I must say that our visit to Vera was very inspirational! Being able to visit the main site (where everything happens) and having Michael Jacobson speak to us about Vera’s mission and its spin-off process for its agencies was mind-blowing. It reminded me of what our ultimate mission is at our agency – which is social justice and/or delivery of services to a population that is in dire need of it. He brought our attention to the quote of Herb Sturz’ that was inscribed on the wall: “Wonderful way of building knowledge is doing something” which really stood out in his discussion about the spin-off process. Although some projects (i.e. Project Greenlight) did not produce the results that they needed in order to keep it running, they at least tried to create an agency for that population.
What also caught my attention was how each of them ended up at Vera. In each case, they were at some point interns for Vera! I feel that we are very lucky to be a part of this fellowship and to be a part of this process where we can learn how social justice can be accomplished with organizations like Vera. As Michael said, “Vera is very different from other organizations as other organizations spin off their problems and Vera spins off successes.”
Professor Stein brought up an interesting question which was, “Why isn’t Vera dealing with the sex offender population?” The sex offender population is a growing problem, especially with child pornography. Although Karen Goldstein said that there isn’t a need in that population, I believe that it may also be due to the high recidivism rate with that population. I personally believe that sex offenders often times get a slap on the wrist and do not get sentenced to enough time for their crimes. What are everyone else’s thoughts on that?
It was also very interesting to hear from Michael about Vera’s involvement all over the globe, especially in China. I’ve visited China a handful of times and know that, because they’re a communist country, they don’t like outside help. China is also full of corruption within their system. In August of 2009, an outspoken politician, Xu Zhiyong was arrested for advocating for legal rights. An excerpt from the New York Times, “Xu Zhiyong, 36, a soft-spoken and politically shrewd legal scholar who has made a name representing migrant workers, death row inmates and the parents of babies poisoned by tainted milk, is accused of tax evasion. The accusation is almost universally seen here as a cover for his true offense: angering the Communist Party leadership through his advocacy of the rule of law.” China operates in a mysterious way… If one were to speak out about the country, they would either disappear or be imprisoned. This was why I was very surprised to hear that China actually reached out to Vera for help on interrogation research. Will it ever be possible to work together in unison with all other countries (even communist countries) with the mission of social justice for all?
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20 comments:
wow, Im so upset i missed the visit, but through your post, I got a small glimpse of how inspiring it must’ve been, and my melancholy gross that much more.
I do agree that sex offenders do “get a slap on the wrist” for their actions, and that perverting the innocence of a child especially should be greatly punished. However, the issues involved with sex offenders and their criminology is vast. I think most of it is that, sex offenders might be less willing to subject themselves to a program that will “help” them, since they might feel, perhaps more strongly than others, that they do not need help. Also it is not easy to catch sex offenders... and perhaps since the subject is so difficult and shameful, it is more difficult to help such a “bad population” with a heavy stigma. I mean, how can a Vera spin off help sex offenders? They can attempt to ease the stigma and its consequences like registering as a sex offender, but that registration it is important for the protection of society, and many people will not support banishing that protocol. Perhaps a spinoff can help find employment for sex offenders and of course, offer counseling and services of the sort.
I know it sounds a bit pessimistic, but no, I do not believe it’s possible to work with all other countries, especially not for universal social justice, that just sounds like a romantic idea. One of the beauty of this world is it’s variety, and with that comes different mindsets, cultures, priorities, and goals. There are, truly, “bad” people out there who will “step on other’s backs” to acquire what they want. I honestly feel the U.S. should focus on it’s on problems and help the people in it, before they try and help others.
Freud called the sex drive one of two instinctual drives, intrinsic to all living things and extremely powerful. To back this up with recent folklore, in ‘Grey's Anatomy’, a character stated, "wars have been fought over an erection." It's possible low-level sex offenders get off with a slap on the wrist, but a sex offender's face, name, previous criminal history and current address does go on a public list to which they can never be unregistered after committing a serious deviant sexual act. I find it unsettling that most of us will never understand the motivation behind their sexual deviation - mostly because we will never have the opportunity to interview a sex offender ourselves, and also because of the fear and repugnance deviant sexual acts inspire. Society does, as it should, consider sodomy, child pornography and rape as "so low" – at the cost of fending off most our interest to learn about them.
