Another Thursday, another morning full of thought-provoking conversation. As much as I'm yearning for break -- my thoughts are overly-provoked! -- I can only say that we are on a roll, people!
First, a shout-out to President Travis, who was so generous with his time, expertise and responses to your excellent questions (second shout-out). I'd like for the blog this week to be a space for you to reflect on yesterday's discussion or to continue last week's blog discussion, or even to make connections between things said yesterday and things said last week.
What I've been thinking about since yesterday, and this may be an occupational hazard, is how much language and ritual are part of the re-entry (and indeed broader criminal justice) conversation. From calling an ex-con (what we called them in my day) a "formerly incarcerated citizen" to graduation ceremonies from parole, the "softer" or more "meta" or extra-legal (? now all my language choices seem subject to critique) concerns in the criminal justice process seem to be central ones. But I am someone who pays professional attention to symbol, language, and ritual. What are you all noticing "on the ground" in your internships? Do people pay careful attention to language? Is the importance of symbolic gestures something you see factored into the decisions your agency makes?
Feel free to take this in a different direction. What struck you about our conversation with President Travis yesterday? What questions would you have wanted to ask in a second hour? I know I would have asked him about the choice to put an anti-apartheid anthem as the epigraph to his book. What connections does he want the reader to make between America's prison system and apartheid in South Africa?
Friday, March 27, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Visiting the Mother Ship
Hello Verons,
I think we all were pretty impressed by our trip this morning to Vera. But what else were we? Since we don't have an official blog post-er this week, I thought I'd start a conversation about the many different ideas that were running through your head this morning (other than, can I actually take a second doughnut -- o.k. that was me). Did anything you learn help you figure anything out? Did it make you more confused? Are your internships this semester more the former or the latter? Any questions that you did not get to ask there that you would have wanted to?
As I said this morning, I was really struck by what a key skill flexibility is -- intellectually, personally, professionally -- and I wonder if you feel that you see that in your spinoff organization? Do you think that the things you are studying/doing are helping you develop that skill? And, in a nod to Professor Waterston, what kinds of larger conditions are necessary for people/organizations to be able to be flexible?
On a separate note, I will bring a thank-you card to seminar next week for everyone to sign, but feel free to shoot Tina an informal thank you at tchiu@vera.org.
Blog on!
I think we all were pretty impressed by our trip this morning to Vera. But what else were we? Since we don't have an official blog post-er this week, I thought I'd start a conversation about the many different ideas that were running through your head this morning (other than, can I actually take a second doughnut -- o.k. that was me). Did anything you learn help you figure anything out? Did it make you more confused? Are your internships this semester more the former or the latter? Any questions that you did not get to ask there that you would have wanted to?
As I said this morning, I was really struck by what a key skill flexibility is -- intellectually, personally, professionally -- and I wonder if you feel that you see that in your spinoff organization? Do you think that the things you are studying/doing are helping you develop that skill? And, in a nod to Professor Waterston, what kinds of larger conditions are necessary for people/organizations to be able to be flexible?
On a separate note, I will bring a thank-you card to seminar next week for everyone to sign, but feel free to shoot Tina an informal thank you at tchiu@vera.org.
Blog on!
Friday, March 13, 2009
...and the Jury says?
Thanks Fellows for such a great discussion yesterday.
Southchester, like many counties across the state (and across the country), is unequipped to deal with the number of individuals they have incarcerated. But the problem doesn't go away.
As we mentioned in class, go ahead and weigh in with a verdict: what should Southchester do? You can be yourself, but I'd like you to consider whether your opinion would change if you lived in Southchester, had a family, were elderly, were unemployed...
_________________________________________________________________
I have so much that I wanted to bring up in class, but there is so little time! (okay, fine, and I was a little nervous). A couple things I will throw out right now are:
- Consider what makes a jail different from a prison- very high inmate turnover, individuals awaiting trial (who are still "innocent" in the eyes of the law???), often more poorly funded, mostly members from that community...
- Who is housed in a local jail? In Dutchess, roughly 1 in 4 were diagnosed with a mental illness, and between 60-70% are non-violent drug offenders (or charged with a non-violent drug offense).
- Tim Joseph, a legislator for Tompkins County, spoke about how state officials use statistics inappropriately to bully county governments into costly expansions. He said, "They get a graph, they look at what it's done in the past twenty years, and they draw a line through it. They go out twenty more years, and they say that's what [the population] is going to be. Now if we project that to continue and continue, well, there won't be anyone left to guard us all."
