May 30, 2023 – Healing…
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Honourable Beverley Browne – Wîyasôw Iskweêw – Restorative Justice Committee Pilot Project (Alberta)
The pilot: A collective approach – The restorative justice pilot project is a court-annexed program with the goal of referring appropriate matters that are before the courts to a restorative justice process.
This is an important new initiative around criminal justice and the restorative justice approach. The Brochure, outlining the developments and new perspective, may be found at: https://rjalbertacourts.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/RJ-Brochure.pdf The Powerpoint presentation mapping the intended future and the way the process should operate, described in detail in the brochure, is more succinct and found below.
(Click on Powerpoint)
Margaret Mead, anthropologist, on the start of human growth:
“Years ago, anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked by a student what she considered to be the first sign of civilization in a culture. The student expected Mead to talk about fishhooks or clay pots or grinding stones. But no. Mead said that the first sign of civilization in an ancient culture was a femur (thighbone) that had been broken and then healed. Mead explained that in the animal kingdom, if you break your leg, you die. You cannot run from danger, get to the river for a drink or hunt for food. You are meat for prowling beasts. No animal survives a broken leg long enough for the bone to heal. A broken femur that has healed is evidence that someone has taken time to stay with the one who fell, has bound up the wound, has carried the person to safety and has tended the person through recovery. Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts, Mead said. We are at our best when we serve others.” https://twitter.com/RandyResist/status/1663220506068230145?s=20
Ottawa Citizen – Blair Crawford
Inmate who died at Innes Road jail was taken to hospital by correctional officers, but never saw medical staff, inquest hears – What happened to Shannon Sargent when she was taken to the the Ottawa Hospital in July 2016 is in dispute.
Shannon Sargent died while waiting for medical attention in 2016. The Indigenous woman was found dead in her cell at Innes Road Jail nine hours after being sent to hospital. Sargent had a number of medical conditions – intravenous drug addiction and only two weeks before open heart surgery – but what happened between the jail and the hospital is not at all clear. Seven years later, the legal reality is that “the inquest is expected to last 10 days and hear from 25 witnesses. Its aim is to determine who died, when, where and how they died, and by what means they died. Jurors can make recommendations to prevent future deaths, but cannot find fault.” https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/inmate-who-died-at-innes-road-jail-was-taken-to-hospital-by-correctional-officers-but-never-saw-medical-staff-inquest-hears?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Ottawa%20Citizen%20Headline%20News%20-%20Weekdays%202023-05-30&utm_term=OC_HeadlineNews
Toronto Star – Wendy Gillis
After George Floyd
Nowhere did the ‘defund the police’ movement get greater impetus for actually doing the deed through public outrage and political activism than did the movement in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Gillis takes the reader through the activity and the process that initially prompted serious challenge to the continued existence of a corrupt and racist police force and concludes that the mindset of the people is what has really changed. https://www.thestar.com/2023/george-floyd-defund-police.html Related article: CBC News (Halifax) – Danielle Elliott Officer charged with assault of Black teen completes restorative justice program – Const. Mark Pierce was charged with assault by the Serious Incident Response Team in 2020 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/black-teen-officer-restorative-justice-civil-suits-1.6856784
Dane County (Wisconsin) – Stephanie Miller
Dane County Welcomes Former Chief Judge to Discuss Restorative Justice Practices
The former chief judge Dave Raasch focuses on Circle Keeping, a practice of the Indigenous or native American people of the area. The presentation was on “how circle keeping works as a tool to resolve conflict and restore communities, and the current applications of peacemaking circles as it relates to criminal justice in the United States.” The sponsor, the county RJ program, is designed for 17-25 year olds who commit misdemeanor crimes. https://www.countyofdane.com/PressDetail/9571
New feature starting to drive policing costs: Tweet from Kenny Akers (@KeneAkers) on police recruiting: Ron Desantis law enforcement recruitment bonus program pulled 1,750 law enforcement officers from across the country to Florida and the officers each have received a $5,000 sign on bonus after taxes, bringing the total amount awarded though the program to more than $11.8 million… https://t.co/3bnFJuNPVJ
(https://twitter.com/KeneAkers/status/1663354524764094465?t=NCBF-FPFAxKCH1pSHiT0lA&s=03)
BC Tyee – Zak Vescera
The Myth of Increased Transit Violence – Crime rates are actually down. But workers struggle to deal with the effects of social problems.
Crime reports and public confidence in public transit have been mingling for some time in several major cities in Canada. This report from Vancouver says that crime on public transit is down but the experience of social problems on the transit system – homelessness, addiction and mental health issues as well as poverty – are showing up. Consequently more police doesn’t solve the problem. Says criminologist Neil Boyd: “I think what happens in these circumstances is you get one or two horrific cases. And there’s a leap from these one or two horrific cases to making an assumption that things have been spinning out of control and we’ve reached a new plateau.” https://thetyee.ca/News/2023/05/29/Myth-Increased-Transit-Violence/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_content=052923-1&utm_campaign=editorial