce, thanks so much for your time. You’ve provided some important insights, which I'm sure will be very helpful to those who care about prison reform.
Joyce Milgaard: My pleasure. Thanks for having me.
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