Maybe it’s true that “it takes a village.” In today’s Thursday Thought quote we read about the importance of community.
“Crime goes up when the sense of community goes down. People feel disconnected.” — Steven Stosny, compassionpower.com.
Tag Archive for crime
Community and Crime
Maybe it’s true that “it takes a village.” In today’s Thursday Thought quote we read about the importance of community.
“Crime goes up when the sense of community goes down. People feel disconnected.” — Steven Stosny
Getting Out of Being on a Jury
How can I get out of it?!
That’s a common first reaction when someone opens a notice to appear for jury duty. After all, we figure, aren’t we told “Judge not, lest you be judged”? Does that mean, though, that we should leave a person’s future in the hands of those who actually resent being there or feel they have nothing better to do? Would we want them to pass judgment on us or on our loved one accused of a crime? We’ve been given intelligence and compassion, which we should use to fight inequality, manipulation, discrimination, and exploitation—all of which often appear in our good, yet flawed, justice system.
It takes only one individual to lead the rest of the jurors to the truth of “guilty” or “not guilty.” If you aren’t there, who will stand up for the American principle of a truly fair and just trial?
“Black-on-Black Crime”–a Biased Oddity
As a word person, I usually spot language oddities that have underlying bias that often goes unnoticed. Here’s one that I’ve missed, although I don’t understand why. I feel foolish for having let it slide by my radar.
It’s when the media talks about “black-on-black” crime. It’s never “white-on-white” crime. So why mention “black-on-black”?
Daily Kos says it better than I can. Read their short article. It has some interesting figures on inter-rational vs. same-race crimes–like how likely you are to be murdered this year by a black or white person.
The Kos article is a quick read and makes an excellent point.
Join 400 Million of your Closest Friends Tonight
Want something to do tonight? Be part of the annual National Night Out. The idea behind it is to get people out of their homes to mingle, to get to know each other. It’s intended to help build neighborhood solidarity and friendship and get people involved in crime-prevention activities. The result is to put the bad guys on notice that we’re fed up with their crimes and are organized and unified enough to take back our neighborhoods.
There are National Night Out events which you can participate in. Otherwise, grab some lawn chairs and sodas, invite neighbors to join you, and talk about the kids, pets–preferably not about politics or religion–and how you, as a group, can make your neighborhood a safer place.
See you there!
Children in Adult Prisons
Kids in adult prisons? Yes, in 2013 there were 6,000+ in the U.S. These kids have few appropriate services or support as they experience sexual assault, beatings, and psychological torture. They are more likely to try suicide than kids detained in non-adult prisons, and once they get out are 77% more likely to commit crimes. This does NOT sound like a way to rehabilitate them–and they’re at the age when they are very able to change. Nor is it a way to get them ready for a productive adult life on the outside.
Read more at the Credo website. While you’re there, sign their petition to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, which simply reads, “The Department of Justice must immediately launch an investigation into the practice of trying and jailing children as adults.”
Society Says, “Die Alone”
Imagine you’re dying of cancer and totally alone, 24/7, except for the doctors who visit to take care of you. Now imagine you’ve been on death row for 34 years because, as a dumb 24-year-old, you thought signing a confession would give you rest from the 3 days of constant questioning you’ve been going through. You didn’t commit the crime–as all the evidence indicates–but you did sign that confession.
This is the plight of a real-life person named Max. Despite the fact that he has very little time to live, evidence that shouts “not guilty,” and a questionable confession coming out of confusion and exhaustion, Texas will not grant him and his family the basic human compassion of being allowed to die at home and with those who are suffering with him.
Sr. Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking, explains more about it in Let Max Soffar, an Innocent Man, Die at Home. Read it and watch the video. Then, if you agree, sign her petition on that same site.
Uncategorized
cancer, compassion, confession, crime, die, Helen, Max, Prejean, Soffar
The World, Mental Health, & the Death Penalty
Today is the 12th annual World Day Against the Death Penalty. This year the focus is on mental health. The message the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty hopes to get across is that too many prisoners who are mentally ill or intellectually disabled are being executed rather than receiving treatment to address the condition that is the underlying cause of the crime. Many of us wish that our country would join other industrialized countries in abolishing the death penalty totally; many others view executing a person who is mentally ill or the mental age of a child as barbaric.
For more information about this day and topic, and for what you can do, go to http://www.worldcoalition.org/worldday.html.
How to Promote Spousal Abuse
Here’s a recipe for promoting spousal abuse and other violent personal crimes: Recruit people for sports like football and boxing or induct them into the military. Then spend the entire time you have them training them to fight, attack, do physical harm, and perform other acts of extreme violence. Focus on harming their opponent, who is an enemy to be defeated at all cost. Mold them into fighting machines whose objective is to win.
When you’re successful, don’t be shocked when the violence they’re trained for and live with daily spills into their private lives. If you don’t want that to happen, maybe you should modify the training.
Join 317 Million of your Closest Friends Tonight
Want something to do tonight? Be part of the annual National Night Out. The idea behind it is to get people out of their homes to mingle, to get to know each other. It’s intended to help build neighborhood solidarity and friendship and get people involved in crime-prevention activities. The result is to put the bad guys on notice that we’re fed up with their crimes and are organized and unified enough to take back our neighborhoods.
There are National Night Out events which you can participate in. Otherwise, grab some lawn chairs and sodas, invite neighbors to join you, and talk about the kids, pets–preferably not about politics or religion–and how you, as a group, can make your neighborhood a safer place.
See you there!