In his book, Michael Jacobson describes “visceral reactions on the part of the public and law makers alike set criminal justice policy apart from other areas of public policy.” (19) An obvious, yet powerful reality. Many of our laws and policies are based on reactions to snapshots in time: “Megan’s Law,” (requiring law enforcement to make available the sex offender registry I mentioned before) created after Megan Kanka was raped and murdered by a repeat violent sex offender; the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act (creating a “three-tier” system for classifying sex offenders according to their risk to the community); and, although not named after the victim, the “three-strikes law” which was propelled by Polly Klaas’ murder in California by a sex offender on parole. Three strikes law in California is one of the main reasons for their overwhelming corrections budget, and for so long it wasn’t examined because its relationship was cemented to the high-profile murder of Polly Klaas. Michael Jacobson calls this the “sociological phenomena that lead to a social climate of vindictiveness.”
If you look in the DSM-IV-TR (a manual of psychological disorders), acts later charged as sex offenses are included: pedophilia, for example. What does this mean? On one hand, researchers who study sex offenders tell us they’re attracted to children of X age range the same way you or I are attracted to the opposite sex. Because their attraction deviates from the norm and causes significant interpersonal and lifestyle difficulty, pedophilia is considered a mental disorder. Sometimes we use mental illnesses, such as social phobia or depression as an excuse for why people are who they are, and accept them into society. The traits and behaviors associated with pedophilia will never be an acceptable in society, nor should they. This leaves this population will a real need that must (and to some extent, has been) acknowledged. Sex offenders seem impervious to so many types of treatment because treatment is attempting to change one of the two instinctual drives, intrinsic to all living things and extremely powerful. That “revolving door” goes two directions –between treatment and society. There's a need for education which circles back to the neighborhoods in which these sex offenders live. As long as we don't have time for it, we're going to continue making knee-jerk authoritarian responses which result in "unintended consequences" (Jacobson, 42) like that of California's 3 strikes law.
http://freestudents.blogspot.com/2009/09/there-is-fury-and-and-sadness-inside.html
Same topic, different issue
Well, today I get to weigh in on something I actually feel that I know quite a bit about: sex offenders. It is fascinating that most of the students seem to have taken my query at Vera to mean something along the lines of: “hey, can’t we do something about those evil deviant sex offenders?!” I fact, I meant the opposite: “Can’t we do something about a misguided and unjust legal system that fans the flames of public ire toward the (supposedly) growing public menace of so-called pedophilia and other sex crimes. In reality, hyperbolic media attention and draconian laws mandating sex registration exist mostly to distract our attention from the actual location of 90% of sexual assault: THE HOME.
Similar to the highly political “Terror Alert” colors, the contemporary panic over sex offenders diverts resources away from where they are needed, does absolutely nothing to protect the public, and has created an entire class of supposedly incurable offenders that we have no moral compunction about civilly committing, even after they have served their sentences. Indeed, sex offenders have one of the lowest recidivism rates of all offenders. And it is no mystery why people abuse others sexually: about 75-80% of offenders were themselves abused as children, physically and/or sexually.
People convicted of sex crimes and put on registries for life have included an 18 year old man who had consensual oral sex with a sixteen year old girl (this case made it all the way to the Supreme Court), and old men with dementia who expose themselves to someone on the subway, as well as legitimately dangerous, violent rapists and killers (in truth, only a very small percentage of the whole.) Once caught in that system (which includes ridiculous rules about where one can live and work) this largely male population is pushed further and further out of the mainstream until they finally jobless, homeless, and completely ostracized with little hope of working their way back into normal society. Would you hire a sex offender? Rent to one? Marry one? We are making deviants. We are making criminals.
Thus, my query to Vera concerned the need that this population has for drug counseling, therapy, employment, and especially housing (in many places, because of the laws concerning where they can and cannot live, men labeled as sex offenders have moved to outside encampments under bridges, in tunnels, and on the edges of towns.)
I implore you all to become avid questioners of what you read and hear about these offenders, as you have about drug offenders and others. This is yet another instance of needing to look up and ask: Who benefits from the laws being configured in a particular way? What would I be seeing if I wasn't looking at this?
I think that many do not wish to fully acknowledge the topic of sex offenders. If they do they picture the offenders as being disgusting monsters, but what many do not understand is that being a sexual deviant is a psychological problem. I think the reason why they just get slap on the wrist is because officials do not know how to deal with this problem properly. Recidivism rates from sexual offenders aren’t as high as drug offenders because being arrested for a sexual deviant is embarrassing. To top it off they get registered as a sexual offender on watchdog.com, so their neighbors and others will know about their indiscretion. If Vera would create such a program I think they would need a medical sector, because going to meetings won’t be enough. I also think that it can’t be the usual 6 month program process; it would have to be something long term. It’s sort of like having a drug addiction, going to treatment only works if it’s under a long period of time, and even then some people relapse.
