The Honourable Dr. Pierre Allard

 June 23, 2013

 Advertiser-Register (NS) – Wendy Elliott
Restorative justice works: Allard

 Both victim and RJ advocate, Dr. Pierre Allard has received his third honorary doctorate, this one from Acadia Divinity College.  “But it was the brutal 1980 murder of his brother, Andre, that first shaped his strong belief in restorative justice.  Murder, Allard suggested, changes everything. “Then I was the victim,” he said.  “The vision of restorative justice gave me back life,” Allard said. “The challenge is finding an image of God that is life-giving.”  SJNC offers congratulations on the doctorate and gratitude for Pierre’s faithfulness in witness. http://www.kingscountynews.ca/News/Local/2013-06-22/article-3281792/Restorative-justice-works%3A-Allard/1

 Daily Record and Sunday Mail (Scotland)
Moors murderer Ian Brady set to speak publicly at mental health tribunal for first time since he was jailed in 1966

Convicted child killer Ian Brady’s public legal efforts to be transferred from mental hospital to prison may serve to illustrate some of complexities around mental illness and prison.  Sentenced in 1966 as a pedophile child killer, Brady wants to kill himself through a hunger fast and has, in fact, been force fed by hospital authorities for some time.  http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/moors-murderer-ian-brady-set-1974512 

 Guardian (UK) – Huma Qureshi
Former death row couple: ‘Life turned out beautifully’ 

 What a strange story!  Now married in Galway, Ireland, Sunny Jacobs and Peter Pringle had a previous life each on death row for the murder of two policemen.  Both cases were, after 17 and 15 years in prison respectively, declared wrongful convictions.  Their individual stories are filled with both happiness and horror.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/jun/22/former-death-row-couple

 WVUE – Fox News (New Orleans)
Concerns about consent decree, crime prevention districts

 In Lakeview district, there is a special property tax that goes to paying for off-duty police to parole the neighbourhood.  In place since 1998, the agreement is beginning to fray a little as the off-duty officers look for a co-ordinator. To this point, the payment has been through the city, at one and half times the usual rate, not an employment agreement with the residents.  The issue is the consent on the part of the city and out sourcing to a co-ordinator.   Residents think the service has resulted in an 800% reduction in neighbourhood crime.  http://www.fox8live.com/story/22658417/residents-concerned-about-impact-of-consent-decree-on-special-taxing-districts

 AllGov (US) – Matt Bewig
Immigration Agency Accused of Holding 834 U.S. Citizens 

 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) normally issues a hold to verify the citizenship status of people of people crossing the US border.  ACLU has begun a lawsuit for the improper and illegal requests made of local police to hold, sometimes for prolonged periods, people who are verifiyably known to be US citizens.  http://www.allgov.com/news/controversies/immigration-agency-accused-of-holding-834-us-citizens-130623?news=850367   

Montgomery Advertiser Editorial (Alabama, US)
Treat violence as health issue 

 In a city where the leading cause of death among Black males aged 15-35 is homicide, parallels to a medical disease and multiple responses to medical crisis may be an entirely appropriate model.http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20130623/OPINION01/306230024/Editorial-Treat-violence-health-issue?nclick_check=1 Three part series on violence in Montgomery:  (Left column) Part 1:  Hard stats, current reality;  Part 2: Some of the root causes at play http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20130623/NEWS01/306230004/TSUNAMI-VIOLENCE-part-2-3-root-causes Part 3: June 30: Galvanizing for solutions 

 The Daily Beast – Joshua DuBois
The Fight for Black Men

 Meet Joe Jones, founder of the Center for Urban Families on Baltimore’s west side, a national model for helping men and women in the throes of addiction and poverty.  This is a fascinating reflection piece and contextual story that explains a lot about the justice system and the racist ingredient in the system.  Says DuBois: “There are more African-Americans on probation, on parole or in prison today then there were slaves in 1850.  This is not a crisis of crime.  It is a crisis of people being left behind.”  http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2013/06/19/obama-s-former-spiritual-advisor-joshua-dubois-on-the-fight-for-black-men.html