As learnéd outsiders, the situation might seem silly. (It seems silly to me) But even if we introduce alternative programs, who would run them? How do we leverage political support? What happens if these programs do not achieve the results they are expected to? Will the community support these "soft" solutions? Can Southchester afford the risk?
Octavia raised an important selling point for private (and public) expansions- beds can be sold out to generate revenue for the town. Jobs will be created. Darakshan raised a good point too- no unions may mean we can employ more Southchester-ians struggling in this economy. While philosophically we may not support a private jail, can we sleep at night if we don't invest in a solution that gives our community the most jobs with benefits, saves our town money (potentially) and, perhaps, even generates income that can be reinvested into the community?
P.S. If you want- take a break from all your work and watch this short, totally unrelated youtube clip. I had this in my syllabus also- it is BRILLIANT in its marketing strategy... and I PROMISE you won't regret it. Weigh in on it too if you'd like. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POFO0HGrpVE
Southchester, like many counties across the state (and across the country), is unequipped to deal with the number of individuals they have incarcerated. But the problem doesn't go away.
As we mentioned in class, go ahead and weigh in with a verdict: what should Southchester do? You can be yourself, but I'd like you to consider whether your opinion would change if you lived in Southchester, had a family, were elderly, were unemployed...
_________________________________________________________________
I have so much that I wanted to bring up in class, but there is so little time! (okay, fine, and I was a little nervous). A couple things I will throw out right now are:
- Consider what makes a jail different from a prison- very high inmate turnover, individuals awaiting trial (who are still "innocent" in the eyes of the law???), often more poorly funded, mostly members from that community...
- Who is housed in a local jail? In Dutchess, roughly 1 in 4 were diagnosed with a mental illness, and between 60-70% are non-violent drug offenders (or charged with a non-violent drug offense).
- Tim Joseph, a legislator for Tompkins County, spoke about how state officials use statistics inappropriately to bully county governments into costly expansions. He said, "They get a graph, they look at what it's done in the past twenty years, and they draw a line through it. They go out twenty more years, and they say that's what [the population] is going to be. Now if we project that to continue and continue, well, there won't be anyone left to guard us all."
As learnéd outsiders, the situation might seem silly. (It seems silly to me) But even if we introduce alternative programs, who would run them? How do we leverage political support? What happens if these programs do not achieve the results they are expected to? Will the community support these "soft" solutions? Can Southchester afford the risk?
Octavia raised an important selling point for private (and public) expansions- beds can be sold out to generate revenue for the town. Jobs will be created. Darakshan raised a good point too- no unions may mean we can employ more Southchester-ians struggling in this economy. While philosophically we may not support a private jail, can we sleep at night if we don't invest in a solution that gives our community the most jobs with benefits, saves our town money (potentially) and, perhaps, even generates income that can be reinvested into the community?
P.S. If you want- take a break from all your work and watch this short, totally unrelated youtube clip. I had this in my syllabus also- it is BRILLIANT in its marketing strategy... and I PROMISE you won't regret it. Weigh in on it too if you'd like. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POFO0HGrpVE
Friday, March 6, 2009
Searching For A Remedy
America is a country like no other, where people come to find refuge from their own war torn or corrupt countries; countries that have been destroyed due to religious conflicts and other divisiveness. It is where dreams are made on just a dollar and where stars are born and legends are made.
Clearly no one as of yet at least, knows the answer to what makes a near perfect society or at least one that functions to equally benefit everyone. Many believe that diversity should be valued and maintain because it encourages innovation and cultural richness. Yet it is this diversity that highlights how different we are--- potentially driving us further apart from each other. Others believe that identifying with one culture encourages unity, solidarity and cooperation, though having one culture can be viewed as limited.
How do we truly see past the differences among us in order to advocate for each others interest and work in concert in achieving those interests? How important is it to get over who is what? Can there be one shared culture? Or are we just too torn to see our selves as one? And with the fast emerging bi-racial population, do they eventually create their own culture since they do not belong to just one?
Myself, I do not have a definitive answer for many of these questions. And as a mother of a bi-racial child I am sorting it all out. For now however, I am choosing to raise my daughter as an American, not part Irish or part Jamaican.
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