This discussion brought to mind a piece written by anthropologist Roger Lancaster titled "State of Panic" in the book, "New Landscapes of Inequality." Lancaster offers a brilliant analysis of moral panics in general, and ongoing moral panics around "sex" (abortion, unwed mothers, homosexuality) and also around pedophilia. Lancaster defines moral panic as "any mass movement that emerges in response to a false, exaggerated, or ill-defined moral threat to society AND that proposes to address this threat via punitive measures: tougher enforcement, 'zero tolerance,' new laws, communal vigilance, violent purges" (emphasis mine).
In keeping with Danielle's and Professor Stein's observations, Lancaster points out that the large proportion of people listed on sex offender registries are NOT violent repeat offenders, NOT serial rapists, and NOT child stalkers. He notes that under European laws (with a lower age of consent), many who are on our sex offender registries would not be classified as sex offenders. Yet what sticks in our minds as the names on these registries grow, is this image of the quintessential evildoer, the pedophile monster, who preys on innocence. Lancaster writes, "But this ignominous figure's ability to conjure fear, rally citizens, and inspire legislation is based not on any significant statistical facts but on the outrage his invocation stirs."
The moral panic has a political function, is an important political tool in keeping people focused away from the true causes of their worries. Lancaster writes, "...panics often express, in an irrational, spectral or misguided way, real social anxieties....social ills are attributed to moral shortcomings rather than sociological or political-economic causes...(and results in) endless calls for ever more punitive forms of government."
But the contradictions ultimately do catch up with the moral entrepreneurs. I recall hearing about a study by a John Jay professor that documents how there are fewer and fewer places for registered sex offenders to live given the restrictions on where they can live. The result is a growing number of people stripped of their right to live anywhere. This situation is not sustainable.
Finally, I'd like to comment on a point Marling made at the end of her entry. Despite the fact that people live in nation-states with geo-political boundaries, we all in fact live in one world. If we start to de-construct the everyday things in our lives, that fact becomes clear: where did the raw materials come from that make up our homes, furniture, cell phone parts? where do we get the energy resources that keep us warm and allow us to travel from place to place? how and why do goods, services and people circulate across the globe? In what ways are the privileges we enjoy connected to people and places not in our line of view? When has the U.S. intervened "elsewhere" in the name of "freedom" or "democracy" but really to protect its own interests and ensure its dominance on the global stage? In what ways has the U.S. (historically and in the present) violated principles of universal social justice?
Also, the U.S. and the interests it seeks to protect are not one and the same with those of us seeking peace with justice here and elsewhere. To me, the challenge is not to conflate the country and its interests with us and our dreams for a better world.
I was so surprised to learn that the recidivism rates of sex offenders are so low. I always thought it was so difficult to rehabilitate sex offenders and that was why it was considered such a serious problem. I think people are often so disgusted by the idea of sex offenders that we often forget to wonder why they do what they do. Sympathy, compassion, or pity even, escapes us when it comes to sex offenders. We forget that most of them were sexually abused in their childhood and that helps form their perceptions of sexuality. I'm sure if we did some anonymous surveys, the number of people who would report having been sexually abused as a child would be pretty high. When we think of sex offenders, we think of creepy men watching children through the gates of a school--we do not think of fathers or uncles or family friends. And so our instinct is to punish or lock them up in a mental institution or prison. We do not feel that they are deserving of a Vera program that can help them. Well that's exactly why we are at John Jay, and in the Vera program, and at our internships...so that we better our understanding of these issues and learn to think critically with all the knowledge available to us.
I must say that I was fascinated with our visit to Vera last week. I was happy to learn more about Vera's agency creation and spinoff process. I though it was great that the ideas for new agencies come from all levels within Vera. I felt really lucky about this fellowship because Vera is a place that encourages people to grow and to actively pursue their social justice goals.
I am afraid I do not know much about sex offenders, but I am surprised to find out about their low recidivism rates. I figured deviant sexual behavior was innate and people found it difficult to abstain from engaging in it. However, I do believe that people make mistakes and society should give individuals the right to reincorporate into society. How can sex offenders remake their lives if society makes it difficult for them to regain their normalcy? As a mother I feel also tempted to say that all the measures taken against sex offenders are necessary, but then I begin to question whether my fears are well founded. It may take some time for me to decide how I really feel about the treatment of sex offenders in our society, but I am happy that this blog has forced me to view a subject in a new light.
