January 30, 2013
International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy – Fifth National Symposium (January 2013) – Alison MacPhail and Simon Verdun-Jones
Mental Illness and the Criminal Justice System
While this paper excludes consideration of NCR (Not-criminally Responsible) it may be helpful for a number of current issues: a summary of the research, the question of over-representation in the prison population, issues around administration of justice offenses, risk factors for criminality and recidivism, violence, and best strategies. http://www.icclr.law.ubc.ca/files/2013/Mental%20Illness%20and%20the%20Criminal%20Justice%20System%20%5BFinal%20w-disclaimer%5D.pdf ICCLR website – http://www.icclr.law.ubc.ca
Star Telegraph – Marilyn Armour and Stephanie Frogge
Restorative justice a less costly, more meaningful response to crime
The authors are directors for the Institute for Restorative Justice Dialogue at the University of Texas Austin School of Sociology. The Grosmaire case from Jan. 6 is still generating a lot of ink in the US, this article on the cost of the mass incarceration approach. http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/01/29/4584870/restorative-justice-a-less-costly.html#storylink=cpy
Toronto Star – Letters to the Editor
Mental health fix affordable
This link features a series of comments on the guest opinion piece delivered a few days ago by Sandy Simpson of CAMH on the lessons to be learned from the death of Ashley Smith. The letters light some of the elements passed over in the original article. http://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editors/2013/01/30/mental_health_fix_affordable.html
Blogger Matthew Soerens
The Truth About Immigrant Detention Facilities
This article adds some US operational perspective to the issue of immigration detention facilities operated by private companies. http://g92.org/the-truth-about-immigrant-detention-facilities
CBC News – Michael Kempa
How to keep Canada’s crime rate low
Kempa suggests that immigration keeps the crime rate low but that other “rational” crimes flourish when the family and cultural bonds of the immigrant are stretched. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/01/28/f-vp-kempa-crime-rate.html
International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP)
Family Learning Signatures
The IIRP has an article on the Family Learning Signature as one of the RJ approaches. FLS is a self-assessment tool in which a family discovers how the members learn together. The link offers an eight minute video demonstrating. http://blog.iirp.edu/2012/12/leeds-uk-and-the-family-learning-signature
PRWeb (Florida)
Mental Health Center Proclaims That Mental Illness Does Not Equate to Violence
The gun control debate has seen the gun lobby suggest that crimes with guns are typically violence from those with mental illness. One mental health center takes exception to the claim, explicit or by innuendo, that mental illness equates to violence. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/1/prweb10366792.htm
Winnipeg Free Press – Benjamin Gillies
More cops doesn’t fix public safety
Cities are now confronted by the sustainability issue on police funding. The usual tactic is to grow the numbers of police but there is little proof that the increased numbers of police has any impact on crime while there is growing evidence of the impact on crime from supporting community ventures aimed at confronting the harm to victims and the needs of offenders. hyttp://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/westview/more-cops-doesnt-fix-public-safety-188971471.html