I am really out of my league in this very high-level conversation about sex offenders (though I have enjoyed following it!). But it does strike me that these issues relate to the extremely complicated relationship to sexuality that this country has always had, with its twin commitments to Puritanism and freedom of expression. THE SCARLET LETTER says it all.
I hate to beat a dead horse but i really found our visit to Vera to be very interesting and extremely inspiring. The spin off process and the seemingly backwards business model employed was quite interesting to listen to.
I really don't feel like I know anywhere near enough on the topic of sex offenders and the criminal justice system to comment. However, to me it seems that issues such as pedophilia and violent sexual deviance are more psychologically ingrained than a robbery or a crime of that sort. What is asked of sex offenders by the criminal justice system and society is to go completely against the most primal of urges.
As far as statistics showing such a low recidivism rates among sex offenders, a very, very low number of rape and sexual abuse cases are ever reported. This can skew the data tremendously. Recidivism rates for this particular sort of crime seem to me to be very unreliable as many of the victims do not come forth and report the crime, are defenseless, do not realize what has occurred to them, or often cannot even comprehend that a crime has occurred. Victims include children, the elderly, the physically and mentally disabled, and (possibly most controversial of all) members of certain ethnic and religious communities where certain sexual behaviors and marriage customs differ vastly from the mainstream and the law.
This particular issue is far more complex than other crimes on a personal and societal level and such low recidivism rates (3.3% according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics website*) seem, at least to me, incapable of being remotely accurate due to the predatory nature of the crime I outlined above.
*http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/press/rsorp94pr.htm
I did find one Canadian study which stated that "Overall, follow-up studies typically find sexual recidivism rates of 10%-15% after five years, 20% after 10 years, and 30%-40% after 20 years" (Hanson, Morton, & Harris, 2003). The specifics of the study however, I could not find at this time.
By the way, the second paragraph obviously refers to their particular warped comprehension or interpretation of sexual behavior or appetite. that is what I meant by "the most primal of urges"(sex).
Going to Vera was a wonderful experience which I enjoyed very much. It was interesting to learn how the heart of Vera is several methodologies that are composed of research, projects, spin-offs, consulting to local and state government and even international work in China and Africa which was amazing to learn. It was also nice to learn the process on the creation of spin-offs which we did not know before in full detail. I liked the fact that through spin-offs Vera gets rid of projects that work by passing them on to other non-profits. It reminded me of a parent and child relationship; where the parents slowly but surely push their children out into the world so that they may grow. By doing this Vera allows these not-for profits organizations to create their own identity which in essence I feel allows for the community to receive more than less. In my humble opinion had Vera tried to manage all these projects alone, I do not feel they would have been as successful as these projects are today. Having these spin-offs allows for these organizations to focus on a specific issue and develop on it, grow and improve, this is ultimately why they continue to be so successful.
Something that was interesting to learn more about was that Vera only does new projects that have not been tested. Vera is very innovative and I like this, but I began to think what about those programs out there that have been tested and work. Why not make more of those programs that our communities lack as a support system as well as work on new innovative projects which in unity may help the community more then less? As we heard about Esperanza and the Juvenile Justice System, I could not help but think wouldn’t it be great if Vera had programs that worked on prevention rather than focus so much on cure, wouldn’t this make an even greater difference? For instance, I feel that early childhood prevention is something that can be really be beneficial to the community more so than anything else. And yes this has been tested but not to the extent that it should, more needs to be known and learned about protective factors against offending because we have very little insight on this. In my mind this would make a greater difference, why not research and learn more about possible protective services that may prevent as whole and deter Juvenile delinquency that eventually lead to a criminal lifestyle and also work to lower juvenile delinquency, recidivism rates and help the city and state save even more money. I just wanted to write about this as a thought I had during a visit to Vera which I felt was important to question. More should be done to prevent rather than cure. According to Farrington and Welsh from Saving Children From A Life Of Crime “for example, smoking, lack of exercise, and a fatty diet are important risk factors for heart attacks, and these factors can be tackled by media campaigns encouraging people to smoke less, exercise more, and eat more healthily…. the same is true for offending” (p3).
Oh Katiria!! You make such an important point--you raise such an important question!!! I just wish you had posted earlier in the week because at this late hour, I'm not sure who is going to actually see your post. I'm writing this at 7:30AM and have to write quickly to get to school, but thought I'd write this short note.
I'd love for us to talk about why we don't get to "prevention." If we were to enact policies that prevent, where would that take us as a society? Who would benefit from prevention and who would lose if real human needs were addressed. This is such a key point. Can we discuss this sometime????
Manny has called our attention to a hugely important aspect of sex crimes: that a large number of sex crimes are never reported to law enforcement, calling into question whether our numbers are accurate. Indeed, we know from victimization surveys that the actual rate of sexual offending is about 3 times higher than official figures. We also know, from those same victimization surveys, that the prototypical sex offender is a step-father or mother’s boyfriend, who is offending against a 14 or 15 year old girl in the home. Or, as Thomas Giovanni put it to me today, “if you want to end sex crimes, you’d better make being an uncle illegal.” The sad truth is that the problem is in our families not hiding in the bushes. Our resources are sadly misdirected.
Katiria also brings up a great point. I know that the majority of violent offenders I have worked with were abused as children (to take just one way that they were disadvantaged). We know that a very low cost simple program, like having nurses visit homes with newborns monthly for year, cuts the rate of abuse IN HALF. Support services and education for mothers and fathers throughout their child’s development also dramatically cut down abuse and neglect and, down the road, lessen drug dependency, alcoholism, drop out rates, and crimes of all type. We just don’t seem to have the will to do them.
Like AIG, maybe crime is just too big a business to fail.
Professor Waterston I definitely agree with you, this is an essential topic to discuss at one of our upcoming seminars. As future ambassadors of Justice it is our duty to know these things and to try to make the changes we can so that the differences we pursue to make for the future have the greatest possible impacts on society. Professor Stein is right, we know preventive programs are necessary and essential but "we just don’t seem to have the will to do them". So...why is this? Who is benefitting from this, if anyone? Let's figure it out and work towards change!
I was stunned to learned that Vera has so barnches or spin-off angencies all over the world, trying to find ways to better the lives of people with social and economical obstacles. I think that is a great thing, which even the government has not been able to accomplish. I was also impressesed by the quote on the wall. The quote clearly describes that if one wishes to accomplisn something, one must do something to get it done. Similary, that is the goal of Vera. By conducting research abnd providing help to other people, Vera also gains something from it, which they could use to better the lives of all Americans. I think it is a great think what Vera is doing outside of the United States. What I liked most about the Micheal jacabson's speech is that it gave me more strength to what i want to accomplish myself. I am a people person. I want to help people in and outside of the US and by doing I will be able to travel, meet new people, develop strong relationships with important people, and do what I motivates me.
COMMENT FROM VAUGHN MASON:
Our meeting at Vera was very insightful to say the least. Its one thing to hear how simplistic an approach these individual s take in their every day work, but seeing the place where it all goes down has a certain indescribable feeling. Although I found Michael Jacobson’s speech very informative I must admit it was most enjoyable hearing our fellow John Jay Alum speak about her experience with Vera. It’s not only the fact that her life is more accessible to me in the present , but rather seeing the way Vera implements its concept of individual growth even within its own organization. As for the question of the day posed by professor stein, I too was guilty of the same misinterpretation. While I’m enlightened by your words and agree with you totally, isn’t this the subsequent cost of the feminist movement? Society always struggles to find a middle ground in issues involving race and gender. The pendulum of gender relations has publicly become so unbalanced that it magnifies sex cri exponentially! Would a solution to this inevitably place the work that feminist have been doing in for years at risk?
Katiria, I was wondering the same thing when they said that they did not recreate programs that have been tried and tested. If a program works and is helpful and necessary, then why not recreate it in another place where it can serve the community? I think this is something Vera should reconsider...especially as they stated that they were running out of ideas for new programs. Not to mention, new twists and perspectives can be added to old programs--they can be improved so it's not like Vera cannot add something new to the mix.
Prevention is always better than trying to fix a problem once it's already manifested: it's better to have the smoke alarm and fire proof materials and prevent a fire from occurring than to deal with a fire and the resulting wreckage and deaths that may occur. I was just discussing with my mentor about how difficult it is to get students from a below standard average to something slightly above that. That small improvement takes so much time, resources, and effort. It makes you think how much more efficient it would have been if they had been prevented from reaching a below average stage in the first place.
Vaughn, I am intrigued by your query regarding sex offenses. You wrote: "While I’m enlightened by your words and agree with you totally, isn’t this the subsequent cost of the feminist movement?" Such a controversial comment needs some elaboration. Please write again, saying what you mean, even if in brief.
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